Mountainous landscape with Meall an Fhudair under a cloudy sky.

Meall an Fhudair, started bright, drizzle later. Cool breeze. The higher munroes had some snow. A few Cuckoos.Greenshank & Golden Plover on the higher ground. Frogs spawning in a pool in a burn, not in the hill pools yet. Little growth of heather or grass. Few flowers. Primrose lower down. Violets, wood anemones & purple mountain saxifrage (I think).

3x3 grid of photos. From top left: Ben Reoch; Red Deer; Ben Lomond from Tullich Hill; Wood anemones; a map of where the photos were taken; lesser Celandine; a green tiger beetle; sundew; a wheatear on a rock.

Glen Douglas trio. Hills very dry. A few flowers, wood anemone , lousewort, lesser celandine. Most on the south slope of Ben Reoch & among tree planting on Tullich hill. Larks, pipets & ravens on the hill. Only 3 deer, stags with newish antlers. Some nice new sundew & a wheatear by the road. First Tormentil (one flower).

Grid of images: Blackthorn Blossom; Primroses; a bare tree against the blue sky; a v of geese; a skylark; Duncolm hill; pixie cup lichen; map of where the photos were taken; a raven flying; grouse feather; a tree silhouetted agains the eskine bridge; a wren on a rock; peacock butterfly on dandilion; a gorse bush in flower; bluebells.

Yesterday: Wandering around the Kilpatrick Braes, out to Duncolm & Fynloch hill. Cold start but warmed up. Flowers beginning to blossom, lots of bird song in the trees. A nuthatch piping. Raven croaking in the hills. A few peacock & orange tip butterflies.

Read The Last Days of Kira Mullan by Nicci French ★★★☆☆ 📚
Tricksy whodunit, lots going on. A long story even though I raced through it. Side trip to asylum, with very unpleasant staff. Plenty of detail & red herrings. Gaslighting, mental health& murder turn out to be a good holiday read.