<
Whooper Swan from our window Scottish
Trip report by Frank & Pam Bryant
Caerlaverock
–Ballachulish 19 March–25 March
2006
The
main reason for the stay at Caerlaverock was to see the winter geese.
Day
1 Sunny, cold wind at first, cloudy
with some sun in Scotland, milder than at home
We
reached the WWT reserve at Caerlaverock after 288 miles. The countryside looked
spectacular, the sun shone on the surrounding snow-capped mountains reflecting
glorious light. The farmhouse at the WWT reserve was to be our home for the next
five nights. From our bedroom and observation room below we had views over Folly
Pool.
<
Whooper Swan from our window
Some of
the birds seen, 346 (reported) Whooper Swans,
Mute Swan, Shoveler,
Mallard, Wigeon,
Teal,
Oystercatcher,
Moorhen, 15
Yellowhammers, nine Reed
Buntings, Barnacle
Goose, Tufted Duck,
Greenfinch,
Sparrowhawk,
Goldcrest, Grey
Heron, Wren,
Canada Goose and Lapwing.
Also seen four Roe Deer. Taking
a walk to Saltcot tower we added Redshank,
Curlew and Pheasant. At 7:50pm from the
observation room we saw a Badger come to eat the
nuts and honey that the wardens had put out. It left at 8:10pm.
<
Badger from our window
Day
2 Mostly cloudy with some sun
and a few light showers
Walked
around the reserve early am and later at high tide, Barnacle
Geese, Golden Plover,
Curlew, Pheasant, Dunlin,
Pochard, Whooper Swan, Mute Swan, Oystercatcher,
Wigeon, Teal, Grey
Heron, Redshank, Yellowhammer,
Reed Bunting, Chaffinch, Robin,
Blue Tit, Great Tit,
Coal Tit and Kestrel. The afternoon walk
also gave us views of Twite brought up by the
high tide. A new species for Folly Pool this afternoon, three Snipe.
The
evening was once again taken up with Badger
watching this time arriving at 6:50pm and leaving at 7:10pm. At 7:15pm a Roe
Deer arrived quickly followed by the Badger,
both leaving at 7:35pm.
< Barnacle Geese from Silcot Hide.
Day
3 Mostly clear, sunny
Breakfast with the birds from the observation room and the tower. Went to Loch Ken, west of Dumfries, drove up the east side, not much around bird wise but spectacular views of the snow- capped mountains. Drove down the west side of Loch Ken stopping soon after New Galloway as a Red Kite was flying low near the road. Visited RSPB reserve at Ken-Dee marshes. More Red Kites, one overhead, many Greylag Geese in the fields. At the first hide, about 2 miles from the car park we saw our first Red Squirrel of the holiday also birds at the feeders, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Chaffinch and feeding off the ground Blackbird and Robin. On the Loch were plenty of Teal, Goldeneye, Pintail and Grey Heron. The walk to the second hide produced nothing new so we went back to the first hide. Three Snipe were seen briefly feeding through the marshes. On walking back through the woods two Treecreepers and at least two Long-tailed Tits were seen. There were Chaffinches everywhere.
After
this reserve went to Treave and walked to Blackpark Marsh. Here we saw Teal,
Mute Swan,
13 Whooper Swans,
Cormorant, Buzzard,
Curlew and our first Raven of the trip.
< Red
Kite near Loch Ken 
<
Area approaching Loch Ken
Then we
stopped at Carlingwark Loch and found Tufted Ducks,
Goosander, Coot,
Buzzard, Grey Heron,
Mallard, Goldeneye and
Mute Swan.
Day
4 Cold overnight (-5), mostly clear and sunny
Walked to Saltcot hide on the reserve before breakfast. Watched hundreds of Barnacle Geese land in the field, also two Pink-footed Geese. The early morning sun gave a lovely glow over the frosted landscape. Later drove along the east bank of the river Nith stopping at several parking places however due to the tide being far out we decided to call back later at high tide. Just as we were about to leave two Great Spotted Woodpeckers landed in a nearby tree. Decided to go walking in Mabie Forest, south west of Dumfries. Chose a four mile route via Lochaber Loch, however did not find the loch and got lost which meant we just about doubled our walk. The scenery was spectacular, woods, open fields, mountains, swaths of larch, giving apricot/orange hues, birch showing silver, purple, and deep red hues they looked magnificent in this beautiful sunlight with clear blues skies. These contrasted well with the conifer plantations, still deep green before the young shoots appear. Much of this area had been hit by the Boxing Day hurricane in 1998, hence some areas of new plantation. We did not see a lot of birds in this area but of note, Buzzard, Kestrel with prey and Green Woodpecker.
