Last night our long term volunteer Mandy was out walking on the reserve and heard the first corncrake of 2014! Possibly the first for Argyll this year. Yesterday in the Woodland trail the willow warblers were out in force singing their hearts out, and swallows were flying over the yard. Mandy found an egg shell below the rookery at the weekend, so they must be hatching! On the floods the lapwing are sitting on eggs, and we are expecting our first mallard ducklings any day now!
You aren't as likely to see a corncrake as hear one. Follow this link for the rspb.org's bird information pages and have a listen to their (not so) melodic song!
http://www.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/birdguide/name/c/corncrake/index.aspx
I dont have a corncrake photo to hand, but here is one of mallard ducklings, taken by Andy Robinson from the hides a couple of years ago.