April 8th

There are still pink-footed geese passing Crail and Fife Ness, heading north in flocks of a few tens each time. Today I had a flock of 18 whooper swans doing the same, passing Fife Ness majestically, heading towards Aberdeen. As a counterpoint I saw my first swallow of the summer (last year’s was on the 7th), conveniently over my garden after spending all morning looking for one at Balcomie and Fife Ness. A male powering along, following the coast and singing happily as it went by. This and a chiff-chaff singing below the doocote at Roome Bay were my only summer migrants today, although the pair of shelducks back again, quacking around the bays north of Balcomie are definitely another sign of summer being around the corner.

Whooper swans