After a
very welcome lunch we headed for Southerness and then on to RSPB Mersehead. We
walked around the reserve via the beach and looking inland saw our first Stonechat,
then across the grass back towards the visitors centre at least three Skylarks
were seen singing above us. We enjoyed a well earned rest in the visitors centre
and were able to look over the pools, Pintail,
Mallard, Wigeon, and Teal
were present. Before we returned to Caerlaverock we stopped at the parking
places along the east bank of the River Nith. The tide had bought hundreds birds
up quite close, Oystercatchers,
Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew and
Shelduck.
Whilst
waiting for the badger and deer to come out we heard and then saw a large flock
of Barnacle Geese flying across the reserve as
the sun went down. A great end to our day.
Day
5 Cloud, sun, frosty start
The
day, for me (Pam) started at 5:50am when I looked out of the window, a sharp
frost but the sun was a brilliant red globe reflecting on the Folly Pool in
front of our window. Frank was already out with the camera. This morning was
spent around the reserve, walking to Avenue Tower a Hare
leapt out from the nearby bank and darted up the path. From the nearby hide we
managed to photograph it on the opposite bank.
< Hare
The
Avenue Tower was a perfect venue to watch several hundred Barnacle
Geese busy grazing from the fields and 47 Curlew
landed around the water margins. All other species were seen as mentioned in the
previous days. The afternoon was spent at Dumfries, the River Nith running
beside the town gave us really close views of Goosander.
On driving back to the reserve there were large
numbers of Pink-footed Geese and
Golden Plover in
the fields.
From
7-9pm we were entertained by at least five Badgers and one Roe Deer
from the observation room. For the latter part of the evening we drove up the
east side of the estuary road towards Dumfries, we had been told this is a good
area to see owls. However it was only on the way back that we saw a Tawny
Owl on
the hedge, it flew over the road and into a nearby tree. Just before the turn
off towards the reserve we saw another Badger
beside the road.
Day
6 Grey, cloudy, windy and cold
Today
we travelled up to Kilmore near Oban where we were to stay for one night. Soon
into the journey we saw a flock of Redwing
busy feeding in a field. The dramatic scenery of the northerly drive through the
Trossochs National Park (the first national park) was slightly marred by the
dull cloud and intermittent rain on the dappled snow-capped mountains. We
stopped for a coffee on the west bank of Loch Lomond and were rewarded, as the
wind was blowing westerly with several Red–breasted Mergansers, Goosanders and Goldeneye
blown towards us. Our lunch stop was taken at Inverarnan, Drovers Inn a good
hearty meal with a roaring fire and traditional Scottish music, pity there was
lots of stuffed birds and eggs in display cases.
A
brief stop at road works gave us our first sight of a Hooded
Crow.
Stopping at the harbour at Oban we were rewarded by an Eider, a Black
Guillemot,
34 Turnstones
and in the stream through the town a Grey
Wagtail.
Loch Feochan and Loch Nell near our accommodation gave us views of Curlew, Redshank, Teal and Grey
Heron
besides the usual gulls.
Day
7 Dull and wet then bright and
sunny
Up before breakfast and a drive along Loch Feochan, Greylag
and Canada
Geese
were on the left bank. Parking in the first lay-by a male and female Red-breasted Merganser flew in really close. They looked like scuba divers. Swimming
along with the backs of their heads above the water, then diving down to catch
their prey. Further along the loch a Shag
and three pairs of Eiders
and a Buzzard
was perched on a pylon. As we were driving back for breakfast (about 8am) a Dipper was spotted on a rock in a wide river.
We
left Oban at about 10am, and as we were not able to enter our next accommodation
(only 28 miles away) in
Ballachulish until 4pm, we would do
lots of stopping and watching and generally relaxing.
This
journey was one of winding roads, lochs, hills and mountains. I must also
comment on the trees, en masse their structure and colourful hues looked
incredible in the soft afternoon light.
This
is certainly a great benefit coming early in the year before the leaves “take
over” Many of the lochs had Eiders,
Red-breasted Merganser, Goldeneye
besides the usual gulls and common ducks such as Teal, Mallard and Wigeon.
Other new birds today were Long-tailed
Tits and
three Common
Scoter on
Loch Creran. 
We
arrived at our accommodation at 4pm on the banks of Loch Leven. And so our first
week is over with 87 bird species recorded, week two will follow…….
<
Loch
Creran north of Oban
Ballachulish
25th
March–1st
April 2006 (2m west of Glen Coe)
Day
7 (cont)
A
fantastic house with views of snow-capped mountains from most of the rooms.
< View
from our rented house
As
the sun went down two Grey
Herons
flew across the Loch. The
main aim of our stay here is to explore and photograph the scenery as it is not
known to be a great birding spot, however we’ll see!
