Home From Home........Day 5

 It was time to leave Elgin and the Moray coast and head back South(but not too far as to get too close to the Welcome to England sign 😉). We drove down, cutting across Inverness-shire spending just a few minutes on the A9 before turning off and then South on the B851 towards Fort Augustus.

 As we were coming this way we decided we would check out RSPB Loch Ruthven just in case any Grebes had arrived earlier than expected. It is known as one of the best places in the UK to spot breeding Slavonian Grebes. Unsurprisngly there was no one else there and part of the Loch was covered in a thin layer of ice. The rest was perfectly still making it ideal for spotting movement on the water.

 As we headed up the small winding path ripples betrayed a skulking bird on the edge of the loch. We stood still as it drifted into sight. It was indeed a Slavonian Grebe, still in it's Winter plumage.

 Fantastic to see as we thought we were a bit too early. A few Tufted Ducks were also on the loch and a Robin bounced around the wooded path. On the way back to the car we spotted a pair of flighty Stonechats, our first of the year.

 Continuing our journey we scanned the skies for Raptors and saw a couple of Buzzards and the fields held several Highland Coos. This one having his afternoon nap.

The B851 runs just West of Loch Mhor so it was always worth checking out for more Waterfowl. As we approached the end of the loch we were greeted with the sight of hundreds of Pink-footed Geese.

 A few minutes later as we passed the Knockie Estate two more Raptors were flying towards our position.We pulled to the side of the road to try and get a better view. As they got closer we could clearly see the size of them and I shouted Eagles. Two White-tailed Eagles glided over us and continued East towards Loch Killin.

 Woohoo, Otters, Slavonian Grebes and White-tailed Eagles over two days and we hadn't even gotten to our main accommodation for the week yet. This is why Scotland is the best place 😉😀

 One of the reasons we come on this road is it takes you over moorland before going down to the edge of Loch Ness and Fort Augustus and so it is a good place to look for Red Grouse. We stopped at the main layby which was crowded with tourists, some of them wandering through the heather so thought it would be tricky to find any nearby. Among the dull Winter heather though the bright red eyebrows of a Red Grouse are easily spotted. A group of 6 moving alongside one of the fences.

View from the B851 layby where we watched the Red Grouse.

 It was just another 45 minutes down through Fort Augustus to Fort William to pick up some shopping and then half hour back up to Glen Spean and to the farm.

 On arrival it felt amazing to be back after 2 years, it feels more like home than being at our house in Lincolnshire.We were greeted by our wonderful hosts, Robert and Margo and the accompanying menagerie.

 It is the first time I've been back since the heart-breaking loss of Tug but this trio managed to put a smile on my face. Georgie, Shadow and Neville were happy to see us.

 I also found an instant new friend in their lodger, Chester. 

Thanks as always for spending your precious time browsing my wildlife blog 😀

I do hope you enjoyed it.

Much more to come over the next week with trips to Mull, the West coast and the Cairngorms as well as plenty of wildlife at the farm.

Til tomorrow 🙏😊

 

Return To The Highlands....Day 2

 We left Kinross and headed North up the M90 to Perth and then onwards to the scenic town of Pitlochry. After a 2 year hiatus we were finally back in the Highlands.

 A quick return to Motorway Raptorwatch produced 2 Buzzards on the M90 and 6 Buzzards on the A9.

  Pitlochry is a place we have visited frequently, for browsing the charity shops, the woodland walk up to the Falls and of course the fish dam. As we were driving all the way up to Elgin we only had time for the high street. We parked up and on attempting to buy a parking ticket I noticed the time it gave us. The ticket lasted for only 30 minutes, a bit less than expected for the £2 fee. I then noticed that 30 minutes was free parking and then that the machine had taken the money but not registered it as payment :( After a loud argument with the ticket machine and several presses of the cancellation button, coins started to spill out like a slot machine. It had obviously kept numerous people's coins and gave them a free 30 minute ticket. We went back to the car £8.20 richer and had a quick look at a closely parked car and noticed they too had a 30 minute ticket which was already past it's time. Hopefully a warden didn't arrive and give them all a fine.

 We had a browse at the charity shops which are becoming more like antique shops by the day and too costly to get any bargains anymore so left to continue our journey, but did notice this great Stephen Moss book in The John Muir Trust shop.

   As we travelled up the A9 the snow got ever closer to the roadside. A scenic lay-by gave me the chance to jump out of the car for a photo. The wind nearly blew the door from it's hinges and the icy blast gave me the look of someone who had just returned from getting a botox injection.

 

 An hour later we were parked in Aviemore and tucking into some Smiffy's chips 👌

  After feeding ourselves we thought it would be a good idea to go feed the birds so we drove the short distance to Loch Garten Osprey centre. Still too early for the ospreys but always great to see the woodland birds close up and the chance of seeing a stunning Crested Tit.

 Majella was in her element interacting with the Coal Tits and Great Tits whose trust we always cherish.

 I couldn't let her have all the fun so I took my turn connecting with Nature.

 The woodland was alive with Great Tits, Coal Tits, Blue Tits, Chaffinches, a Great Spotted Woodpecker and Siskins, but no sighting this time of a Crested Tit.

                                                             Siskin

Relaxing on the shore of Loch Garten before leaving.

