What a winter we had!  And now it’s 16th May it hasn’t warmed up a great deal.  It seems a long time since  Anne Davies told  me that on November 9th, George Dixon of Inchture reported 12 collared doves in his garden "they are such beautiful little creatures, previously we've only had a pair billing and cooing here".  Thanks for that piece of news George!  I‘m also a great fan of the very pretty and delicate collared dove!  We’ve never seen that many in our garden in Abernyte.  Anne is a self-confessed fan of George and we have noticed that the sparrow hawk is also a fan of the collared dove  ……….
 

 

Way back at the beginning of January 2010 – and almost buried in snow - we spent a lot of time watching birds on our bird feeders.  Reports came in from various Abernytians of several bullfinches, very large numbers of Goldfinches and also Bramblings feeding on or under feeders.   Bramblings are those wonderful winter migrants which look like chaffinches but have a distinct rusty red flash on each side and a rather dark head.  We were almost pleased to be snowed in and have icicles hanging down the front of the house while able to watch such super birds.  A number of woodcock were also seen in both Abernyte and Kinnaird.  during this hard weather.
 

 

 

We usually have a date record of the first snowdrop, but this year they spent so long coming out that we seem to have missed it.  When the snow disappeared the snowdrops were already up underneath!  However we had an accurately recorded spring event in the form of synchronized spawning of frogs at two Abernyte ponds on the weekend of 19th/20th March.  Despite hard frosts since, the tadpoles appear to have survived and are progressing well.    The frogs were only held up by a week in their spawning time compared with 2008 & 2009.  John and Irene also had toads spawning in their pond.
 

 

 

On Good Friday (2nd April) a lot of folk must have been out enjoying the sun, because a bumblebee was seen out at Infield on that day, and basking in the sun up by the Glebe, were  two butterflies in the form of a Peacock and a Small Tortoiseshell.   Everything came on very quickly then, because by 14th April seven different species of bumblebees had been seen, and on 18th April the Swallows were starting to arrive, shortly followed by House Martins.  No one has reported any Swifts yet, but they usually arrive well after the others. Let us have your Swift reports – these birds have become much depleted in recent years; it’s thought that the modernization of housing is partly to blame, but now it is possible to build swift nesting places into the eaves of new or old properties.   Then on 22nd April a Willow Warbler was singing in Abernyte and a Chiff-chaff was heard by Diana at Hilltown of Ballindean and Kinnaird (16th April).  Shortly after this a Chiff-chaff was also heard by Barry chiff-chaffing in the sycamore wood on Abernyte hill.  The Cuckoo was heard on 24th April up at Latch House near Lochton, and it was also cuckooing in Kinnaird on 2nd May.
 

 

As for plants, the Celandines have been flowering nicely since beginning of April and Red Campion was in flower along the kirk road on 25th April – a lot later than last year.  There was also a good flowering of Wood Anemones at the Knapp. The Ash trees are just starting to coming into leaf this weekend around 15th May; the oaks have beaten them by a couple of weeks, but are still not in full leaf.  The Beech seem to be slightly earlier than oak and ash.
 

 

Do you remember that strange and beautifully ragged butterfly, the Comma that appeared in Abernyte last year? There’s a picture of one on Abernyte Nature Watch.  Well it's back this Spring, so we hope it might have wintered in Kinnaird.  That would be a very fine event as the Comma has not often made it this far north before.  Other butterfly records sent in by the hawk-eyed Woodfords 14 April; 1 Peacock, 1 Small Tortoiseshell; 16 April: 1 Small tortoiseshell, 1 Comma; 24 April: 2 Orange Tip, 1 Green-veined White.  We also got the Orange Tips (lovely creatures) in Abernyte, but not until 11th May.
 

 

 

The children at Abernyte School have not been idle this Spring.  They formed four teams and conducted a “Signs of Spring” survey from their School playing field, the results of which can be viewed on Abernyte.org under School Spring Survey.   Their signs included “we can hear a tractor ", “local cat called princess is lying in the sun”  and “The sky is really nice and blue and has fluffy clouds in it”!

 

Any more signs of Spring from kids, school or anyone else, make sure you put them on Nature Watch, send to “WhatsOn” or to Barry and Cathy Caudwell in Abernyte.  Let’s hope the sky stays blue and fluffy!

 

Cathy Caudwell