NATURE NOTES

Some extracts from Seton Gordon's 1945 diary:

January 9: Fine view of male peregrine
January 22: Rooks turned back by peregrine
January 24: Tobogganing, Sue & C
January 25: Snowbunting at bird table
January 27: 50 Italian prisoners working on the road
February 12: To Gargunnock... good and attentive audience
February 19: First lark in song
March 13: Cambridge. Piped at Latham Road
March 27: St James Park. 50 year old pelican
March 29: Lunch with Granville Poole and Charles at the Ritz. Saw about deaf aids.
April 11: Rain. 1 Salmon, 12 lbs. Angus told of angler who hooked a frog and a wild duck
April 24: Pair of swallows passing
May 9: Could just see the eggs
May 25: Carr Bridge. Played a piobaireachd to Callerwood
June 1: Stoat killed rabbit in midstream
June 9: Bagshot. Bridie's wedding
June 14: Liathach... wind gusts lifting the waterfalls and blowing them back uphill
July 3: Teampuil Oran... graves of unbaptised children and murderers
July 5: Loch a' Phuill. No phalarope
August 19: John saw corncrakes
September 6: Donald, Murdo, Angus and I did a big day at the oats
October 12: Garbh Choire snowbeds, smaller, dirty but larger than 3 years ago
October 13: Crathie. Heard Brown pipe
October 15: A grand view of an eagle - thought he was a plane!
November 5: Very fine butterfly at Uig
December 15: Lecture, Glasgow. A very good audience
December 20: Lairig Ghru entirely without snow.

Source: Seton Gordon's Scotland (SG was Scotland's leading naturalist of the early 20th century)