Highlight of the spring so far for me was finding this stunning Camberwell Beauty on the track to the house earlier this month. In weather more typical of southern Europe at this time of year, it was seen gliding around the foliage of a Balsam Poplar and sunning itself on the track for about half an hour. I wondered if it was the strong scent of this foliage which had attracted it in the first place??

Even made it to  BBC online!

Most of the spring migrants are in, Redstarts and Tree Pipits singing in the glorious sunshine we’ve been having. The last week has seen some of the clearest skies and light I have ever seen up here, today I watched a stunning female Caper preening in a pine in brilliant afternoon sunlight, sadly the photos weren’t very successful!

Great Northern Divers are starting to come in to stunning breeding plumage before they head off back across the Atlantic, quite a few along the shores of Loch Linnhe showing very well. Was over on Mull a few times, one day clocking up 11 individual Eagles in 2 hours! (4 WTE and 7 Goldies).

Common Crossbill seem very scarce these days, but families of Parrots are showing well in various places in the forest where there are cones. On the Moray Coast sea duck numbers are steadily falling, but waders are starting to move through and a good flock of about 60 Purple Sandpipers is still hanging around Lossiemouth.

Nice find last week was a Redwing singing at a regular site, good to know that a small population is still hanging on in the Highlands, oddly enough have hardly seen any Fieldfare or redwings this spring passing back through, probably just not stopping because of the clear weather. We have had no significant rainfall in these parts for about six weeks now, and nice as this weather is, sitting out in the garden in "hot" sunshine, in April, in the North of Scotland, is just a bit worrying as to what is going on with the climate!