Saturday 16th - Sunday 17th February

Bells' Brae, Edinburgh

Visit to Edinburgh and Balloch to see Jennifer and boyfriend Joe.  On Saturday got distracted from my intention of visiting art galleries into a charming walk along Bells' Brae in the old town, where a song thrush was holding forth full pelt from high in a tree.  I really can't recall the last time I saw one.

On Sunday took a walk up Callendar Crags and to Bracklinn Falls.  Joe was disappointed not to see red squirrel but we did see amongst others a pair of ravens, a grrenfinch (increasingly seldom to see them since the bad winters) of 2009-2010 and another volley of siskins on the feeders near the town. Joe heard an owl, but I didn't.

One absentee on walks in the Loch Lomond area so far has been the crossbill in spite of abundance of scots pine.  We also have not seen any mammals, although there was a lot of evidence of deer (or similar) gnawing the trees on the Crag today.