Oh, the joys of a Highland Spring. Frosty mornings, sunshine, wildfires, drought....and snow! Yes, wildfires and snow, all in one week. And what a difference a week makes! Last Sunday at Tollie it was a winter wonderland, snowing heavily and bitterly cold, and all the birds had – quite rightly- fluffed up their feathers and stayed in some form of shelter in their half-built nests or under a cozy spruce, far far away from our prying eyes and searching binoculars. Fast forward 5 days and what a difference! Nests being built, mating (awkward pause), fighting pheasants, crows and kites, green shoots everywhere, woodpeckers drumming from the woods, ospreys returned, a first bee sighting, fleeting sunshine, and warmth....ahhhhhhhh.
A scene reminiscent of last Sunday, 7th April. Image courtesy of Brad Chappell
If at first ye dornt succeed, try th' bit an' 'en th' heed (Unknown Glaswegian poet)
5 days later and with the temperatures rising, these pheasants decided to fight! Image courtesy of Ron Mackinnon.
Spring this year has, I’m sure you’re aware, been very late indeed. By my rough estimations about a month. Migratory birds have been kept at bay for most of March and into April by a ferocious North Easterly biting wind, so it’s with bated breath that we await the arrival of our usual migrants at Tollie, notably chiffchaff, house martins and swallows which are normally seen and heard in abundance by now. Ospreys have returned, as have the less-travelled pied wagtail, so I’m sure the others aren’t far behind.
As for the kites at Tollie, our resident pair Mr and Mrs Tollie have been seen circling above their nest which they successfully inhabited last year, and apparently been seen mating. Today, Tollie chased off a 2011 male, 6E from the centre, just to confirm his territory. All fantastic indicators that they’ll continue to be our resident pair this year. Fingers crossed! Actually, I have a hunch that Mrs Tollie is already brooding eggs at the nest, as Tollie takes the food straight there and she’s not been seen with him at all in the past couple of days.
Other birds making an appearance at Tollie this weekend have been: Osprey (2 today), kestrel, buzzard, grey heron, migrating geese, a pair of mistle thrushes, very vocal pheasants, and the usual suspects: red kite, greater spotted woodpecker, siskin, coal, blue, great and long-tailed tits, greenfinch and loads of chaffinch.
We have a mystery nest been/being built in the copse area nearest the track, which I’m guessing is a crow’s nest as it’s the right size. The nest can be easily viewed from the little side window in the centre, so take a look and let us know if you see which bird it occupying it, even if it is ‘just’ a crow it will be very interesting to be able to view it so closely.
So, with spring firmly on our minds and positive warm thoughts being channelled towards the weatherman, I’ll leave you now with a very appropriate poem by Robert Louis Stevenson.
Spring Song
The air was full of sun and birds,
The fresh air sparkled clearly.
Remembrance wakened in my heart
And I knew I loved her dearly.
The fallows and the leafless trees
And all my spirit tingled.
My earliest thought of love, and Spring's
First puff of perfume mingled.
In my still heart the thoughts awoke,
Came lone by lone together -
Say, birds and Sun and Spring, is Love
A mere affair of weather?