THE dawn chorus is one of the true joys of spring, and well before sunrise each morning as I wander along the River Devon, it is wonderful to hear blackbirds and song thrushes delivering their sweet melodies.

I AM addicted to the haugh between Dollar and Tillicoultry in spring and a recent sunny day provided the perfect opportunity to seek out wildflowers on the flood meadows of the River Devon.

CAST upon the air like a fluttering piece of orange and white confetti, the little butterfly danced and whirled above the grass and wildflowers by the River Devon near Tillicoultry.

IT WAS a bit of a shock, to be honest. I had just revisited one of my local fox dens in Clackmannanshire, and there was a scene of devastation all around, with tumbled pine trees that had been felled by ferocious winter storms.

I FIRST snorkelled with spawning toads in a side-pool of the River Devon last year – and the temptation to do so again this spring proved impossible to resist.

DOWN by the River Devon, spring is always a tantalising time, for my soul is consumed with the anticipation of glimpsing my first sand martins of the year, newly arrived from their African wintering grounds.

DAWN on the haugh of the River Devon near Tillicoultry and my spirits soared under the uplifting power of nature's ethereal beauty – an orange-glowed sun rose slowly above the mist-wisped meadows and the air had a freshness that was the very elixir of life.

AN UNUSUAL 'tchip, tchip' call floated across the air from the top of a hawthorn just a short distance from the Devonvale Hall at Tillicoultry.

THE sun shone brightly, and a song thrush uttered his sweet music from the top of an alder.

IN RECENT weeks a couple of my trail cameras that had been set in remote locations down on the River Devon have revealed some remarkable insights into the behaviour of the creatures that live there.