Are Frogs mad?

After the dismal weekend weather it was nice to see some sunshine on Monday. There was still a bit of a breeze blowing from the East but the sun really had some heat in it.

I was off out on an errand in the morning and I bumped into Postie as he was watching some Otters. He'd had mum and two cubs asleep on the shore but mum had done a runner leaving the cubs to do their own thing. They were fishing when I arrived so we watched and chatted until the cubs hauled out again.

It was all fairly relaxed and the sightings kept building with GN Diver, Razorbill, Black Guillemot, Crossbill and Golden Eagle all noted. A couple of Rock Pipits were chasing about with the odd song flight thrown in for good measure before they settled on the rocks in front of us. The reflection of the yellow lichen on the underparts of this bird added a little interest.

The two Otter cubs had moved off and it wasn't too long after they went that another Otter appeared and went to the same area and checked out 'the local news' by sniffing around and adding it's spraint to what the cubs had left.

Just as Postie was leaving I noticed some Frog spawn on the grass nowhere near the freshwater pools. We checked the pools to find a few bits of spawn but not enough to warrant spawning on the grass and stranger still was a clump of spawn in the middle of the road!! They must be mad.

A wee jaunt out in the afternoon to check on the Adders was quite productive too with one moving off quite quickly...

...and the other was well camouflaged and keeping still.

A few Red Deer were seen, a White-tailed Eagle being moved on by the gulls and the Common Seals were basking in the sunshine - a cracking day.