Best natural connections today were auditory ones - two drumming Great spotted Woodpeckers and a pond-full of gently croaking Frogs (below), both during an afternoon walk in a sunny Mugdock Park. Also notable at Mugdock were good concentrations of Goosander and Goldeneye on the loch, the latter displaying energetically while the former drifted around languidly. Elsewhere, a Little Grebe was whinnying on Dumbrock Loch, two Toads were among the Frogs, two Lapwings were flying over the horse field and large areas of the woods were carpeted with Snowdrops (below).

Earlier in the day, a walk along the Cart produced numerous singing Wrens and a Kingfisher in exactly the same spot where two were seen a week ago.

Web records include three Sand Martins in Central, a singing Chiffchaff in Cumbria, a Wheatear in Lothian, an Osprey in Perthshire and a Swallow in D&G.

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