Sunshine draws everyone outdoors in April

Castle Semple on the 19th of April was very popular with visitors - probably due to the gorgeous warm sunny day which brought everyone out in droves - a chance to get outdoors without getting cold and wet!!!!

The guys in the leathers at the right of the picture

looked quite macho until ...........................................

they rode off on their MINIBIKES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Spring at Muirshiel

Spring finally arrrived up at Muirshiel in April, with the appearance of the wildflowers on the bankings at the roadside, all the way from the old quarry, up to Muirshiel Country Park.
Mainly Primroses but lots of Dog Violets as well.
On one of the warmer days at the end of April, we went out around the 'Bilberry' areas looking for any early Green Hairstreak Butterflies which might have been around - we did find a couple of early specimens but mostly it was White-tailed, Red-tailed and Buff-tailed Bumblebees which we recorded flying around.
Patch was with us on the survey as when he moved through the vegetation slightly ahead of us - the butterflies would be disturbed and fly up - giving us the chance to see them, However at this point he was 'cheating' by walking along the top of a long fallen tree trunk!!!

The other thing which shows it is Spring - is the arrival of
the Seasonal Rangers!!
They are from left to right - Richie, Colin[hiding], Andy, Stephen, Jesse and Elidh spotted here checking out Muirshiel Country Park and having a little look for any Hen Harrier which might be passing!

SNOW COVERED MOORLANDS AT MUIRSHIEL Feb 2009

This was the view that greated me as I made my way to work back in February - Snow, snow, and more snow!
It was magical once I got to work, as no-one else had been out and about since the snowfall apart from the birds and animals. - no footprints anywhere.
In the afternoon, I headed up part of the road towards the old mines up on the moors. Snow covered everything and it all looked clean and crisp and brilliantly white in the strong [but cool] sunshine.
At the riverside it was hard to believe the size of the icicles. These ones are about 6foot [2metres] in length!
This was the good side of snow - the bad side was it was COLD!!!!!!!!!!!

I thought I'd add in another little poem I wrote at the end of Octeber, one morning whilst at Muirshiel Country Park I felt inspired to sit down for ten minutes and pen this little poem.

Muirshiel Morning

Muirshiel morning has dawned clear and bright

Hard to believe there was a storm last night

Shades of Golds & Coppers & Browns

reach from the treetops right down to the ground

Scarlet leaves of a Guelder Rose, shine bright and clear

the sounds of a Robin, and a Wren skulking near

Long fallen trunks lie thick on the ground

Pointing the way that the winds knocked them down

The green of the rushes are now tipped with brown

and the Rosebay Willowherbs have fallen to the ground

The sun is shining throught the raspeberry leaves

and the clumps of ferns are swaying gently in the breeze.

The rhododendrons which used to cover this ground

are slowly but surely all being cut down.

They took over the area and swamped it indeed

a single monoculture where nothing could breed

but it is being replaced with the trees of this land

and slowly but surely, these woods will be grand.

this was written oriiginally on the 27th October 2008, on the Lower Habitat Trail at Muirshiel Country Park.