On the Wildlife Front

A sparrowhawk has taken up residence in the peacock roost at Sanna. Sue Cheadle, the peacock's owner, describes the peacocks as 'unimpressed'.

This is a female emperor moth, pictured by Kilchoan Early Bird. There's more about the emperor family here, but the site describes the males as flying by day and the females by night, which doesn't sound too good system for meeting up.

With the warmer weather the slow worms are out and about. One of the interesting things about slow worms is the variety in their markings. Sadly, this picture doesn't do credit to the beauty of this particular specimen.

This has been a wonderful spring for primroses, with the most exuberant display we can remember. One of the best places to see them is along the hillside that the B8007 traverses above Loch Mudle.

But we have to be careful - Scotland has its own unique and very rare primrose, with flowers that are almost magenta in colour. It's only found in the very north of Scotland and in the Orkney Islands. More about the true Scottish primrose here.

The bluebells are just beginning to break into flower. They're in a hurry because, in most places, they have to get their flowering over before they're shaded out by the infernal bracken.

Talking of such things, The Diary is told that the piglets will be moving in opposite our house in a couple of weeks. They are real wildlife.