Summer...?

Two Swifts over the house at 8:00am this morning was a nice sight to see, my first of the year.

(Finally getting some summer like weather that looks set to continue for at least a week)

Glenmore....

A trip to the Cairngorms National Park today, more specifically Glenmore Forest Park in changeable weather (snow/hail showers and sunny warm periods) produced my first Crested Tit of the year. Other birds seen were Chaffinch, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Buzzard, plenty of Willow Warblers, a Greater Spotted Woodpecker heard and not a lot else really. Weather wasn't great for getting the camera out but I did manage to get a decent picture of a Willow Warbler in the Alt Mhor carpark at lunch. Probably the clearest view I have had of one.

Willow Warbler - Phylloscopus trochilus

Quick update..

Just a quick update whilst I take a short break from coursework. Heard my first Willow Warblers from my back doorstep in the middle of last week then a couple days I managed to spot one in the trees just outside my garden.

At the weekend I did a bit of bee friendly planting, replacing one the borders in the garden with a mix of British Wildflower seed. Not sure how successful they will be but fingers crossed. I obtained two free packets of seed from Friends of the Earth's Bee Cause website, in which they managed to hand out all 10,000 packets that were available. The good news is the Co-operative are now doing a similar thing for those who want some called Plan Bee.

Today (3rd) I was at Drummondreach Oak wood this morning for a college module. A really stunning woodland with plenty more Willow Warblers singing, 3 Swallows spotted on the way there at Alcaig and an Osprey was seen perched just offshore of the Urquhart Cemetery, my 6th Osprey in the space of two weeks, not bad considering I had only seen one before once at Loch Garten Osprey centre.

That's all from me back to work, such a shame that I have to miss all this lovely weather.

Small but it's a start.