I have difficulty in accepting that snowdrops in flower, lovely though they may be, are the first signs of spring as many of them, along with daffodils, pansies, primula and several other flowers which have been out for several weeks, are the products of some careful breeding. No, for me the first true sign of spring is when....
....something appears which hasn't been seen or, in this case, heard in many months.
This is a skylark singing his heart out high above Golspie golf course. He's one of at least four males which have arrived in the last few days, before the females, to stake out the best territory so that, when the ladies do arrive, he will be their top choice for mate.
In southern England skylarks don't migrate but up here, where the winter is more bitter, they disappear south for a few months.
We watched him yesterday on a sunny if chill morning but felt for him and his fellows when....
...the snow came overnight and settled, even along the beach.
Skylarks weren't the only birds we were thrilled to see yesterday. This very distant photo is of a goldcrest, a tiny bird which lives in forestry and which is, as a result, very difficult to see and photograph. There were at least three of them: we'd like to see lots more.
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