Cowslips and birdsong at Invernorth

A male yellow hammer sitting on a lines side boulder singing his heart out ('A little bit of bread and no cheese'), The trees sheltering  Cairnbulg Castle in the background make his bright plumage particularly conspicuous.

Cowslips (Primula veris) a small patch appears every year on  either side of the bank  towards Rathen Station where the line crosses the Invernorth Road. This section of the embankment must have been disturbed when the bridge over the road was removed and there are no other cowslips in the immediate vicinity which suggests that they were probably planted here along with the  garden  daffodils nearby. None the less they are a welcome addition to the Lines side flora. 

Spring along the Line

Walks along the Line during the last few days of April suggest that Spring really is here at last. We noticed a sudden increase in wildflowers and a gradual opening of buds. Larks sing overhead and lambs have appeared in the fields.

Gorse near Rathen Station

Newly unfurling hawthorn leaves

Pollen rich willow catkins

Attracting huge noisy bumble bees

Kingcups not to be confused with Lesser Celandines pictured below

Still some coltsfoot flowers although in sunnier spots the leaves are replacing the fading flowers

Delicate Wood Anemones carpet a damp area on the bank of the Ugie underneath Strichen viaduct. These have appeared within the last week, about a month later than in 2012.

Lambs close to  Philorth Halt

 Spring flowers brightening the old yard and platform at Philorth Halt