First Signs of Spring in North Merchiston Cemetery

 We had a lovely lunchtime walk through North Merchiston Cemetery today. The snowdrops look magnificent at the moment.

and a few crocuses are already in bloom (with more to appear soon) 

We saw our first hoverfly of the year, a Banded Hoverfly (Syrphus sp)

while some ladybirds are still hibernating on gravestones, including this Two Spot Ladybird, sitting next to a sheidlbug larva (I think it's the larva of a Red Legged Shieldbug, but if you know otherwise, please feel free to let me know in the comments). 

Over the past week or so, we've been treated to the sight of hundreds of starlings gathering in murmurations at dusk! Just above the roofs of our street! It's amazing to see this, particularly as in previous years we would only see about 30 of these birds at this time of year. 

For Nature Notes.