"Scottish Snippets"

"Colour Supplement"

4 November 2006

Each week the Rampant Scotland Newsletter includes a number of photographs which illustrate the weather and the seasons, plus the flora and fauna of the current week around Scotland. There are often so many such graphics of Scottish subjects worth including that this separate "colour supplement" is created where some of the best pictures can be displayed in a larger format. Here is this week's crop of Scottish views!


This week's high winds and colder weather have had an impact on the leaves on many trees. This photo was taken in a low autumn sun at Hogganfield Loch in Glasgow.


The winter visiting birds have remained in their summer breeding areas as a result of the temperatures not falling as fast as usual at this time of year. But at last the Whooper Swans, with their distinctive yellow bill and whooping call, have started to arrive from Iceland.


There were only a few Whooper Swans at Hogganfield Loch in Glasgow this week. They looked in good condition considering they had only recently flown 700/800 miles, probably non-stop.


The resident Mute Swans, with their orange bills, are mainly silent (unlike the Whoopers), though they can hiss when angry. Unlike most other birds, the heavy-weight swan cannot take off vertically and has to run along the surface of the water to get airborne. It can only do that on water - land would be too hard on their feet.


This Coot has a demented look in its eye, though as it has not ruffled up its rear feathers in the "threat" position, it is probably not driving off a rival, but just moving fast to get some of the bread being thrown to the birds by the humans visiting the loch.


The large yellow flower spikes of Mahonia, which open at this time of year, are a welcome addition to the gardens when most of the other flowers have faded away.

If you want to look back at earlier editions of this Colour Supplement, there is an Index Page





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