The settled weather of yesterday gave way to heavy rain and south west winds today. As a result, a circuit of Arthur's Seat this afternoon did not produce many natural connections (unless you count being soaked to the skin). I was keen to check if Fulmars had returned to their nesting ledges on the crags. No sign of any (although the weather would probably have kept them well hidden, even if they were back) with only two heavily-splattered ledges on the south west flank of Arthur's Seat to indicate any had ever been there. Only significant sightings were good counts of Greylag Goose (140), Mute Swan (60) and Tufted Duck (40) on St Margaret's Loch.
News from the web is that a PhD study conducted by Kate Vincent of De Mountfort University, Leicester has suggested that House Sparrow declines may be due to a shortage of insect and spider food provided to nestlings. A diet composed mainly of vegetable matter and ants was shown to result in fewer and smaller (and therefore less viable) chicks than one rich in insects and spiders.