Shaped by the Wind

Looking east across the fields from the Serpentine walk my eyes are always drawn to this line of trees, their tops flattened by the prevailing wind.

Swirly Rock Patterns

 Swirly patterns on one of the bright red sandstone rocks on the beach at Lower Largo.

Big Garden Birdwatch 2015

For over 30 years now the RSPB has been conducting a garden birdwatch at this time of year. The public are invited to take part by watching and recording the birds they see in one hour in their garden or a park and sending in their results by post or on-line. My results for this year were:

Blackbird: 2
Dunnock: 2
Blue tit: 2
Coal tit: 1
Great tit: 2
House sparrow: 4
Robin: 2
Starling: 5
Wood pigeon: 1
Jackdaw: 2
Chaffinch: 1

The count was fairly representative of what we see most days (particularly in frosty weather). Goldfinches usually feature but were absent. This month we have also seen long-tailed tits and bullfinches.

Blue tits like the fat-filled coconut shell.

Anchored in Largo Bay

Anchored in Largo Bay yesterday afternoon the heavy load carrier Meri which is registered in Finland.

A Snow-Covered Footpath

There was a light fall of snow overnight but the sun came out and by midday most of the snow had melted. However, in the shade of the trees in the Serpentine Walk, snow still covered the footpath.

The snow has completely disappeared from Largo Law which can be glimpsed in the background.

With the promise of spring, snowdrops were beginning to appear at the side of the footpath.

A Cold Snap Brings Bullfinches

Cold wintry weather always seems to attract bullfinches (Pyrrhula pyrrhula) to the garden. Rarely see them the rest of the year. They seem particularly fond of honeysuckle berries and the seeds of St John's wort so I don't prune those bushes until the spring.

Male bullfinch feeding on honeysuckle berries.