There is an amazing variety of wildlife in the local vicinity and yesterday we made a mental note of all we saw just in one day.
Of course the birds are constant callers to all the various feeders in the open garden area but the young plump siskins do not know of any dangers so sit quite innocently on the ground. The red squirrels are now regular visitors under the bird feeders where we leave them a special stash of peanuts and sunflower hearts placed near the bushes. The great spotted woodpecker arrived on the bird table and flew off with the remains of our breakfast croissant which was quite unusual as he normally would be attached to a nut feeder or suet ball so he must have been sent to find any food for the nest. We heard the cuckoo across the loch and saw a few early swallows skimming over the water for the first time this year. On the journey to Daviot we spotted a red kite overhead with its trademark forked tail and saw a buzzard sitting on a fence post beside the road watching intently for the next possible tasty morsel. In the evening we saw something we have never seen before - a weasel carrying its young in its mouth similar to a cat carrying a kitten. We saw it fleetingly dash across the path and disappear into the thick undergrowth of the blueberry bushes which buzz with the sound of bees during the daytime.
Most of these smaller creatures are quite vulnerable especially when they are young as the predatory sparrowhawk is also always on the prowl - but life goes on so to speak.
Of course the birds are constant callers to all the various feeders in the open garden area but the young plump siskins do not know of any dangers so sit quite innocently on the ground. The red squirrels are now regular visitors under the bird feeders where we leave them a special stash of peanuts and sunflower hearts placed near the bushes. The great spotted woodpecker arrived on the bird table and flew off with the remains of our breakfast croissant which was quite unusual as he normally would be attached to a nut feeder or suet ball so he must have been sent to find any food for the nest. We heard the cuckoo across the loch and saw a few early swallows skimming over the water for the first time this year. On the journey to Daviot we spotted a red kite overhead with its trademark forked tail and saw a buzzard sitting on a fence post beside the road watching intently for the next possible tasty morsel. In the evening we saw something we have never seen before - a weasel carrying its young in its mouth similar to a cat carrying a kitten. We saw it fleetingly dash across the path and disappear into the thick undergrowth of the blueberry bushes which buzz with the sound of bees during the daytime.
Most of these smaller creatures are quite vulnerable especially when they are young as the predatory sparrowhawk is also always on the prowl - but life goes on so to speak.
