What fantastic weather it is, saying that though any spell of dry sun is going to get a good reception at the moment. I have had an enjoyable morning watching bike racing on the telly broken by a quick foray out to pluck daffodils for mothers day. Whilst doing this I heard the first skylarks singing from the garden. This is a good marker for the end of winter. The last few days have had the Meadow pipits return to territories and start to display. Curlews are also getting on song with bubbling being heard from all quarters a couple of hours ago. Its so nice to see Curlews rising above the house and parachuting back to the ground as they fill their wings with wind and perform this graceful decent above their intended territories. Oystercatchers continue to call from below the house and spring is coming on song full bore.
Yesterday I had a spin out west in the search for the first of the Wheatears to return. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be, I did manage several Piedwags but that was about it. The cliffs out west offered up Guillemots, Razorbills and Kittiwakes with birds up on the cliffs and sitting on the sea. This was all very nice to see but wasn’t what I was looking for but never mind. The hide at the loons was also quiet but I had a nice Pintailed duck settle in front of me. I managed to take a few snaps as it moved across the pool like an unstoppable motor boat. Once again I took my eye off the bird and fiddled with the camera only to look up and find the bird gone,…aint that the way of it. Hundreds upon hundreds of golden plovers were in the air in the direction of the windmills and I read a report of lots of them on the ground around Evie village from Tim Woot on orkbird this avo with many of them in their splendid summer plumage.
It’s the back of four now so I think I might have a trip out in a while to look for raptors across the Harray hills and Cottasgarth as a nice way to end the day!