Squirrels and snow..

Over the weekend we experienced a real mixture of weather patterns - hopefully signalling the end of the mad March days. We were enjoying a glass of wine outside on the bench in the spring sunshine watching the squirrels on the nut feeders. The sun was quite bright so on came the sun glasses. A few minutes later we had a snow shower which began to seriously dilute the wine so we had to dash back inside pretty quick.
The squirrel disappeared up the tree.

Ospreys return.

Ospreys have been returning to their Highland nests earlier this year. At Loch Garten on Speyside a regular female known as EJ was reported on Wednesday evening sitting in a tree eating a trout and then giving her old nest a clean and rebuilding with new sticks. Observers at the site are waiting to see if her 17 year old mate called VS will return to mate with her or will a new rival fly in to challenge him.
Keep up to date with the Loch Garten Blog.
We will be keeping a look out for Ollie, our own Loch Ness osprey who has been a regular visitor since we have lived here. He has a huge 6 feet wingspan and a gleaming whitish/cream underbelly and usually hovers overhead while looking down for the family lunch. We have been lucky enough to see him dive into the loch and emerge with a fish in his talons... a magnificent sight.

Snowdrops.

The wild snowdrops, the first flowers of Spring, are appearing in the hedgerows with their pristine white flowers hanging down like miniature candle lights.
In April the wild primroses will bloom in great profusion followed in May by the carpets of bluebells.
Spring is a really beautiful time of the year with lots of colour to look forward to.

International Space Station.

On Tuesday we experienced a rather chilly day with a clear blue sky which enhanced the snow topped mountains opposite. Enjoyed a lunch out at The Dores Inn and very nice it was too but just too cold for a walk along the beach. The Inn was very busy and we had to wait for a table.In the evening the setting sun lit up the isolated clouds as it disappeared westwards for the night. During our usual evening stroll around the outside of the house with the cats following in case we needed their assistance we noticed a very bright light in the blue night sky - top left in photo.
We had heard recently that the International Space Station can now be seen with the naked eye on a clear evening and on further research on the internet we are sure that is what we saw in the sky. Apparently it is only second in brightness to the planet Venus.
Read simplified information on the space station or more detailed information by Nasa.

Greenfinch.

Just when we thought that Spring was around the corner the weather this week has been alternating between rain and snow. At the moment you cannot see across to the other side of Loch Ness as the blizzard is almost horizontal with the strong winds. It is about 3C but the good news is that double figures are forecast for Wednesday so we might be able to escape for a day out then. We had a pre-arranged appointment with a person from VisitScotland last week and after a lengthy look everywhere in the cottage we were told that we merited a top 4 star award. We also had a visit from a greenfinch on the nut feeders which was a bit more exciting and much more relaxing. The chaffinch seemed a little bit intimidated by him and that menacing powerful beak. In this weather the birds and squirrels need feeding more than ever as their natural food source has not hatched yet. Purchased a 25kg sack of peanuts which should keep the wildlife going for a while.