It was a mixed spell of weather at the start of this month but it held up for our open day at the Friarton Ponds on Sunday the 2nd.
There was a “Bat, Bees and Butterflies” day which was part of the Tayside Biodiversity Week, organised through the Tay Regeneration Project, Tay Salmon Fisheries and the local authorities.
There was plenty to see and do on the day with guided tours round the ponds, tables set up with live bees on display, a chance to make bird and bat boxes and a wild flower seed stall with plenty information about flowers and butterflies.
Our thanks goes to those who helped out on the day, including council ranger Ian Montgomery (birds/bats), Giles and Fiona from Scotia Seeds (wild flowers/butterflies), and John Taylor of (Beeware at Inver near Birnam).
The middle part of the month saw the weather turn colder with gales and heavy rain putting river levels back up. It was on the 14th that we saw our first house martins back on the estuary and was not long before they were building nests on one of the bothies. The osprey is a regular fisher at the pond now and the otters can be seen on the river most days.
There has been a variety of jobs this month, one of which has been the on-going cutting programme, tackling invasive species along the estuary and going over pathways. Most of the time has been spent working on the bothy renovation at the Friarton Ponds, it is beginning to take shape with more of the internal and external work being completed.
Some more trout have been added to the pond as we are getting nearer to an opening day.
The Perth Yacht Club have also taken advantage of the ponds for a practise sail,in this picture a member can be seen in his yacht, the Fevas enjoying the water.
Things are constantly changing along the river banks with the ragged robin and marsh orchids adding a splash of colour along with the different hawthorn blossom.
As the month was ending, the harbour enjoyed a busy spell, as a few coasters took advantage of the high tides. The river was settling back to summer level and the weather had improved.
