Wildlife update.

The juvenile robins are starting to appear in the garden again. After two months out of the nest the young birds start to grow some reddish feathers on their light spotted brown coat and can look rather scruffy. During the next few weeks the red patch will gradually extend to complete the sleek adult appearance. Both male and female are similar in appearance. They now start to assert their territory and will be heard singing loudly throughout the autumn and winter.
The pheasant chicks are now as big as their mother and the one male pheasant is now showing a few red feathers in his plumage. Last Saturday they were boldly sitting on the wooden fence in front of the cottage. The osprey and most of the swallows are now on their long journey back to Africa with their young.
We have not seen many red squirrels lately as they are having their second litter. If there is a good food source they will have two litters a year, one in April and another in August. The success of the breeding season depends on the seed crop of the trees where they live [acorns,hazel nuts,pine cones]as well as people like us putting out a never ending supply of free peanuts. While we were up at the cottage on Saturday I saw a mother squirrel run across the driveway carrying a baby in her mouth, similar to a cat carrying her kittens. We are looking forward to seeing the youngsters in the next few weeks chasing each other round the trees trunks, exploring the garden and clinging to the peanut feeders.

Wildlife update.

The weather this last week has fortunately cooled down and we have been experiencing wet but warm days with one terrific thunderstorm thrown in. In spite of all this the wildlife still has to go in search of food.Seen a few red deer nibbling on the wet grassy bank at the front near lochside and not surprisingly they always hear any movement with their lovely huge ears. The pheasant family- mother plus 7 chicks - are often under the bird table pecking at any remains hurled from above. The birds, especially finches, are always hungry and cling to the sunflower feeders daily but disperse at breakneck speed when the lethal, but extremely agile, sparrowhawk zooms round looking for a meal. The new bird bath is a big hit with birds and squirrels especially in the recent hot weather. The great spotted woodpecker is a colourful visitor to the peanut feeders. The red squirrels and youngsters with their much thinner tails are always fascinating to watch as they scurry down the tree trunks in search of the nuts and sunflower hearts - in fact they will eat anything put out on or under the bird table. This adult squirrel took shelter from a rain shower in the nearby trees just outside our window where we now have honeysuckle growing for the first time.

Baby Robins.

The young robins that fledged in June/July are in various stages of attaining their adult plumage. By late summer they should have acquired their characteristic red breast and begin to noisily dispute their territories. In 1961 they were chosen as Britain's national bird.