Over the weekend the sun came out, the temperatures shot up, the chiffchaffs sang and the blue tits showed renewed interest in the nesting box at the bottom of the garden. Everything seemed bright and summery, the only slight downside being that, when we walked in Balblair Woods, there was still no sign....
....of the osprey's return. Someone we met on the walk told us she had recently seen three together so others are already back from West Africa. It is, in any case, slightly early for this osprey: the earliest we've seen him in previous years has been the 5th April.
While there was no sign of any new wildflowers appearing those that are already out, like the lesser celandine, were enjoying the sun but all that changed yesterday as the grey weather of a northern Scottish winter returned. It's even colder, windier and wetter today so....
....the celandine made use of its ability to keep its flowers folded until the sun comes back out and the temperatures, currently a miserable 5C, pick up.
So spring is back on hold. However, we did find one new arrival this morning, a cowslip in the meadow between the housing estate and the A9 road. We've seen them here before and had expressed surprise, as this is the only place in Highland Scotland where we've found this wildflower. We now know why: it was introduced here by NatureScot so it's an 'incomer'.
Over the weekend the sun came out, the temperatures shot up, the chiffchaffs sang and the blue tits showed renewed interest in the nesting box at the bottom of the garden. Everything seemed bright and summery, the only slight downside being that, when we walked in Balblair Woods, there was still no sign....
On Sunday, I was enjoying some patches of blue sky in Devon whilst our local pair of Buzzards flew low passes over the Rook nests just to antagonise them. My attention was caught by a very small dot of a bird, so high, and yet clearly a raptor riding the thermal. Our local pair of Buzzards were calling to each other and yet this did not change the high bird's flight; maybe it was too high to be bothered with such convivialities. I then remembered that migrating Ospreys might be passing at this time of year and wondered if it might be on its way to Scotland. Try as I might, I could find no web page plotting radio-tagged Osprey to prove my thinking. Give him a few days and your nest might be occupied. By the way, Chiffchaffs made it to Devon on 22nd March.
ReplyDeleteGood to. hear from you, Derryck!
DeleteIt was so cold yesterday that the local chiffchaffs stopped calling; maybe they've given up and are heading south.
Your high-flying raptor - could it be a sea eagle? They're now spreading out from the Isle of Wight where they were re-introduced. I only know this because one of my daughters says they're being seen in Suffolk now.