May Review: Only Joy I have nothing bad to say about May. She’s been kind to me. May is a naturally joyful month. All the fresh bright greens in a billion different shades, leaves so bountiful the trees are weighed down, canopies so dense that they form dark tunnels. Bees buzzing, swallows and swifts filling …
April Review: New Life The Baby arrived at the end of March. Life has been a bit topsy-turvy since then. Here’s a very brief review: She’s safely here! Our wee Trixie girl has joined the family. Her birth was joyful and peaceful and straightforward and I am beyond grateful for that. She’s got these wonderful …
February Review: Stormy but sweet This is how February went: snowdrops, muddy puddles, blackbird, pheasant, snowdrops. All with a background of wind. Outside, February was stormy. Dudley! Eunice! Franklin! More trees down, more powercuts. We found a whole nest, perfectly formed and still intact, on the ground. Beautifully arranged sticks and little fluffy white feathers. …
Bird of the Month December: Fieldfare My very last bird of the month! And a stunning final entry, I think. Our gorgeous winter visitor, the fieldfare. The reason I chose the fieldfare for December is very simple – at the beginning of the month, I was driving home in the golden early afternoon winter sunshine …
Bird of the Month November: Barn Owl I chose the barn owl for my bird of the month for November because, for me, the barn owl is a bird of dark nights and big moons. My little boy is completely enraptured by the moon at the moment. Full moons, moons shrouded in clouds, daytime moons …
Bird of the Month October: WoodPigeon October is my favourite month of the year, and this one has been really lovely. Those who have read the Bird of the Month blogs through the year might have spotted some slightly melancholy months (I’m looking at you, March and April) but I’m pleased to report that October has been a …
This blog post is an ode to the turnstones in Campbeltown harbour. When the tide was high the turnstones grouped together, huddled and impatient, just above the water line on the harbour wall. Looking down on them from the harbour wall, their chestnut brown summer plumage looked like camouflage against the stones. They were wobbling …
My bird of the month for July is the dipper. I wanted to chose something joyful and light-hearted. Seeing a dipper ALWAYS brings me joy. We’ve spent a lot of time down by the river in the past month. The weather has been pretty glorious. Sometimes we take our tea down to the river after …
The choice for my bird of the month for June was an easy one. I’ve chosen the Carrion Crow. Even before we found an injured juvenile crow in our garden last week, crows were featuring heavily in my month. In June in Scotland there is a lot of daylight. The summer solstice marks the longest …
I have chosen the siskin as my bird of the month for May. These little yellow sweethearts have been our constant companions in the garden this month. We haven’t really seen siskins on the feeders here before – except the odd fleeting sighting in the winter – but this spring there has been at least …
