Tales From The Highlands

Day 3 - An Osprey A Day Keeps Depression Away ;)

  I woke before the alarm went off at 6.45am and was eager to get outside and see what the moth trap held.Due to the chill in the air last night I wasn't sure what to expect so was pleasantly surprised by the larger total than I had hoped for.The most numerous species was easily the Hebrew Characters with 12 of them making an appearance.
  Hebrew Characters

  The stars though were the 3 Brindled Beauties

  After potting all the moths and putting them to chill so they are a bit more docile when I try to photograph them later(this doesn't always work especially with these hardy Scottish versions lol) , I went to collect the trail cam.
  I had found a nest hole near the cabin so had placed the trail cam there with a few incentives for the as yet unknown inhabitants.The food was gone and the SD card had recorded 36 clips of video.I sat down to go through them.

  The neighbours were a trio of Wood Mice.Their eyes shining from reflecting the light from the moth trap.I finished checking the footage, then rechecked the weather forecast, heavy rain for Fort William so we decided to head to sunnier climes, The Cairngorms :)

  The drive to Abernethy Forest was mainly uneventful with just a skein of Greylag Geese flying over in their perfect "V" formation and a Song Thrush on a grass verge near Carrbridge.Today was the opening day of the RSPB Loch Garten Osprey Centre so it would've been rude not to attend.When we arrived both Ospreys, EJ and Odin were on the nest.We stayed for a couple of hours watching their behaviour and chatting to the RSPB staff.Odin kept bringing back large branches to renovate the nest and we also got to witness their 27th mating attempt so far.

  I was surprised that other people arriving to view the Ospreys only stayed for about 10 minutes before heading off again and one couple were asked of they would like to join the RSPB as they were not yet members, they snapped "We can't afford to do that!" 

  I think my monthly RSPB donation is actually a bit selfish of me as I pay them to protect birds and those birds make me feel better so I am really just paying to help my mental health ;)

  There were more than the Ospreys to watch with Chaffinches, Siskins, Coal Tits, Great Spotted Woodpeckers and a Brambling around the feeders and Goldcrests around the car park.

  Great Spotted Woodpeckers

  Brambling

  Two Bank Voles were racing in and out of the undergrowth collecting the food displaced from the feeders.

  A cuteness of red appeared shimmying down a tree trunk to feast on the nuts.The beautifully tufted Red Squirrel was a joy to watch.

  After buying another two RSPB badges(a Hedgehog and a Bee) we left and headed to Aviemore for lunch.A coffee and Smiffy's chips later and we set off up to Glenmore Forest Park in hope of Crested Tits and Dippers.Unfortunately we "dipped" out on both but nature soon made up for it for as we left Aviemore something caught my eye and I shouted "Peregrine!" It was probably one of the residents from Craigellachie Nature Reserve and it was been harrassed by a determined Crow.

Checking the river for Dippers in Glenmore.

  We continued back to Roybridge where I spent the evening uploading photos from the cameras before releasing the now active again moths back into the night sky.

Raptor Watch Update - 

Buzzards - 10

Ospreys - 2

Peregrine - 1

Thanks again for reading.Hopefully more fun and wildlife to come tomorrow :)

Tales From The Highlands

Day 2 - Gondolas & Greenshanks

  After yesterdays epic 12hr journey I decided to let Majella have a deserved lie in.Opening the curtains I saw that the Chaffinches were down taking advantage of the food I put out last night.A flock of Meadow Pipits danced around the field outside our window and a Buzzard soared over the hill top.
  Tug and Georgie popped over to say Hi  and I rewarded them with half a carrot each.
Georgie

  My mate Tug, we go back years :)

  The sun was out and I could see snow on the distant mountains so we headed over to the Nevis Range.Due to my obvious problems I can no longer hike up mountains so we cheated and got on the Gondola to take us up Aonach Mor.

 A quick walk along the trail to look at the view down to Fort William also gave us the opportunity to watch a couple of Skylarks.

  We then headed back down and home for lunch to recharge the batteries of both the cameras and myself.
  After lunch I walked around the farm photographing a few of the new additions.
Mother Hen and her new brood.

  The 2 new lambs on the farm.

