Each week the Scottish Snippets Newsletter includes a number of photographs which illustrate the weather, flora and fauna of the current week around Scotland. On occasions, there are so many such graphics worth including that a separate "colour supplement" is created so as not to totally overload the Newsletter. Here is this week's crop!
While central Scotland was cloudy and overcast for much of the week, the sun shone brightly on Thursday. That produced this typical November view of Hogganfield Loch, just after sunset.
The Christmas lights were switched on in Glasgow's George Square last Sunday. A number of new displays appeared this year, but the red lights on the column supporting the statue of Sir Walter Scott have been seen for a number of years now. Sir Walter also sports a red bow tie created with coloured lights!
There are not many plants coming into bloom at this time of year in Scotland but one glorious exception is Mahonia. We have to thank plant hunter David Douglas, (born in Scone, a few miles north-west of Perth in 1799), for introducing this plant to the UK.
As food available for birds becomes scarcer, even shy bird like the Bullfinch come to rely more and more on suburban hoseholders putting out nuts and seed for them. This one was spotted in a hawthorn tree just outside my kitchen window.
As overnight temperatures dropped below freezing, smaller lochs began to become frozen over. This Shovelar, with its distinctive long bill was feeding in a patch of water while a Black-headed Gull, in its winter plumage, stood on the ice nearby, possibly hoping for a few scraps. Most British Shovelars fly to southern Europe and Africa and the ones we see at this time of year have migrated from Iceland, northern Europe and Russia.
The Goosander population in Scotland increases in winter as the resident birds are joined by winter vistors from north-east Europe and Russia. These migrants will return to their breeding grounds in March. This is a female of the species.If you want to look back at earlier editions of this Colour Supplement, there is an Index Page
Where else would you like to go in Scotland?