Drove to Ayr today, the Galloway Hills perfectly etched against the clear morning sky, and the peaks on Arran dusted with snow. Some people in Ayr town centre had a close natural connection this afternoon. Just ahead of me in the traffic queue (at the bridge across the river beside Ayr College), a woman was grappling with a Mute Swan which had got itself onto the road. The police arrived within seconds, but by then she had successfully wrestled him back to the river. Elsewhere, news on the web is that Fulmars are back on their breeding ledges at Salisbury Crags and a Robin has been seen carrying nest material near Hopetoun.