Christine's walking & birds blog

We've managed to get out for enjoyable walks for three days in a row, although on 1st April we walked from home as usual. Then on 2nd April our stay-at-home rule in Scotland became a stay-local rule. We can drive for exercise provided we remain in our local authority area - and our local authority area happens to be vast! But on all three walks, social distancing was not a problem.

Birds seen over the three days: a golden eagle was soaring unbelievably high, lazily interacting now and then with its mate.

A wader on a distant grassy loch turned out to be our first greenshank of the year.
The loch also held three mallards and two little grebes.

We heard drumming from a great spotted woodpecker but it remained invisible. Then a second individual started drumming from out in the open, and when she turned her head we could see this one was a female.

Also seen on the three walks: a pair of black-throated divers on an inland loch, several redwings, 33+ whooper swans, lots of meadow pipits displaying on moorland, and my first palmate newts of the year loitering with intent in a wet ditch where frogspawn had been laid.