Decided to do my two outstanding timed tetrad visits in Clydesdale this morning so headed out at 5:30 and was on the hill for just after 6. First birds were a Buzzard being mercilessly mobbed by a Carrion Crow. These were followed by a reeling Grasshopper Warbler and a Spotted Flycatcher (my first of the year). Commonest birds were Willow Warbler, Chaffinch and Great Tit, although Whitethroats seemed to be singing from every bush.
Highlights of the second tetrad included another Spotted Flycatcher, a Dipper and two Crossbills. Also notable were good numbers of House Sparrows and Starlings nesting around the farm buildings, and a family group of Rabbits including an adult with a mouthful of grass (? bedding).
Stopped off at Linlithgow on the way home. Coots seem to be doing well with at least 5 broods on the loch and another three birds incubating. Other highlights included singing Chiffchaff, Willow Warbler and Blackcap along the north shore of the loch, a Great Tit pair nesting in a low wall and four Swifts high over the palace.