Stirrings of Spring...

After several weeks of monsoon conditions, there have been several bright and warmer days with even some sunshine.

Not really to do with this has been the appearance of both male and female siskins in the garden.

A siskin and part of a siskin

Not a rare bird and sighted often locally but this is literally the first time I've found them in my garden here, perhaps because there are no conifers in the area apart from a few hedges.  In Dumfries they were regular visitors. Interesting that they've gone for the sunflower hearts and not the peanut feeder nearby.

I was thinking that I hadn't heard a greenfinch singing for ages and they too have started appearing.  There was one singing in a high tree when I set off down Hookergate Lane, then possibly more in a tree by some houses by the old Post Office on Sunday.  I tried to take a photo on my phone but it didn't work.

One thing I didn't expect on the same day was to get a close up of a goldfinch.

Goldfinch

Unfortunately it was dead but didn't appear to have been bitten so maybe flew into something.

However the clearest sign of Spring came yesterday when temperatures approached 15C and I made my first sighting of a butterfly this year.  It was clearly sunning itself.

Peacock

I suspect this may be the first sighting of butterfly in a garden on the facebook pages I visit, although small tortoiseshells have been spotted near Blanchland.  I've yet to see a bumblebee queen though I'm sure they must be about.