Day
8 Cloud and mist, rain most of the day
Due
to the lack of clear weather we decided to drive around Loch Leven. Numerous
fast flowing streams tumbled down the mountains into spectacular waterfalls. As
the rain got progressively worse we went back for lunch. The early afternoon
gave a short respite to the rain so we walked around nearby Glencoe Lochan. Just
one male Goldeneye was present on the loch with
19 Oystercatchers feeding on the village green.
The rain got worse again so back to base to stay for the rest of the day! A Song
Thrush was giving out a heart song adjacent to the house.
< Waterfall tumbling into Loch Leven
Day
9 Fine rain before breakfast then dry with some bright spells, mild
A
drive into Glen Nevis brought atmospheric cloud formations around the mountains.
The mild conditions caused the mountain snow to melt, together with the rain the
previous day the waterfalls were spectacular. At least three Dippers
were seen on the fast flowing streams. After one brief stop, about 10.30am I
caught site of some very large birds circling, two Golden
Eagles
who stayed long enough to get the scope on them….impressive!
More
photos were taken around Corpach, then we drove up to Loch Lochy to the north
west of Fort William. A Buzzard
was sat on a convenient tree stump overlooking the loch but soon flew off on our
arrival. However, we were left with another delight, two Red
Deer were
wandering amongst some felled plantations, they crossed the road in front of us
and disappeared into the woods. We had a great 8 hours out today and not a
raincoat in sight!
Day
10 Rain most of the day
We
set off north, west towards Mallaig which overlooks the Isle of Skye. Our first
stop was at Arisaig, on the shore were several Oystercatchers, two Mallards,
two Curlews
and two Grey
Herons. Seven Red-breasted Mergansers were nearby in the loch. We passed the beautiful beach at Morar
because today it was raining and looked very dull. It is easy to do some
birdwatching in Mallaig from the car, the car park overlooks The Sound of Sleat
with some prominent rocks above the water line. Here we saw fifteen Eiders
(9m,5f) one Cormorant,
16 Shags,
two Turnstones,
four Oystercatchers
and some Common
Gulls, Lesser
Black-backed
Gulls, and Herring
Gulls.
Later a Gannet
flew in really close. We walked over to the harbour and saw another Red-breasted Merganser, several Oystercatchers with many gulls and a Grey Seal.
On
the return journey two Goldeneye
were on Loch Morar and on a fast flowing stream nearby a Dipper
was so close to the road Frank was able to photograph it. An enjoyable day
despite the rain.
< Dipper
Day
11 Rain early, then some sun with heavy showers, some hail
As
the weather forecast is very mixed we decided to drive around the Sunart/Ardnamurchan
Peninnsular via the Corran ferry across Loch Linnhe. Two new birds for the
holiday are soon found, a Ringed Plover and a Little
Grebe. We
head for the hide at Ardery which is 780m from the car park. We are very lucky
the weather clears but the hide only has gaps for windows and the wind is
blowing in very cold. Hence we don’t stay long but do see eleven Seals,
three Grey
Herons
besides Oystercatchers
and various gulls on the rocks. Unfortunately there is no sign of Otter.
We
make our way further west to RSPB Glenbarrodale, (the most westerly nature
reserve in mainland Britain) the oaks woods are extensively, covered in mosses
and lichens. According to the info board this area is good for birds in the
summer and autumn, today we don’t see any, the paths are very muddy so perhaps
we’ll visit another year!
Other
notable birds we see on the trip are Greenshank, Curlew, Goldeneye, Meadow Pipit, Rock Pipit
and Yellow–legged
Gull.
< RSPB
Glenborrodale
< Loch
Sunart near RSPB Glenborrodale
Day
12 Early rain then dry and cloudy but cold
Isolation,
wilderness, quiet, peace, tranquil, inspirational, natural landscape. Were all
these words appropriate to our day? We made our way down through Glen Coe and
took the road to Glen Etive and Loch Etive. Mist skirted and swirled the high
mountains with snow peppered on the tops like icing sugar sprinkled on a cake. A
brief shaft of light made the grasses and mosses light up like gold encrusting
the lower elevations. Fast flowing streams and waterfalls cascaded down the
steep slopes bringing down, over the years stones and boulders. We imagined how
these inspirational landscape shapes were formed from the glacial age. The
unnatural landscape - several plantations of pines and near the Loch large areas
of rhododendron. Birds were scarce, mainly Stonechat and Skylark.
One 
herd
of 22 Red
Deer were
beside the road so we enjoyed watching them feed and stare at us. Rannock Moor,
well the parts that we could get to could be classed as wilderness but for the
heavy, thundering traffic crossing it. Glen Orchy was our next drive, with a less
dramatic landscape than Glen Etive. On our return three Whooper
Swans
were spotted on a small loch near Glen Coe. An enjoyable day but little wildlife
seen.
