Belated post from mid-July

Sunshine and showers…

After the fine bonny days through the week the weekend has arrived and so has the cooler, showery weather. Not that our wee birds seem to mind. They are still around the feeders in abundance both here at the cabin and at the top hide. There are finches of one kind or another everywhere you look- siskins hanging acrobatically from feeders, chaffinches flitting to and fro and goldfinches squabbling noisily over who will get to perch on which side of the feeder.

There are still many young birds about too- young robins just starting to change from spotted to orange breast feathers, coal and great tits with their pale lemony-yellow cheek patches and great spotted woodpeckers with their red caps becoming slightly less scarlet.

The cooler weather seems to be suiting our peregrines better too as they are perched up in full view with their feathers being ruffled in the breeze. The warm, sunny weather may have brought out beautiful Speckled Wood butterflies and Large Red Damselflies but it sometimes saw our peregrines seeking shade for a spell behind shrubbery and young trees on the quarry face.

I am sure that visitors one day thought I had totally lost the plot as I tried to convince them that the motionless shape I was directing them to look at really was the female peregrine and not just a piece of rock. Luckily she did eventually stand up so they could see her and knew that I was not mad after all!

Whatever the weather there is always wildlife out there to be seen so pop in and see us and see what you can spot.