All dressed up...

The weather has turned overcast instead of the blue skies but there is still no rain for us. Some of the pools that the frogs have used are now dry and the spawn will be lost. No frogs in the garden pond so it's another bird waiting to get on the feeders - Chaffinch.

Nothing else came close enough for the camera. Even the GN Diver kept it's distance.

No improvement in the weather on the next day but being out earlier helped with the sightings. The Otter family were out fishing and catching well so I didn't have to wait too long before one hauled out.

The Black-headed Gull is that common (for me) so to see two birds coming into breeding plumage was worthy of a bit of camera pointing!

You can find the Red-breasted Merganser close to the shore but they are not that keen if you stop to look. You can see the speed of this bird as it heads off - love the hairdo though!

Not a native bird but Pheasants are striking birds - all dressed up and nowhere to go.

A Common Gull was doing circuits...

...round a herd of Highland Cattle.

I managed to get reasonably close to two of the Skylark when I got home and got some photos of of one of them in the open - result.

Tribe.

The fine weather continued for the first couple of days of March, even the Brown Trout were enjoying the good conditions.

The number of birds on the feeders are starting to grow but there is nothing to shout about just the usual Blue, Great and Coal Tit along with numerous Chaffinch. The three Skylarks are still hanging around but not near the garden at the moment and I have heard a few singing birds too. Meadow Pipits are still tough to get but it won't be long before you can't avoid them - a flock of seven birds was nice.

Dunnocks normally creep around in the undergrowth but they do like to show off now and again - looks good in the sunshine...

...and so do the flowers!

Long-tailed Tit is a difficult bird to get at times - some days they are easy and others days you can't find one to save your life (bird race bogey bird). I was happy with a view of a backside the other day...

...but where there is one there is usually more. A group of Long-tailed Tits is called a tribe - I had a tribe of two!! Looks like a Tribble (remember them?) with no beak

It never came out into the open and it was soon following the other half of the tribe.

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.