<
Glen Etive
Day
13 Rain am mostly sunny and bright pm
Rain
again so we go to Fort William to do some shopping. A Stoat
runs across the road in front of us as we head back to base. The rain clears in
the afternoon, we drive to Kinlochleven and walk beside the river. A Dipper
is soon spotted and Frank is able to climb down a bank and take some photos. The
sun soon appears so we go back to Loch Lochan, we went here earlier in the week
to try and get some reflection shots.
< Glencoe
Lochan
< Loch
Lochan, reflection of Pap of Glencoe
We then
head back to the Glencoe road and get snap happy! No more birding today.
Our
time at Craigavon has been very enjoyable although the weather was very mixed.
Day
14 Bright sunshine early then intermittent showers, some heavy
Leaving a
sunny Craigavon House about 9.am we take the A82 then A87 road to Kyle of
Lochalsh. We stopped at Loch Garry and then Loch Cluanie to admire the views.
Loch Cluanie gave us a great view of a Black-throated
Diver. So it’s over the bridge to Skye and another story…….
Skye 1st–8th
April 2006
Day
14 (cont) Sunny, some cloud
On the
way to our accommodation we see two Grey Wagtails,
two Grey Herons, a Curlew,
a Red-breasted Merganser plus several Oystercatchers
and gulls. Arriving at the cottage at Braes, over- looking Raasay Island we
can’t believe the wonderful view.
< View
through our kitchen window
A walk
takes us to the inlet near the cottage, two Great
Northern Divers and two Cormorants are in
the bay with some Herring Gulls. There is a lot
of squawking, the gulls are trying to get a crab
from the beak of a Cormorant. Further on a Buzzard
flies low over the hill. A great start to our holiday here.
Day
15 Mostly sunny, some cloud, a few light rain showers near Cuillin Hills
< View from kitchen window 6:40am
As
a cold north wind was forecast we firstly go to Loch Ainort as it is reported
sea ducks like the sheltered aspect. Low and behold five Great
Northern Divers
with two Razorbills,
a Shag and
a Cormorant,
three pairs of Red-breasted
Merganser
and just as we were about to leave the loch road I spotted something else quite
small. On closer inspection a Slavonian
Grebe,
what a great start to the 
day.
The next stop Broadford Bay, there was a very high spring tide and apart from
some gulls nothing else was seen. We then took the road to Elgol to enquire
about a boat trip possibility later in the week. On the way, at Loch Slappin
there were three Ringed Plovers, a Greenshank
several more Great
Northern Divers and
various gulls.
< Ringed Plover at Loch Slapin
Further
around the loch at the marshes three Grey
Heron
were close to the road. This road affords great views of the Cuillin Hills and
the Sleat peninsular looking spectacular
on a sunny day like today.
< Loch
Slapin landscape
From
Elgol we back-tracked as far as Sligachan, then took the A863 across to Drynoch
and followed this up the west coast. Between Drynoch and Bracadale three Wheatears
were seen, great summer migrants again! At the estuary at Bracadale another Greenshank
and two Curlews
were feeding. At Lonmore we ventured further west to Neist Point. Fulmar were
nesting on the steep north cliff face, 42 Razorbills were bobbing about on the sea with two Guillemots
and one Gannet
flew low over the sea. On the south side of the point a Black Guillemot, a Shag,
a Cormorant
a male Eider
and
another Gannet
flew south.
Day
16 Weather, everything! Dry then sleet turning to snow then rain, clearing by
mid-morning to bright sun, some cloud with rain, sleet and hail showers, cold
wind
From
our cottage window (8am) there was a Great Northern Diver and three pairs of Eiders.
Two Lesser
Black-backed
Gulls
were harassing the Eiders
for their food. We left the cottage at 8:40am for a day out, just down the road,
as it was starting to sleet we saw a Merlin
(male) on
a telegraph post. It stayed their long enough to be photographed but it was
difficult being hindered by the sleet that turned to snow.
< Merlin
As
the weather forecast was of strong wintry showers from the north we made our way
south to the Sleat Peninsular. We took the 
minor
road off from the main road which looped around a good variety of habitat. This
landscape was particularly spectacular, the best bird sightings
being on Loch Gauscavaig,
two Red–throated
Divers.
We stayed to watch them for two hours, once it came close, only for a car to
come along and send it further away, typical!
<
Red-throated Diver
The
next loch along the road had no birds at all but as we started to drive out from
the pull-in there was a scuffle in the heather on the right. Two Red
Grouse
scrambled up the bank, the male tried to hide behind a bush but its head was
showing well.
