Photographing my travels: Spring is coming

Had to take my car in for a service two weeks ago. Met up with Liz for a walk in the castle grounds while I was waiting. Lovely to see the snowdrops and some daffodils. We have had some dry days without too much wind.

7 whooper swans stayed a couple of days on the loch. This shows the bill idents

Snowdrops in the castle grounds

A couple of blend images

3 herons, one is hiding on the left

View from the back garden

Lots of sparrows in the garden

My first flowering in the front

I keep watching this daff for it to flower but it is taking its time

First chaffinch singing

At the shore

What's that you're saying

Raven

Robin

On Monday 8th March it was warm and sunny (relative of course as it was about 9 deg C). I took some snaps in the garden and walked down to Portvoller bay and around. I was taking down the washing when I saw a bird of prey. By the time I realised it wasn't a buzzard and had rushed to get the camera, it had flown further away so only a tiny image. My first eagle seen from the garden. I wasn't sure what type it was but have heard that a juvenile white tailed has been spotted near the lighthouse. Apparently juveniles don't have as much of the white tail as the adults.

Juvenile white tailed eagle (I think)

View from the back garden with greylag geese

Just a few images from walks near the house. We came out of lockdown unexpectedly on Wednesday evening so I am looking forward to going further afield. My flat in Taunton has finally sold, hurray. Now I feel I am really a resident of Lewis.

There are fourteen sheep in the field opposite so I am waiting for lambs.

Around Loch Innis in Bayble

The small dots are two white tailed eagles I saw from Loch Innis.

Hurray these planters have gone to a good home. The white walls will make a good moth trap.

The first daffodil with one of my many dragons in the background

Heron with fish

My first chaffinch on the bird feeder

No squirrels on Lewis but of course we have rats. S/he leaves some for the birds

The first goldfinch spotted in my garden

First tulips but not ones I planted

small white dots (click on image for larger size) are nesting fulmars

I met the young artist who is responsible for these installations she has done during our second lockdown

I have some images of the first lot of lambs we have in the village. I think they are early for up here but of course behind the ones down south. I will put them up soon. There were 3 pairs when I was there yesterday but only managed to snap one pair. Hopefully I will be able to take some leaping lambs. I suspect there is going to be a lot of lamb images in the coming months.

I was going to say Spring has arrived but like the rest of the country we have had a return to winter. My neighbour's son Ian has lost 3 lambs of his 26 due to the cold. After a walk with Rupert on Saturday, I was thinking of just relaxing inside. Luckily I decided to do some weeding so was out in the garden when I noticed a large flock of birds coming in from the Minch. I ran in for the camera and got outside as 29 whooper swans flew over. They stayed until Tuesday. They left in one of the sunny periods and then came back about a minute later when the blizzard struck again. Sometime in the afternoon they left for good.

There were only 3 pairs of lambs in the field when I took this

Cairn in Bayble the rain came down when I came back this way

dog playing ball with his owner near the car. The sun had come out again

one of the many bunches of daffs at the front of the house

Flowers are coming up in the back garden

View of Lews castle from Gallows Hill on a walk with Liz

Now there are 26 lambs in the field

Whooper swans

I have heard the greenfinches for a few weeks now so was pleased to see one on the feeder

I forgot to add the weather images.

This is within a few minutes of each image

as is this. The swans made it away eventually

The second image is the next evening but the weather was the same. It is snowing in the first image

Nearly May. We have had some glorious days here. Lovely to see more lambs and I have had new birds to the garden. I had been thinking the rat was better than squirrels which we don't have on the island as it didn't eat all the birdfood. Then it tried to pull down the lard mix and almost demolished it. I have a second feeder now in the back garden and the goldfinches have found it. They seem happy with the seed mix I have. The big sightings was the snow goose though it might be an escapee rather than truly wild and the otter. The snow goose has been on Point for a couple of weeks. I drove to Ness one Saturday to see the spoonbill but missed that. Only three ever recorded on Lewis and this is the first since the seventies. I came home to find the snow goose had been on the loch but I missed it. However it has returned since. I looked out on Monday morning and started counting tufted ducks. I thought that there was a lone one to the left and looked through my binoculars. It was an otter. So excited.