Feb 21st, 2016

Author: donich_admin

Spring is springing

The weather here today was truly awful as only Highland weather can be. Grey with driving rain and a persistent wind. R and I had hoped to get a really good hill walk in, but instead, we had to content ourselves with our usual walk along the lochside. Nonetheless, spring is on its way.

There are a few catkins on the trees, the first spring flowers are out, and today R and I heard the first woodpecker. If last year is anything to go by, within a week or so they will be drumming throughout the woodland here. They’re not often seen (though very occasionally we get one at the bird table), but they are certainly noisy.

On the subject of noisy, our jays are also starting to squawk at each other, trying to get a dominant position to hold on to this territory – which must be a very sought after one considering how many nuts we put out. The first year we were here there was one pair which must have had a lot of surviving offspring, because at the moment there are no less than six. I do like them but I hope we don’t end up with 12 this year because they will eat us out of house and home. We also counted six red squirrels at one time in the feeding area yesterday.

The picture is of a rather nice hellebore which is now out in our garden.