Late
afternoon we went to Kylerhea the ‘Otter haven’ site but after waiting about
an hour with no luck we were getting tired and cold so we returned back to our
comfy cottage.
Day
17 Sunny, bright a few isolated wintry showers
The
plan today was to look for birds of prey in particular the White-tailed Sea
Eagle. We would focus around Portree just a few miles north of Braes where we
were staying and then do the loop road around the Trotternish Peninsular. In
Portree Harbour we saw 15 Eiders (6m, 9f) a Red-breasted
Merganser, a Black Guillemot and Cormorants,
Shags and gulls. In the stream running into the harbour two Dippers
were very busy with their characteristic dipping and swimming. At ‘The Storr’
rocks a few miles north of Portree two Buzzards
were giving us great aerial displays.
<
Common Buzzard
< The
Storrs and The Old Man of Storr (from south)
High up
over the rocks two Golden Eagles were seen
circling around. Driving north we stopped briefly at Staffin Bay, three Gannets
were tossing, turning and circling low over the water.
At
Bealach Lochdarach north of Uig a Golden Eagle
was spotted standing high up on the rocks. We moved to a nearer parking area and
it took flight. We kept watching, it banked around a nearby tower and came down
over the rocky crags. It then flew over a large expanse of rock which was in the
shade, this gave us an excellent opportunity to see the gold on the head. Then
its wings came back, its legs came forward and it landed on the rocks in a crag
just out of sight. Several Raven
were flying around the rocky outcrops. Now back to Portree for White-tailed
Eagle, we waited at a likely vantage point for an hour but no luck, maybe
another day.
Day
18 Rain all day
It was
raining by 8am and the weather forecast was not good so we went to the Aros
Centre.
Here
they have interpretive displays featuring living in Scotland, past and present
together with information on the White-tailed Eagles on Skye. An RSPB
representative (who had previously worked at Wall’s Ice Cream factory in
Barnwood ) showed us footage of an eagle fishing in Portree Bay. Because of
disturbance to the birds the video cam for 2006 is not running yet as the young
have to be about five weeks old before it can be rigged up. We then saw a large
screen film taken from a helicopter, of the landscape of Skye, taken mainly of
the Cuillin Hills. Later we decided to drive around the Waternish Peninsular. We
saw a Whooper Swan, a Grey
Heron and two Buzzards but with the gloom
set in we returned back to base.
Day
19 Sun and Cloud, some isolated wintry showers, strong cold wind
We
woke up to a bird singing outside our bedroom window and not sure what it was
Frank leapt (well not quite) out of bed to take a look. It
was a Fieldfare, not a bird that we could recall hearing its song before.
We
decided to repeat the trip around the Trotternish Peninsular. Driving along a
narrow track on the north east side we disturbed a Merlin
sat on a fence post, it was briefly chased by a feral
pigeon but with great speed and agility it got away! Three Gannets were circling around some rocks in the bay. On the north, west
coast we stopped to do some sea watching, the strong winds might bring some sea
birds nearer land. Sure enough several more Gannets were seen, one even flew over the road. Also seen here were two Fulmars,
a Great
Northern Diver,
three Cormorants
and seven Eiders
(4m, 3f). Several Ravens
were soaring into the sky and plunging down near the cliff face. Great Black-backed Gulls,
Lesser Black-backed Gulls, Common Gulls
and Herring
Gulls were
also battling the strong winds.
< Duntulm
Bay
We
took another single track road off the main road hoping to find Golden Eagles
again but no luck today. We had to make do with two Buzzard,
one standing in a field, the other on the fence by the road. It did not fly even
as we were along side it, photo opportunity? No we had a car right behind us
with nowhere to overtake, typical! From here we went back to the vantage point
for White-tailed Sea Eagle. Another Merlin
chasing six Meadow
Pipits,
then a Kestrel
flying low and two Collared
Doves (we haven’t seen many here) but still no White –tailed Sea
Eagle.
Day
20 Sleet, snow, rain, low cloud, bright sunshine, snow, sleet, hail
We
decided to take the scenic route towards Broadford and then go to Loch Slapin.
The scenic route was not so scenic the sleet turned to snow and it started to
settle, we could hardly see a thing! We did flush out a Grey
Heron on a steep bank of heather. The weather was still awful when we
reached Broadford so we visited a few photographic galleries. Still sleeting and
snowing on and off we still ventured to Loch Slapin hoping for it to clear. From
the east bank three Ringed Plover were seen and
several Oystercatchers.
