Country diary: As spring bursts into life, all eyes on the Cairngorms barbecue ban | Amanda Thomson

Abernethy Forest, Scotland: On glorious mornings like this, with the woods ringing with sound and light, I'm glad there is extra protection from wildfiresIn the pinewoods, the colours are slowly shifting, the birches to their spring green and the larch roses blossoming pink. The pair of pied wagtails have returned to our neighbour's shed and the peewits are back on the marshes, though fewer in number (and there are two pairs of crows that maraud their territory).The siskins have returned in numbers, huge skeins of geese have been flying north, and the swallows and housemartins are back earlier than usual, though they are still just passing through - "ours" are not yet here. Continue reading...