...but as I see so many more people at the reserve at the moment I realise others aren't waiting for spring necessarily, but rather for the return of the osprey! We are keeping our eyes peeled, but no sign so far at Kinnordy. It shouldn't be long now.
Meanwhile myself and the volunteers are enjoying the early spring sunshine, listening to the redshank as they call over the background noise of the black-headed gulls, watching the lapwings aerial display and the shoveler pairs as they circle each other. I earned myself some laughs yesterday as I got a little over excited by the sound of water rail squealing for the first time this year. It is great to have them back. We also have 4 -5 pairs of gadwall around the loch again too, which looks good for the breeding season.
Today we have seen the red squirrel lots, shaking peanuts from the feeder first thing, then returning intermittently to retrieve his winnings. The woodpecker has also been busy drumming from various trees. Robins are singing heartily, but other birds seem reluctant to take up the chorus just yet.
Although some of the lapwing and oystercatchers have paired up and spread out over the reserve there are still a few reminders that I need to calm down a little, and winter isn't yet far enough behind us. There are still whooper swans around, the fluctuating numbers suggest that these are stopping off on their journey from wintering sites further south, when they are suitably fed and the weather conditions are right they will move on.