Dec. 2008. Filmed a Fox feeding on a Roe Deer carcass. The deer had been killed on the road.

Nov. 29th. Snow gone but very hard ground frost. Minus six degrees.

Nov. 25th. AGM. Brain Cleaver, Chairperson; Brian Martin, Secretary and Mark England, treasurer. Illustrated talk on Wildlife in a Country Garden by Chris Harlow, Auchnagatt. Great close up photos of all the bugs, butterflies and beasties found in our area.

23rd Nov. Heavy fall of snow.

18th Nov.  Turriff and Upper Ythan Walkers Group visit Windyhills for a two hour guided walk.

31st Oct. Red Squirrel seen using the rope bridge to cross the A947 at Fyvie.

Oct 21st. Visit to Newmachar Gardening Club to show wildlife DVD.

Oct 15th. Mr Bug visited Woodhead with his python, scorpion, lizards and gaint snails. Over eighty people from babies to pensioners attended and enjoyed the touchy feely experience. A run around the woods, with a spot of bramble picking and bug hunting followed.

Oct 12th. Daffy bulbs planted at either end of village.

Oct 7th. Winners of Formartine, Village in bloom announced. Woodhead is the Winner of the Small Community section. Barthol Chapel, the runner up. Winner of the medium sized community - Pitmedden, Cuminestown - runner up. Large village winner Oldmeldrum - runner up Ellon. 

Sept. 30th. DVD of Wildlife at Woodhead shown to Methlick Gardening Club.

Sept. 10th. Lots of fungi in the wood.  Some with gills others with pores. Most are inedible. The Red one in the picture is known as the Sickner - be aware.

Aug. 24th. First Red Admiral and Peacock butterflies.

Aug. 21st. Volunteers from Bank of Scotland, from Inverness to Dundee spent the day at Windyhills improving the paths with new boardwalks. Many hands make light work. Using shovels, spades, loppers, mall hammer, levels and saws. Barrowing sand, stappling on netting wire, fetching and carrying, task completed with smiley faces and no moans considering the rain pouring down.  Well done. Thank you all very much. Hope you've all dried out. 

Aug. 16th. Nest of Buff-tailed bumble bees seen. see under Fauna -Beasties.

Aug. 13th. Formartine Ranger organised a wildlife, picture treasure hunt in the wood.

July 28th. Whole week of glorious sunshine. Ringlet butterflies in abundance. Common Darter Dragonflies emerging. Bell Heather in full bloom.

July 18th. Red Squirrel spotted.

July 15th. Six-spot Burnet moth seen by Merlys King. feeding on Vetch at entrance to Woodhead wood. 

Photographed by Ailsa Flynn. 

July 10th. Flower tubs are now in situ throughout the village. Everyone is doing there best to keep the village looking good for the Formartine Village in Bloom competition. Watering has not been necessary due to the very wet weather. 

July 7th. Moulting Great Tit. Looking peculiar with its bald head. Usually due to scale mites. Most birds moult after their busy nesting period. New feathers will grow in shortly.

Lovely to see young woodpeckers, with their red crowns, feeding at the peanuts.

June 30th. Ringlet butterflies in abundance in the warm, grassy edge of Woodhead wood. Very dark, almost black in colour.

June 25th. Eleven baby Swallows have flown their nests. Two months since the adults arrived back from Africa. 

June 24th. Male and Female Saw Flies were filmed emerging from an old tree trunk. Female has a long ovipositer or egg laying tube, which can be mistaken for a sting but it is harmless. Saw a fox ambling through the field at Silverknowes.

June 22nd. Young Swallows were ringed. Two nests,  eleven chicks.

Lashing rain all day.

June 20th. Baby Great tits and Blue Tits have flown the nest.

June 19th. The Woodhead wildlife DVD was seen by Cairnorrie WRI. at the Beaton hall, Methlick.

June 18th. A mole, found dead at Woodhead.  

June 18th. 1st Fyvie cubs searched for bugs and beasties to identify. A variety of spiders, millipedes, flies, worms, moths, frog hoppers were found and identified.

June 17th. Baby birds fledging every day. Cameras successfully recording development of babies.  

June 12th. Birds, insects and flight was the subject of interest for Primary 2 and 3 at Rothienorman School. Congratulations to all the boys and girls on their excellent behaviour, undivided attention and interesting questions.

June 11th.  Auchedly and Ythanbank watched a DVD on the Wildlife at Woodhead.

June 17th. Tangent Club from Inverurie visited the Windyhills for a midge free circular walk to the quarry, Central path and back to the Community Centre.

June 9th. Northern Marsh Orchid found at Woodhead. Millbrex WRI, guided by Botanist and Ecologist, John Maltster, learned all about the wild flowers surrounding the pond at School Croft.    

June 5th. Least Black Arches found at Woodhead. Only the third time this moth has been spotted in Aberdeenshire.

June 4th. Orange-tip butterfly seen today.