 We took another quick detour to Nethy Bridge in hope of finding the recently sighted Hawfinch but as every other time searching for this bird, no luck.

  Another day, another Travelodge, this time on the outskirts of Elgin. This would be our base to explore the Moray coast and further inland during the next 2-3 days where our real adventure begins.

Thank you again for viewing the blog. Hope it is enjoyable.

More to come.....

The Cornish Coastal Experience - Part 2

  Welcome to the second part of my blog about our Cornwall adventure.Thank you for coming back for more but be happy in the knowledge that it is a shorter blog than Part 1 ;)

  I was once again up around 7am as I wanted to enjoy the serenity of being at Seacrest and also because I was excited to check the Moth trap and trail camera I had set up the previous night.It was overcast and very fine rain was falling but I was straight out to the moth trap.

  Crane Flies were everywhere, at least 30 of them inside the moth trap and more covering the fences and plants.Not a major interest to me but it showed the abundance of food available to our feathered friends, mainly a male Blackbird and a Robin which were happily bouncing about the decking enjoying a protein full breakfast.There were quite a few Moths with Marbled Carpets and Large Yellow Underwings being the most numerous.Square-spot Rustic,Beaded Chestnut, Lunar Underwing, Straw Dot, Snout, Setaceous Hebrew Character and Garden Carpet were also among the egg trays in the trap.

  Snout

  Setaceous Hebrew Character

  Square-spot Rustic

  Lunar Underwing

  Garden Carpet

  Marbled Carpet

  Beaded Chestnut

  The most intriguing Moth though was, what I thought a well marked Rush Veneer.After asking a few Lepidopterists on social media it was suggested it could possibly be a Lucerne Moth(Nomophila Nearctica).An American moth that had maybe been blown in by the oncoming storms and a species with no confirmed record of it in Europe.Unfortunately without further examination of the Moth we will never be able to confirm it's true identity.

  The Rush Veneer or potential Lucerne Moth

  Finishing with the Moths I then removed the SD card from the trail camera and was excited to find it had recorded three times during the night.The first 2 clips were of nothing but the third featured a quick pass of a jumping Mouse.

  Our plan for the rest of the day(once Majella had woken up) was to explore the headland on the opposite side of Mount's Bay, the Lizard Peninsula.It was just a 20 minute drive around Penzance and into Marazion where we parked to walk to St. Michael's Mount.

  At low tide the causeway is exposed giving you access to walk over and explore this island community.The receding tide had unveiled a myriad of food that Gulls, Oystercatchers and Little Egrets were taking advantage of.

  Little Egret

  Young Herring Gull with a Starfish

  Mute Swans with Oystercatcher in the foreground

  We crossed the causeway and explored the village and harbour while learning about the history of this ancient island parish.The castle watching over the neighbouring island and bay was stunning, now a family home, it had been a monastery and a battle sieged fort in it's past.

  The view of Mousehole across Mount's Bay from St. Michael's Mount

  We grabbed a coffee in the island cafe and headed back to the mainland before the encroaching tide swallowed the causeway once more.

  A quick walk through Marazion brought to us this fabulous Dolphin water feature which I photographed with St.Michaels behind.

https://www.stmichaelsmount.co.uk/

  There were a few coves we wanted to check out and so decided to begin at the most Southern end and work our way back.Onwards to Lizard Point.

  Britain's Southern most point reaching out into the Atlantic Ocean.

  We sat on the cliff top watching Great Black-backed Gulls, Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Jackdaws glide by on the Ocean breeze.Atlantic Grey Seals swam in the water below, occasionally stopping, head skyward as if watching the Human circus up on the cliffs or maybe silently pleading with us to halt the destruction of their home.

  Gulls on Lizard Point

 Atlantic Grey Seal

  

  We ate at the most Southern cafe in Britain along with the House Sparrows who were intent on longingly staring at your food like feathered Dogs while inches away from our plates.Our original plan was to also visit Kynance & Mullion coves but we just lost track of time relaxing and marvelling in the Natural beauty before us.I did however get one last close encounter with the beautiful Cornish Chough ;) 

  As we were losing daylight we decided to head back North along the peninsula to Marazion and have a quick walk around the RSPB Marazion Marshes.When we arrived the tide had risen and now covered the causeway to St. Michael's Mount.

  Marazion Marshes

  One roadside pool at the reserve held numerous Moorhen, Mute Swans, Little Egrets, a Little Grebe and a Grey Heron, while a walk through the scrub revealed Robins, Blackbirds and more amazing Stonechat sightings.It was a wonderful way to end another day exploring the stunning South West coastline.

  It was time to head back to Seacrest and pack for our 400 mile journey back North.Cornwall is such a beautiful part of the country with so many places to explore and wildlife to see and we feel just so privileged to have been able to stay in such amazing accommodation at Seacrest.

  We cannot thank Alexia enough for giving us this opportunity to experience Cornwall.She is a special person, a massive voice for Wildlife and a Trustee of The Wildheart Trust.

https://isleofwightzoo.com/the-wildheart-trust

Our final Cornwall Sunrise as seen from Seacrest in Mousehole.

  Thank you again for reading and browsing through my photos :) I hope you enjoyed it a little bit.It is very much appreciated :)