An unexpected benefit of the recent gorse clearance on the Firehills has been the opportunity to frame familiar views in a different way, and hence to look afresh at the Country Park and its surrounding landscapes.

In a clear blue sky, a kestrel was seen for a good few hours hovering over Quarry Field. Repeated dives to catch prey appeared to go unrewarded, yet continued hovering showed that there was a lot of prey to be hunted. Unusually there was no wind today, a factor that enabled better observation of the kestrel.

The huge quantities of large migrant hoverflies that were so evident on the hogweed when it was in flower were of the species Scaeva pyrastri. Although a migrant from Europe, large numbers may be expected in the Country Park each year. There is another hoverfly of the same genus that is equally large and conspicuous, yet it had never been recorded in the Country Park until this month. A good number of Scaeva selenitica have been observed on the Bristly Ox-tongue flowers outside the visitor centre in the moments when the sun has graced us with its presence.