Managed to fit in quite a long walk this afternoon, starting and finishing at Mugdock Park and taking in the outskirts of Blanefield, Loch Ardinning, a circuit of Muirhouse Muir and Mugdock Village. Notable mammal sightings included a Rabbit near the Kyber Fields (I very rarely see them in Mugdock Park) and a dead Hedgehog on the minor road through Craigton Golf Course. Young birds were very evident with broods of Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Moorhen, Mallard, Mute Swan and Blackbird all noticed. More unusual species were few, but three separate Great spotted Woodpeckers were notable. Other wildlife included a dragonfly sp overhead in Blanefield, a perfectly camoulflaged moth resting on a Birch branch, a very prolific growth of bracket fungus over a tree in Mugdock Park and a Pufball on Muirhouse Muir.
News from the web is of more waders starting to pass through west central Scotland including Little Stint, Dunlin, Green Sandpiper, Ruff, Greenshank, Whimbrel and Black tailed Godwit. Finally, the Scottish Gamekeepers Association has provoked much debate by suggesting that Scottish White tailed Eagles might start preying on small children.