< Oystercatcher, Loch Slapin
The
west bank gave us views of four Razorbills, five Eiders,
two Red-breasted Mergansers and a Great
Northern Diver. The cloud was low and it appeared set for the day so we
turned to come back. On reaching the east bank again we spoke to two men
watching with binoculars across the loch. Otter
in the middle they said. And sure enough it was playing around and feeding, we
watched it for about two hours, took some photos which are record shots only as
it was a bit far away. Also saw a Grey Seal. In
between this spectacle Frank managed some shots of Wheatear,
we saw three of them even when it was snowing. As
we made our way back to the cottage the weather brightened up so we spent a few
happy hours with the camera.
< Wheatear,
female
A Merlin
was also spotted on a ridge of rocks by the road, it was a good place to survey
the lower landscapes in search of food.
Day
21 Early rain and sleet then bright and sunny
By
the time we had reached the Skye bridge about 10am the sun was starting to
shine….the journey was one we had never dreamt of……
Speyside
8th–15th April 2006
Day
21 (cont) mostly sunny then rain by 4pm
The
snowfall yesterday and now the bright sunshine brought the landscape to a
magical experience. From the Skye bridge via Loch Alsh, Loch Duich The Five
Sisters Range and then Loch Cluanie it was truly spectacular.
< Eilean
Donan Castle
< Glen
Shiel view
At the
southern end of Loch Duich we took the short minor road to Morvich, known to be
a good birding spot. The water margins behind the bridge gave us views of two Greenshanks,
three Grey Herons, three Redshanks, one Curlew and one Stonechat.
We moved on to Glen Affric for lunch (west of Drumnadrochit) unfortunately we
didn’t have time to stop long but what we did see was beautiful, we vowed to
return one day. One Grey Wagtail was on the river. Our cottage on an organic
farm near Nethy Bridge gave us a welcome with a roaring log fire, a bottle of
wine and three bird feeders outside, Greenfinches,
Chaffinches, Coal Tits,
Great Tits, Collared Doves and Siskins
we felt ‘at home’ and stayed in for the evening.
Day
22 Snow then bright sunshine with intermittent cloud and snow showers
We woke
to a sprinkling of snow but at breakfast time a strong snow storm carpeted the
landscape so we decided not to drive far and 
visit
the osprey centre at Loch Garten. From the observation hide the female Osprey
was on a dead tree and was soon joined by the male with a fish. Many Chaffinches
and a few Siskin were on the nearby feeder. A Red
Squirrel was a frequent visitor to a stash of nuts in a nest box. At the
loch shore was a Grey Wagtail and further out two
Goldeneye (1m,1f) six Greylag
Geese were in an adjacent water inlet.
< Loch Garten
In the
afternoon we walked from the farm into the forest but there were few birds. One Wren
and several Chaffinches. In the farm,
apart from the birds on the feeders were five Song
Thrushes, two Mistle Thrushes,
12 Lapwings, 30+ Starlings
and a Curlew calling.
Day
23 Early frost, mostly cloudy, some sun, a few snow flurries, cold
We
arrived at Loch an Eilean at 9.00am there were Chaffinch,
Great Tit, Blue Tit, Coal
Tit and Siskin
feeding from the feeders by the car park. The habitat is mostly Scots Pine and
Birch trees with heather, moss and grasses on the landscape floor. Soon into the
walk a Tawny
Owl flies
up from the path and into a nearby tree.
< Tawny Owl at Loch an Eilean
Further
along a Treecreeper
and more Coal
Tits to
view. Goldcrest
are seen and heard in several locations, Great
Spotted Woodpecker
is heard drumming. On the loch are two Greylag,
two Goldeneye,
Mallard, Teal
and two Grey
Wagtails
on the shore. A Buzzard
is seen flying over the pine trees. After six hours we have still not found our
target birds, namely Crested Tit and Crossbills. According to our bird book a
picnic site near Loch Morlich is a good venue for these species, but we still
can’t find them. We try briefly again at Loch Garten but no luck, so we head
back to the cottage seeing Merlin
and Goosander
on the way.
Day
24 Sun and cloud, showers, some heavy, cold wind
It’s
time to explore the Cairngorms today. Coire Cas car park is the start of the
walk (right of the ski lift.) The snow is the deepest 
on
the mountains for five years, about 6inches by the lift, many skiers and
children with sledges are arriving. We leave the chatter of the skiers behind
but don’t hear or see any birds for quite a while. This should be an
exhilarating walk but it is extremely cold with a biting wind, our eyes are
streaming. We are about to give in when a small bird is sighted, it’s a Snow
Bunting,
we decided
that a coffee was high on our wants list so return to the car. We then drove to
the long term car park to overlook the area, two more birds are spotted but our
binoculars are too steamed up to decide what they were.
< Cairngorms, from the footpath
We
called at Loch Garten to view the Osprey
and also see two Red
Squirrels
plus the usual birds on the feeders, but again no Crested Tits or Crossbills.