  A couple of Chaffinches were still attending the bird table and the Meadow Pipit flock continued to forage in the field.
  I decided to check the tide times for Fort William and after reading that the low tide was at 5.55pm we decided to head back into town late afternoon to a place where we have watched Otters before.When we arrived the tide was already low enough to expose the central islands.Black-headed, Black-backed and Herring Gulls were numerous.A Grey Heron fished from from one of the islands and 20+ Goldeneye were dotted around the sea loch with a few of the males displaying by throwing their heads back and calling.As we waited for the elusive Otter a Greenshank flew over and landed on the far shore.Unfortunately the elusive Otter stayed elusive lol but hopefully we will get the chance to try again.
  Looking for Otters on Loch Linnhe.

  Back at the cabin I set up the moth trap and trail cam and then we settled in for a game of drunk Jenga :)

  Join us again to see what wildlife we manage to find tomorrow.

Thanks for taking the time to read my blog.

Stuart 

Tales From The Highlands

Day 1 - The Journey

  Despite only 2-3 hours sleep we woke with the excitement and enthusiasm of two kids heading of to Disneyland.The enthusiasm though quickly diminished when hit with the reality of the 9hr+ car journey ahead.We packed the car with probably enough stuff for a months expedition to the Amazon and set off as daylight approached.
  Not surprisingly the first birds of the trip were the Rooks.The noisy neighbours making sure the whole Rookery knew it was time to get up.Heading West on the M180 it wasn't long before I saw my first Raptor was spotted, a lone Buzzard surveying a field also accommodated by a Roe Deer.
  Carrion Crows, Jackdaws, Wood Pigeons, Magpies, Pheasants, Black-headed Gulls, a Robin and a Blackbird were all seen along the motorway.Majella mentioned she was cold so I turned up the car heater saying it's not cold but then noticed a field of black and white cows and said "I guess you were right, it's Fresian out there!" ;)
  In a field off the A1 it was great to see a couple of Hares still going mad chasing each other, obviously no one had told them it was now April.About 20 minutes from Scotch Corner and I saw my first waders, a couple of Oystercatchers in a field among 12 Greylag Geese.Our first pit stop was in fact Scotch Corner.A Rabbit chewed on the grass by the car park while Dunnocks and House Sparrows looked for scraps dropped by the hungry motorists.
  I also found 2 Common Quaker moths on the windows of the services, my first moths of the year.

  The next section, West over the Dales on the A66 was always a good place to look for birdlife.Tricky to do at 60mph but scanning the fields and dry stone walls produced lots of Lapwings, Starlings, Curlews, Mute Swans, a Moorhen and a Red-Legged Partridge before we hit Penrith.

  As we headed up the M74 towards Glasgow I saw my first Swift of the year, unfortunately it was a caravan ;) While driving through the traffic near Glasgow I saw Feral Pigeons, Mallards, Pied Wagtail and Buzzards 3,4 and 5 of the trip so far.
  Turning off near Stirling on to the A84 took us close by the Argaty Red Kite feeding station at Doune.We didn't have time to visit but did manage to spot a Red Kite circling on the thermals on the hills.After lunch at a very busy Callander we then stopped half hour down the road at Killin and Dochart Falls.

  Following Buzzard number 6 and a Canada Goose in a lochan on Rannoch Moor we headed into Glencoe.
  Looking back down towards Bridge Of Orchy.

  Rainbow over Rannoch Moor.

  No matter how many times we drive through Glencoe, you cannot fail to be blown away by its magnificence.

  Through Glencoe and only 15 miles to Fort William.Another bird sighting, this time a Grey Heron fishing the shoreline of Loch Linnhe.We stopped for food at Fort William then continued on to the farm near Roybridge.
  We unpacked and did the important things first like say "Hi" to the horses and put out the bird food.I had a short walk down to the river at the bottom of the field.Majella came out to meet me after a while and said she could hear a Tawny Owl calling from the trees on the opposite bank.

  A tiring journey up but great to to back here in the Scottish Highlands.The day ended with Whisky and Match Of The Day :)

  Thank you for reading my blog and hopefully I will be able to share our trip with you over the next week.

Kindest regards
Stuart

Seaside Birding, Gibraltar Point

  This week we should've been in North Wales enjoying Starling murmurations, Choughs and maybe my first Hawfinch.Unfortunately due to my continued health problems, 3 days away and travelling so far deemed a bit unwise so instead we opted for a much closer trip.The plan was a night in Skegness including a day at Gibraltar Point Nature Reserve.

