Our native squirrel

Today I drove out to the small RSPB reserve at Loch Spynie near Lossiemouth. It’s a place I visited a couple of times last year, and Brenda and I went there together just before new year. Every time I’ve been I’ve seen our native squirrel, the red squirrel, and today was no exception, I actually saw four of these beautiful creatures. I make no excuse for including two photos as they are really stunning animals!

One of the red squirrels at Loch Spynie


Around the car park for the reserve there are some bird feeders, which attract a variety of tits, dunnocks, blackbirds, tree sparrows and more. Today there was also a yellowhammer and a couple of great spotted woodpeckers. I did see what might well have been a crossbill at the top of one of the trees, but it flew off before I could fully identify it.

Great spotted woodpecker
A cormorant at Loch Spynie drying its wings


I then went over to Cullen, about 20 miles away, and walked east along the rocky shore, where there were eider, oystercatchers, curlew, redshank and a couple of red-throated divers.

No new species for February 20th:

TOTALS TO DATE:
Birds = 129
Moths = 4
Wildflowers = 19