A busy day of natural connections started at 5am with a Brown Hare and three Roe Deer on the drive north from Glasgow, 11 Blackcock at a Stirlingshire lek and a Cuckoo calling nearby. That proved to be the first of five for the day.

Loch Lomond was flat calm when I arrived at Sallochy Point. The sun still hadn't broken over the hills behind Sallochy Wood but a male Redstart was already singing from one of the tallest conifers. Other birds in the area included singing Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff (the latter outnumbering the former by five to one), song-flighting Tree Pipit and Whitethroat, overflying Redpoll and Buzzard, and three calling Cuckoos. Heading downhill, a Wood Warbler was managing to make itself heard over the other songbirds. A short walk through Ross Wood produced another Wood Warbler and a singing Pied Wagtail, but had to be cut short as the midges had woken up by then. Returning to the car park, a family of Pied Wagtails was (surprsingly) feeding in the trees overhead, a Redshank flew up from the beach and a male and female Goosander loafed in the shallows.

Headed to Mugdock Park in the afternoon and was treated to three hous of really good birdwatching. Highlights included another calling Cuckoo (my first for the site), more displaying Tree Pipits, Great spotted Woodpeckers at 3 sites (including an occupied nest hole revealed by the squeaking of the young), damselflies and dragonflies on the dipping pond, a Mallard with young on Craigend Loch, carpets of Herb Robert (the most I've ever seen) plus great displays of naturalised Welsh Poppy and Rhodedendron.  

News from the back garden is that the Blue Tit brood has fledged (Hooray!).