A very long winter has finally drawn to an end, and now the air is filled with the song of Skylarks, the displays of Lapwing, Redshank & Snipe, and the first crex-crex of the Corncrake. Celandines, Marsh Marigolds, Daisies and Dandelions are attracting the first bumblebees emerging from hibernation, and a few butterflies are on the wing.
Late autumn brought two more surprises in the form of a Little Egret in early Nov then a Cattle Egret later in the month. It has been a horrendous winter for weather but a very interesting one ornithologically. Daily sightings of Merlin, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk & Hen Harrier are always welcomed, as are the Internationally Important numbers of Greenland White-fronted & Barnacle Geese. Other geese of note included a blue-phase Snow Goose and three vagrant Canada Geese (a hutchinsii and 2 medium-sized parvipes). A Green-winged Teal has given intermittant views at Loch a-Phuill throughout the winter months amongst the plethora of wildfowl there. Gulls have dominated the winter scene however, with peaks of 13 Iceland Gulls and 9 Glaucous Gulls as well as 2 Kumlien's Gulls (1st-winter & adult) and a 1st-winter Ring-billed. Thanks to John Bowler for providing some of these records.
