March - In like a Lion...

...we'll see if it goes out like a lamb!
I still have ongoing problems with BT and their broadband so I'm doing this post at the shop. When it takes four hours to get connected you don't want to be writing a post as it's usually time for bed at that point! Enough of that.
The gales at the beginning of March had a plus side as a Ring-billed Gull turned up in my garden - result!!

The following day it was outside the shop.

A single Adder was seen on a sunny day but this Blue Tit singing was a much better photo opportunity.

More wind followed and made the waterfalls into water-rises!

You wouldn't think that this Reed Bunting photo was taken while the wind was blowing through at 40mph - quite calm at ground level.

Still only a single Adder on show a week into March - so I may have to find another site for them.

On the plus side I did see a couple of Common Lizards on the same day.

It was a lovely, calm, sunset that evening.

After the sun went down I picked up BB and headed out into the dark to search for Barn Owl - we were not disappointed.

Before the storm

The days just before the storm hit were pretty calm and there didn't seem to be an increase of birds at the feeders. They don't get much better looking than a Blue Tit.

There was an increase in the gull population though. There must have been 300 Common Gulls at the head of the loch with another 600 out on the main part of the loch.

The rough weather never seems to affect the seals and Otters. There were plenty of Common Seals to be seen 'bottling' close to shore...

 ...while an Otter swam past keeping an eye on me.

End of February

We have had a few problems with the internet over the last week so I'll keep this brief. The Hen Harriers have been showing well over the last week with most of the sightings involving a male bird.

Crossbills are a daily sighting at the moment but you have to there at the right time. A male bird tends to stick to the top of the conifers while he sings...

...while a female bird has showed in some better positions.

A good sighting for the month was a small flock of six Long-tailed Tits that hung around for a couple of days.

The bird feeders have been busy with the local birds building themselves up as the breeding season approaches - a healthy looking female Chaffinch...

...and the dapper male.

Plenty of Great and Coal Tits but you can't beat the stunning Blue Tit.

Common Buzzard is a regular sight at the roadside but it was nice to see this pair in bonding flight.

I've had a look for Adders through February but never connected as the weather has not been the best. There is usually Frog spawn in the pools from the middle of the month but I never came across any until the end of February.

Patchwork Challenge - Species 69, points 91.

Buzz

You don't have to see the spectacular to get a buzz from the wildlife but they do help. An early morning shot of a Red Deer on the run - it was too dark for a decent shot but the movement conveyed in this shot made a bad shot reasonable.

I was wondering if the weather would stay clear enough for a dry run out when a Rock Pipit perched on the roof of the motor. It would have been a nice shot but the camera was on the front seat. I got the camera and hung around but the pipits just stayed on the overhead wires!

A Blue Tit was looking for spiders on the shed when I was heading out so I had to get a snap of that.

There seem to be quite a few GN Diver about now with a group of five birds seen and a few singles as well.

The Buzzards plumage always looks quite variable up here but few people will take the light condition into consideration - here is one in the shade looking quite dark.

An Otter was seen fishing but it never came any closer...

...and the Grey Herons were quite distracting as they kept flying past.

This is the same bird sitting on the shore all hunched up.

Back to the Buzzards. This bird was bathed in light as the sun was setting but it looks quite pale...

...a different bird when the sun disappeared - colder and darker but only a minute or so between those shots.

End of October

It all comes around too quick! The year list stands at 142 but the Patchwork Challenge is suffering now, only two new birds in October - Long-tailed Tit and Whooper swan - which leaves the totals at 105 species and 131 points.
In an effort to increase the PC list I spent a bit of time looking for Brambling but the searching was put on hold while I took a few snaps of these WT Eagle sitting in a tree.

Next up was to check some garden feeders. What looks like a Bank Vole filled in some time...

...a distant Hen Harrier flew past...

...while the feeders produced plenty of sightings of Robin...

...Blue Tit...

...Blackbird...

...and Collared Dove.

Naturally, there were Chaffinch, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Greenfinch around too but there was no sign of any Brambling to boost the score! A Grey Heron was blending in well in it's normal winter fishing spot.

Blue.

No change in the chilly conditions but there was a bit of sunshine. Just as I was leaving the garden a couple of Blue Tit turned up at the feeders so I hung around for a bit. It was difficult to get a clear shot at either bird when they left the feeders but I managed a couple of decent ones.

The Golden Plover were a bit closer to the road but with the blustery wind it was never going to be easy to get some shots. Not the of best of shots but it was nice to get the Lapwing flying past too.

Most of the GN Divers are starting to sport a bit of summer plumage now.

I have noticed there is a distinct lack of frogspawn this year. There is still time for them to appear but at the moment there is about a 50% reduction of spawn in the pools. The only Frog that I came across was in the talons of a Buzzard - it's not just people that eat frogs legs!

The Buzzard was taking it's time to eat it's meal so I headed off.

It was nice to catch this Mistle Thrush on a post as they are normally on the ground or perched in a tree.

Bird of the day had to be the Treecreeper that hung around long enough for me to get the camera and grab a couple of shots.

Patchwork.

That's two months of patchwork done - the patch being a 6 kilometre stretch of road. I have, pretty much, stuck to that patch over the two months and it's not made too much difference to what I would expect to see. There are a few species missing but they will come.....in the next 10 months! As it stands I have seen 67 species and amassed 88 points (the year list stands at 81). Once the season kicks off the patch might get neglected a bit but I'll still be covering the area every day on the tours so, hopefully, I won't miss too much.
The feeders have been getting a fair bit of attention and you won't find a better looking bird than a Blue Tit having lunch.

There were three Skylark beside the house for a few days and the one day I get a photograph it's not a Skylark but a Chaffinch!

This Golden Eagle was flying around at the back of the house but I was about half a mile away at the time - must put some effort into a close Goldie.

By the time I reached the house there was nothing to see but this Robin!

There have been some cracking sightings in the dark when we've been out. Barn Owls have been fairly common, Tawny Owls have been heard regular but one sitting at the side of the road was special, one Long-eared Owl and a certain mustelid was seen! A Greenshank is not a bird you want to approach when there is no cover, normally they will be off before you see them but I got lucky.