It’s amazing what you can use an orchard for, even when there are no apples! At least we're seeing blossom now but things were pretty dormant at Easter when we used it as an egg race track and a sunny space for families to hang out and enjoy some unexpected warmth. 12 children arrived with their eggs and support teams (parents/grandparents) for the event.

The fastest egg down the hill was easy to judge, but the best decorated egg ‘was a tense and difficult affair due to the egg decorating talent on show’ said our judge. But winners were found. Some older folk present were a little put out when they realized there was no upper limit for the over six category. So, maybe an adult egg competition next year? 

Portmoak Festival will be using Chris’s Place (the orchard) in June, weather permitting, for some live music. This month the Primary School will be doing their John Muir Award, looking to see if the bird boxes, installed in February, have any new tenants moving in.

As our contribution to the festival we will be running two Bird Song Walks in the Moss on Sunday 2^nd June and Wednesday 5^th June, both at 8am. 

They'll be led by Scott Paterson who runs Kinross Ecology and who was, until last year, the Perth & Kinross Bird Recorder. Scott has led these walks before for us and they were very popular, so keep your eyes on the festival programme and our website. We hope that the Sunday morning walk will be good for young families with children. If you walk in the Moss a lot and ask yourself what’s that bird, song or what you should be looking out for and when, then this is your big chance. If Scott can’t tell you no-one can.

Storm Kathleen put paid to our last work day on the Moss in April but no fear, we will be back in the late summer after the ground nesting birds have brought up their young. We still need help, so follow us on our website and Facebook, and we are always in the Well on the third Tuesday of the month 7:30 talking trees, bogs and many other things besides.