After lunch we went to the Findhorn Valley, seeing four Buzzards
on the way.
< Findhorn Valley
Soon
a Dipper was
spotted on a prominent rock in the river, followed by Oystercatchers
and Curlew.
On parking we had a heavy shower but decided to wait hoping for the weather to
clear. Sure enough we are rewarded, the sun came out so did the cameras and the
wildlife, namely, Common Gull, Raven, Kestrel, Buzzard
and
a stag Red
Deer over
the mountain top. Leaving the valley floor two Roe Deer
crossed the road in front of us.
< Stag
Red Deer on Carn Liath
We
then took the road east towards Farr, the route is on the high moors, many
varying grasses, mosses and lichen are
amongst the heather. The snow was melting fast and swilling, in many places over
the road making new streams, three Red Grouse (2m,1f) were seen.
< Red
Grouse on the road to Farr
The
day ended with a meal at JJ’s Restaurant in Grantown on Spey, thoroughly
recommended!
Day
25 Mostly cloudy with a few sunny spells, cold wind
The plan today was to visit the Black Isle north of Inverness for birds and the
Moray Firth for Dolphins. Firstly we stopped at Carrbridge to get a paper and a Dipper
was under the famous arched bridge. As we crossed the Moray Firth Bridge we
could see a road following the north coast of the Beauly Firth. From Charleston
to Redcastle the road is in such close proximity to the water the birds are easy
to see, namely Redshank,
Curlew, Oystercatchers
and Shelduck
in good numbers. There is a notice from the police saying ‘do not park in
passing places’ Hmmm some naughty birders around, us included! We then went to
Chanonry Point hoping to see the dolphins but no luck today, just two Red-breasted Mergansers and a Goldeneye.
Two skeins of geese were seen flying north, the 
first
about 80 birds the second about 40 birds. We then headed up to RSPB Udale,
perfect conditions for viewing from the car but there is also a hide. In Udale
Bay were 104+ Greylag Geese, 66+ Oystercatchers,
seven Pink-footed
Geese,
and about 50+ Redshanks.
This is besides a few Mallard,
Shelduck,
Teal, Curlew,
Wigeon
and various gulls. A Skylark
was singing overhead, and a male Reed
Bunting
was in a nearby tree.
< Pink-footed Goose at RSPB Udale
We
then drove to Cromarty to find out about the Dolphin boat trip as no dolphins
could be seen from the shore. Unfortunately the forecast for the afternoon was
for gales force winds so no boats would be going out. Hence back to
birdwatching, we had lunch whilst parked in Shore Street to the east of the
town. Two Red-breasted
Mergansers
and two Long-tailed
Ducks
(1m,1f) both in winter plumage were visible.
As we drove back down towards the A9 road many of the fields bordering the Moray
Firth had hundreds of Pink-footed
Geese, we
estimate 1000+ birds in total.
Just
after Carrbridge on our return journey we headed up to Lochindorb, the landscape
here is very bleak moorland, the light was beginning to fade but we managed to
see seven Red
Grouse,
one Curlew
and three Meadow
Pipits.
Day
26 Mostly cloudy, some sunny spells with intermittent heavy rain
5:40am
arrived at Osprey Centre for Capercaillie watch, had a cracking view of a female
Capercaillie
by 6am. She was sat on a tree about 100 foot away from the hide eating the
shoots of the pine tree. We were very lucky, the ‘Capers’ had been sporadic
to show all week. As the species is declining so much the RSPB ask people to
view by this means rather than go walking around their habitat. On leaving the
hide we met Jake King from Dursley Birdwatching Group (neither of us knew we
were going to be in Scotland). We then went with Jake to look for Black Grouse near the Cairngorms. Firstly
though we went back to Coire Cors car park and found six Snow
Buntings.
Our next sighting was five Black
Grouse,
all males what a good day we were having, all before breakfast! After breakfast
we went to the feeding station near Boat of Garten and eventually saw a Crested Tit but still no crossbills even though we walked around Loch an Eilean
one and a half times. We were just going to head back to the cottage at about
4pm when I suggested calling in at the fishery near Aviemore. Seven Tufted
Ducks,
five Goldeneye,
two Mallard,
a Grey
Wagtail,
a Mute Swan,
and five Oystercatchers
were seen before the drama began. I spotted an Osprey
in the distance, we watched it for an hour circling, once being 
harassed
by a Lesser Black–backed Gull.
We had some heavy rain and it disappeared for a while. Luckily it returned and
came over the fishing lake, it was 5.30 time for the fishery to shut, but we had
to stay, the Osprey
dropped into the lake but missed it’s prey, it circled again dropped into the
lake and caught a big Trout.