  When we arrived the visitor centre/cafe was yet to open and so the car park was only sparsely accommodated.Only a few cars with dog walkers getting ready for their walks (I still don't understand why dogs, even on leads should be allowed on Nature Reserves.Yes, I am a dog lover but not everyone adheres to the "on lead" rules as sadly proven at a local reserve where a Roe Deer was fatally wounded by an attack from a dog left OFF the lead.RIP Daphne :()

  Anyway back to the Point (Gibraltar that is).A couple of Little Egrets flew over us as we made our way to the Jackson Marsh hide.

  Jackdaws called overhead and Magpies and Mistle Thrushes foraged in the fields.

 Mistle Thrush

  The lagoon was full of bird life.Lapwings, Teal, Wigeon, Snipe, Bar-tailed Godwits and Curlew were all on show.

  A cacophony of sound from the sky signalled the arrival of hundreds of Brent Geese as they wiffled down into the nearby field.These were soon followed by a skein of White-fronted Geese, PInk-footed Geese and then a small group of 14 Barnacle Geese, waterfowl heaven. :)

  Brent Geese

  White -fronted Geese

  Pink-footed Geese

  Barnacle Geese

  The walk back to the car produced sightings of Skylarks and Corn Buntings and another Little Egret in a muddy ditch searching for food.

  We then headed off to Skegness seafront to find food of our own. :) After lunch we checked in to our B&B (an absolute bargain night away for £35) and then returned to the reserve at around 3.30pm in hope of some Raptor sightings along the saltmarsh.Linnets and Reed Buntings alighted the bushed around us but the Raptors were proving harder to find.

  A very distant shape emerged from the late afternoon haze and stayed very distant.I was sure it was Harrier-esque and our new friend David agreed.He had come over from Nottingham for the day and then the 67yr old told us how since his wife's death 12yrs ago he travels the country by train looking for Birds Of Prey.I mentioned the RSPB Raptorwatch at the Dee Estuary in a couple of weeks time and he was very interested in attending so we may see him again there.

  A shout of delight "Barn Owl" came from David as we all turned to see the beautiful owl fly by along the tributary before disappearing out of sight into the next field.It made the old man very happy, David was delighted too ;) He then left to catch his bus as we hung around but no more sightings bar the Brent Geese and Shelducks on the marsh.

  Barn Owl (photo by Majella Fox)

  The wildlife sightings hadn't actually ended though as while driving from the reserve car park I screamed "Stop the car, Kingfisher!" No, it's not my pet name for my partner Majella ;) but on the roadside pond a Kingfisher on a partly submerged branch.I started getting out of the car to try to photograph it but the only other car in the reserve car park decided it was time for them to leave so we had to move our car further off the road to let them pass by which time the Kingfisher had said Goodnight and vanished.

  I got back in the car, said some choice words about the people in the other car and then another 100 yards along the lane shouted "Stop the car, Fox!" This is actually my partner's surname but that's not what I meant lol.A stunning Fox was peering from around the field hedge.I managed a couple of photos before it checked me out and trotted off down the field edge and across the road, a real life Fox-trot ;) 

  

  All in all it was a great day away with plenty of wildlife to see, especially after a housebound January due to my health issues.If you head to Skegness for the seaside make sure you go South from the seafront and check out this fantastic reserve at Gibraltar Point :)
  Sunset at Gibraltar Point.(photo by Majella Fox)

http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/gibraltar-point 

http://gibraltarpointbirdobservatory.blogspot.co.uk/ 

Many thanks again for reading my blog :) 

A Waxwing End To 2016

  After swearing at Rare Bird Alert, Twitter and Facebook friends for 2 months for seeing something I hadn't , I did finally catch up with our Scandanavian visitors who always steal the show in Winter.
  We were actually coming back from Scotland when I read about 20 odd in a car park in Hessle near Hull so after a bit of convincing Majella took the slight detour down the M62 into Sainsburys car park in Hessle.
  There we finally saw our first Waxwings of the Winter, 28 in total feeding on Rowan trees in the car park at Sainsburys and also over the road at Lidl, obviously checking out which place had the best offers.

  Stunning birds which even caught the attention of the shoppers at the supermarket or maybe it was just the group of people with cameras that they noticed and were just nosy as to what we were doing. ;)

Happy New Year to everyone.I hope 2017 will be amazing for you all :)