Every year the RSPB run their Big Garden Birdwatch. A nationwide project in which you spend an hour counting the birds that come in to your garden. The idea is to get a number of the most birds you see of each type at any one time.
This gives the RSPB a good idea of bird populations throughout the UK. How are different birds thriving, falling in numbers, or moving around the country. According to the website it's the worlds biggest wildlife survey.
Yesterday Laura's Mum found eleven Owl pellets sitting under a tree in the garden. Pellets are effectively fur balls coughed up by Owls after they've digested their food. They can be an interesting way to find out what type of Owl is in the area, and what they may have eaten.
Of course we couldn't pass up the opportunity to dissect them and find out what was inside.
On Friday night at about 6pm we set off from Loch Muick car park to begin our two day practice hike for our DofE and Queen's Scout expedition.
As we crossed the first bridge near the visitor centre, we noticed a fair amount of ice build up along the river; we knew it was going to be cold weekend.
After dividing up the kit, we hiked to the bothy beside the loch, and pitched our tents before losing too much light.