As it took the fish into the air to fly off the Lesser
Black-backed Gull
was harassing it again. The Osprey
got the better of the gull and we got our photos, weren’t we excited.
< Osprey with fish
Day
27 Cloud and Sun, one light shower
Parked
at Cairngorm car park by 9am,just in front of the car 25+ Snow
Buntings
were very obliging to be photographed.
< Snow
Bunting on Cairngorms
The
Osprey centre was then shown the Osprey photos from yesterday, they were going
to try and identify which osprey it is.
We
then went back to several places in the area to get crossbills but still no
luck. On leaving the farm after lunch we saw four Hares
running around the field. Just up the road was a Buzzard
by the road and a Grey
Heron was
circling. As the light was clear this afternoon we returned to the moors for,
hopefully some better photos. Ten Red
Grouse
were seen, also of note, Kestrel,
Curlew,
Oystercatcher and two Pheasants
(both males) one was pecking the back of the other’s neck, it was raw the bird
didn’t look as if it would survive.
Day
28 Cloudy with sunny intervals
We left
the cottage in a glorious setting in the Speyside area for our next venue about
160miles to Lake Menteith (the only Lake in Scotland) …..on the way we saw
about 200 geese flying north, perhaps they were the barnacles that we had
watched at Caerlaverock at the start of our trip…….to be continued in The
Trossachs area……
Trossachs
area and heading home 15th
April–18th
April 2006
Day
28 (cont) Cloudy with sunny intervals, rain later
We
stopped briefly at Killin, the river here is tumbling over large rocks, boulders
and gushing into crevices. One Swallow
flying low over the river, our first this year, was seen with two Grey
Wagtails
bobbing about on the rocks.
< River at Killin
Our
farm accommodation for two nights bed and breakfast was chosen because of the
proximity to Lake Menteith, the
only lake in Scotland and only about 30 miles from Glasgow for ease of driving
south. Here we had a Goldeneye
and two new birds for the holiday, two Great Crested Grebes and a Common
Sandpiper
from near the farm. An Osprey
was spotted in the distance with six gulls chasing it. It dived into the lake
but after a lot of splashing about emerged with nothing. The gulls were still
after it though. Driving to the north of the lake hundreds of Swallows
were flying low over the water.
Day
29 Mostly cloudy with some sun and a few heavy showers
The
plan for today was to drive the Trossachs trail and hopefully fit in a few walks
en route. The first stop was at Loch Katrine via the Duke’s Pass, which gave
us wide vistas of the hills and lochs. At Loch Katrine we walked about a mile
and a half up the east bank, not a lot in the bird line, Greylag,
Mallard and Canada Geese. Several groups
of Primrose were seen reminding us it was spring although the weather was
chilly.
< Loch Katrine
Unfortunately
when we booked this ‘add on’ to the Scottish Highlands we didn’t realise
that this was Easter Sunday and there were many species of the human kind who
weren’t particularly quiet so we moved on. We then parked at Kilmahog on the
north east of the trail, took the old railway line pathway and walked into
Callander and back. Two Goosanders and a Kestrel
were the main birds seen.
Day
30 Mainly sunny with some cloud and one brief shower
Today
was the start of our return from Scotland. We had booked a night at Travelodge,
Lancaster to break the journey so there was no rush. While we were in Speyside
Jake had mentioned about a King Eider at Irvine, just north of Ayr on the west
coast. We rang home for our son to check with Birdguides, yes it was there, so
we made a diversion. It was very near to the shore with some Eiders,
being tossed about on the fierce waves. A male King
Eider what a great bonus to our holiday. Whilst
we were sat in the car chatting about it 50+ Dunlin
flew onto the rocks in front of us and a Shag
flew up river.
Male
King Eider seen to left of marker post with several Eider Ducks
Day
31 Cloudy with heavy rain later
The
morning was spent driving home with heavy rain we were lucky to see the road
with all the spray let alone any birds.
So
to conclude a great tour covering 3411 miles in the month. It started with some
winter geese still at Caerlaverock and included the arrival of the summer migrants, Wheatear on Skye and Osprey
at Speyside and The Trossachs. Pictures speak louder than words so here are some
of the highlights.
< Driving
through Glen Shiel after we left Skye and were on our way to Speyside.
< Being
able to take this picture
< Seeing
how sad Red Grouse look close up
< Photographing
a Dipper blinking
Also
Black
Grouse,
Capercaillie,
Long-tailed
Duck,
King Eider
and Otter
that we didn’t manage to photograph.
So
that’s it, hope you enjoyed the report as much as we did being there!
If anyone wants to know details of any of the accommodation then please feel free to e-mail us,