Spring song

I may have been watching too much Death in Paradise on catch-up to have had the means, motive or opportunity to murder the English language with another blogpost. Then again, it could have been due to the wintry weather, or just a lack of muse.

Not to worry, here's a quick round-up of the past two weeks...

A trip to Shetland (key worker/same Covid tier) saw me catch the 11.45pm ferry from Kirkwall, arriving in Lerwick at 7.30am the following morning. All was eerily quiet as I pondered when it would be polite to phone the customer to announce my presence on the island.

I reckoned 9am was probably ok, so meantime set off in search of some breakfast. Leaving my vehicle in an almost empty car above Fort Charlotte, I strolled through the chill air and deserted streets of Lerwick to a take away cafe and bought an egg roll and a cup of tea. Unbeknownst to me, my return journey to the car was being monitored from a rampart of the fort, for no sooner had I closed the vehicle door, than a loud thump came from the roof of the car.

A wily Herring Gull, noticing the styrofoam containers clutched in my hand, had decided to pay me a visit on the off chance of a free meal.

Having survived that experience and the subsequent ferry journey back to Orkney, the following weekend saw a trip to the coastline of Evie.

This was the time of year when Orkney's Skylarks were finding their singing voices as heralds of Spring and warmer times ahead. It was lovely to hear their joyous songs again.

Along the shore, there were many waders, but I was particularly pleased to see some Purple Sandpipers, winter visitors to Orkney, before they head back north to their breeding grounds in the high Arctic.

Gratuitous scenery shot of rusting winding gear, Eynhallow Sound and Rousay

On the warmer side of the house, some small beetles were soaking up the meagre heat from a February sun. I'm not sure what these are, but wildlife colleagues have suggested they're from the Family Chrysomelidae, a large group of leaf beetles.

 

A few days this week have brought more in the way of warm sunshine, such that splashes of colour are returning to the garden again. Crocuses, Snowdrops, Aconites and Dwarf Irises all helping to lift the spirit from the dark days of Winter.