IT is interesting how the natural dynamics of the River Devon changes with the seasons.
Of course, those in summer are obvious with the arrival of sand martins, warblers and other birds, as well the proliferation of wildflowers and butterflies.
The winter aura, however, is more subtle.
One bird that appears in good numbers in winter is the moorhen.
Although mostly a resident bird in Scotland, they do undertake small local migrations to ice-free flowing rivers like the Devon from lochans and ponds, which are prone to freeze over.
Many people will be familiar with tame moorhens that inhabit ponds in parks, but in contrast, those on the River Devon are very shy and hard to approach close.
They also tend to be mainly young birds, which are distinguished by their darker and less striking plumage.
Often, the first sign of a moorhen on the Devon will be a bird exploding out from the bankside from right beneath your fleet and skittling low over the water with trailing feet to disappear in among the tangle of alder roots on the far bank.
Similarly, dabchicks haunt the River Devon in winter and are equally as timid, lurking close to the bankside and diving under if one approaches too close.
Also known as the little grebe, the dabchick is an enchanting bird that oozes character.
They feed mainly on small aquatic animals, including fish, water beetles and insect larvae.
Appearing in winter in much smaller numbers is the water rail, which belongs to the same family as the moorhen, and is distinguished by its long, reddish curved beak and largely blue-grey plumage.
I only occasionally encounter water rails when walking by the river, but they appear frequently in night-time recordings from my bankside trail cameras, indicating that they are quite frequent and largely nocturnal in their habits.
None of the above nest by the River Devon in spring and summer for two principal reasons.
Firstly, the Devon is a spate river and nests close to the water edge run the perennial risk of getting washed away in floods.
Secondly, nests will be at continual risk from marauding otters and mink, both of which are common on the river.
Another winter visiting specialist is the cormorant, and as is the case with the moorhen, it is mainly young birds present, which are distinguished by their pale breasts.
Only a few appear on the river each winter, and there are currently one or two birds on the stretch between Tillicoultry and Dollar.
They have the habit of sitting atop dead trees on the riverbank and thus are easy to spot.
I know my good angling friends do not like the presence of cormorants on the river, but I would contend a more pragmatic stance should be adopted, for the presence of these piscivores means there are plenty of trout and other fish present, and that is something we should all celebrate.
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