Crudie W.R.I. visited Windyhills for a guided evening walk. The weather was ideal. Warm, dry, sunny and no wind.

May 29th. 1st Fyvie Scouts helped to repair paths and prune back some of the overhanging branches.   [Dead wood is now left in the wood to decay and help increase the insect life and fungi by 20 %.  Previously, fallen trees were removed for firewood.]

May 28th. Great Tits and Blue Tits have hatched.  

May 22nd. Good weather continues with a slight frost at night. All the trees in full leaf including the ash and the oak. Pink Purslane and Wood Sorrel blooming profusely.

 May 15th. Fyvie playgroup visit Woodhead wood and use all their senses. Looking for flowers and butterflies, smelling thyme and wild garlic, listening to the birds, tasting friut and touching different textures.

May 10th. Group from Daviot Community visited to find out how our Community Trust was formed.

May 10th. Whole week of sunshine. Mallard with eight ducklings seen at the wet hole in Fishers field near the Community Centre.

May 8th. Siskins, birds of the pine woods, have been visiting the peanut feeders this week.

May 5th. Glorious sunshine, 20 c degrees. Violets, Wood Sorrel and Pink Purslane are flowering. Ash tree in flower. 

May 2nd. Thunder, lightning, hailstones and a downpour.

April 29th. Two red squirrels seen About 9 a.m. at opposite at North and South, extremes of Woodhead wood.

April 25th. Swallows are back. Hooray. Cameras are now in situ. and linked to recording DVD.

April 21st. Visit to Windyhills by Petra  Vergunst, who is writing an article about Woodhead and Windyhills Community Trust, for the Green Diary.  Petra is self employed and her aim is to inspire, inform and otherwise support rural community groups in Grampian through writing about rural community
development, holding public talks, facilitating community discussions and community-based research. "The book I am planning to write this summer, is about rural community groups who are developing their community assets."
"Good luck with your work for Woodhead and Windyhills Community Trust"

April 13th. A Heron now a regular caller at the pond. Two pairs of Yellow Hammers close by.

April. 7th. Easter holidays over and more snow and cold windy wet weather. Dvd and talk given at Kinbroon Day Care Centre, Rothienorman. No bird feeders allowed there.

 Woodhead School pupils 1928 approximately. Photo received from Betty Kelman. A few pupils have been identified including Betty Cruickshank and Vi and Hazel Pratt.

April 1st. Visit to Ellon British Legion, ladies section. Dvd of creepy crawlies is not so popular with townsfolk. They admitted they preferred not to have beasties in their gardens.

March 26th. Snow clearing slowly. Plenty tracks to be seen. A flock of 25 Curlews in Field next Community Centre and also a  pair of Lapwings and Oyster Catchers.

Measuring the boundaries at Sunnybrae.

March 18th. Film show of Flowers and wildlife found at Woodhead shown to Insch meadows community group. The group are planning to create a wild flower meadow, pond and picnic area at a site in the village of Insch.

15th March. Attended the Nesbrec Forum at Aberdeen and requested help for a Red Squirrel survey at Windyhills.

 March 8th. Happy to help with the tidying up after the coffee morning. Lynn, Rosemary, Sue, Isobel, Leon and Ian.

March 8th. Thanks to the fine home baking donated,  the visitors at todays coffee morning enjoyed a fine treat. Flower seeds have been sown for the plant sale at the end of May and to help enhance the summer displays in the village. Pictures of recent events, flora and fauna were displayed in the community centre.

7th March. Lots of clumps of frog spawn in the pond.

Feb. 25th. The sun shone for the squad of rubbish removers who spend the morning clearing the Birchwood area of litter. A job well done. Many thanks to everyone who helped. Many hands --

Feb. 9th. Fyvie Brownies with leader, Lyn Cleaver, spent the morning watching the birds from a room converted into a bird hide. The windows were covered with sheets of newspaper and slits were made at the appropriate height for lots of pairs of eyes to watch the birds without disturbing them, the birds, at the feeders. Blue tits, Coaltits, Great tits, Robin, Dunnock, House Sparrow and Tree Sparrow, Starling, Crow, Chaffinch, Greenfinch and Goldfinch were all spotted.  The birds favourite foods were peanuts in hanging feeders and oatmeal mixed with cooking oil and assorted seeds for the ground feeders.

Feb 8th. First flowers on the Hazel trees are out. Very few, tiny red styles protruding, close to stem of twig.

 Please send me your photographs of the flora and fauna for adding to the collection. Lizards have been spotted by three different people during the hotter days in spring and summer but so far nobody has managed to photograph them.

 Look out for the first flowers of the Hazel tree, Tiny red florets sprouting along the edge of the twigs.

Jan. 2008.  Touch of Frost for New Year's Day. Otherwise everything very peaceful and quiet. Very little traffic. The first unusual bird of the year was a Grey Wagtail. It has a yellow underside and grey-blue back. Mostly a summer bird in this area.