A wintery morning here at Loch of the Lowes, with sleet and sunshine mixed together! The colder weather has brought us some interesting birds over the last couple of days though.

 Yesterday we had a very large flock of Long-tailed Tits feeding in the birch trees along our short walking trail on the reserve. This walk links to a fantastic network of local walking trails around Dunkeld, which is well worth exploring – ask us for more information, or better still, join the Ranger on one of our monthly Guided Walks from April- October.

Also in the woodlands around the Loch several Jays have been seen, conspicuous as they a busy storing food for the winter, though they and are more often heard than seen.

On the Loch itself, we have a great flock of 28 Wigeon and one solitary drake Teal- our smallest duck species and quite possibly the most beautiful.

Add to this the appearance of a lovely Redpoll on the feeders yesterday, cutting a dashing figure of red and pink feathers to the mix of birds at our window.

 Why not come and see the winter birds and Red Squirrels yourself- as a celebration of St Andrews Day, this weekend, entry to our Loch of the Lowes Visitor Centre is FREE! All you have to do is Download the voucher from our website: www.scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk and bring it along with you.