|
| Scottish Highland Diary |
Autumn?This Caper seen last week doesn't seem to think so! Unfortunately I forgot my camera, this was taken on my mobile phone! A flock of 35 Whoopers flew through in the background seconds earlier (this site being on a hill at around 1500ft), another great photo opportunity missed! Whoopers and Pinkies going through, surprisingly not a single Redwing or Fieldfare yet, but seem to be a trickle of Blackbirds and Song Thrushes. On the coast Common Scoter are in the hundreds by now and a large count of 30 Slavs off Roseilse, thought this was probably just because the sea was actually calm enough to see them. A few Velvets and the first Long-tailed Ducks have also appeared. Despite there being a few good rares found in the region I have yet to actually find my own. I have seen plenty of Cranes in my time going down the A9 but one of the Sandhill type is a new one! Dip of the year has to be receiving a phonecall saying there was a YB Cuckoo at Deerness on Orkney the very second I had driven on to the ferry after seeing the aforementioned Crane. Made do with a Leach's Petrel and chips at Brora instead. 8:18 PM - 4 October 2009 - comments {0} - post commentScottish Crossbill............the real truth!! The Gaffe is blown !!! 9:02 PM - 29 September 2009 - comments {0} - post commentBloglessWell I think the idea of a Blog is that you are supposed to update it regularly! At least I am making regular six monthly postings..........Summer's gone too quickly and despite a glorious day yesterday hinting at a Highland Indian summer, today is back to dreik yukky drizzle. Visited the East Coast last week, Strathbogle and Rattray head were as usual packed with birds. Not so sure about the health of that WTE at the reserve though, I am pretty sure they don't normally lie flat on the ground, though perhaps it has been hanging about with geese too much. Did wonder about the possiblity of lead poisoning as it is probably feeding on a lot of duck carcasses full of shot at the moment? Back over here in Strathspey all is quiet, the Osprey tree looks sadly forlorn (apparently), thought there are still birds hanging about on the coast. Black Throated Divers are still on Lochindorb and there are several good flocks of PARROT Crossbills in the local woods. As for Eagles, they seem to have vanished off the face of the earth. Despite extensive searching for local birds recently the sum total seen was 0. Better luck with Caper though, excellent views recently at several "Top Secret" locations ;), three birds regularly showing well within 100 yards of a busy "A" road ! Doesn't bode well for survival perhaps. Since I put Crestie as the ringtone on my new Nokia, simply call me and they appear like magic! (The old ringtone was Kraftwerk Die Robota, but I got sick of ageing electro rockers suddenly appearing from the woods each time it rang so I changed it, much more useful). (Thanks to MC for that joke). Anyway, back to birding. A recent crossing from Ullapool to Stornoway was very productive, with a huge feeding flock of Stormies and several Leach's. We counted at least 700 Stormies but at a guess it was well over that. Also a "super-pod" of over 150 Common Dolphins and a brief Minke. As for rares, autumn is here at last! Though did find a breeding Icky this year in Strathspey which was not bad. 2:08 PM - 15 September 2009 - comments {0} - post commentSeems to be Spring?Well seems to be spring with unseasonal warmth last week of 19degrees on the Moray Firth. A few migrants are trickling in, Wheatears, Sand Martins and more Ospreys by the day. Sighting of the week has to be Waxwings feeding in the midst of Abernethy Forest on juniper berries. Seeing them sitting on lichen clad branches of ancient pines much better than in Tesco car park on an ornamental berry tree, but of course I didn't have the camera handy.Black-throated Divers are back at their usual spots, looking splendid in full breeding plumage, stood by a loch on the moors on a still afternoon listening to their eerie wailing drifting across the water as Red Grouse croaked all around. On quite a few nights have heard what at first I thought were frogs, croaking away in the nearby field, though after a while I realised it wasn't amphibians but birds............Woodcock. Must be some form of terrestrial displaying, guess it's not often seen but they seem to sit and croak for hours. I have an image of a lone Woodcock and Frog in that field, both wondering why their luck is never in. Well wind has gone S easterly tonight, always makes me wish I was nearer the Aberdeenshire coast at this time of year......my guess is the first fall of migrants could be on their way. 8:30 PM - 6 April 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWhite-billed Diver no.2Well to make up for the speck on the Moray Firth last week, this time found a cracking bird just a few hundred yards offshore in Little Loch Broom. Lovely monster banana bill glistening in the sunlight as it fished for crabs. Was a diver bonanza with over 40 Great Northerns also in the area, several Black-throats though as much as we tried could not find a single Red-throated to get a full house. Typical, they turn up like buses everywhere then when you need one nothing.Apparently a few Ospreys are already back in the area, basking in the unseasonal sunny weather and thinking they are still in Africa no doubt. 11:16 PM - 19 March 2009 - comments {1} - post commentSigns of SpringSeems spring is creeping nearer, Song Thrushes have appeared in the last week with quite an influx over the weekend. At least five around the garden, quite a leap from none at all for the past six months. Had an excellent car window tick when a young White-tailed Eagle did a fly-by at road height while I was driving back from the west coast, birds over there now well into nest building and should even be down on eggs by now.10:58 AM - 12 March 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWBDLovely day on the coast, though not nearly the numbers of sea-duck as usual, not sure what's going on with them this year. Found a probable White-billed Diver, though as it was nearer Norway than Scotland even the best of scopes struggled. Though the bill on these things really does catch the light even miles away, and they always seem to be looking from side to side with it held pointed skyward. Besides that it was next to two GNDs and it wasn't a third! Anyway nobody else has seen it since so it will just be a dodgy single observer record that gets rejected as a misidentified Royal Navy Frigate, so no description needed there then. Not that I have a problem with rarities committees or anything, but if you are reading this look, it was a flippin Bonaparte's Gull ok. enough.10:07 AM - 6 March 2009 - comments {0} - post commentMoray FirthHeaded up to the Moray Firth, Findhorn Bay was pretty misty and as always when you first arrive looked completely devoid of birds. Gradually from the mist however 6 Black-throated Divers, a dozen or so Slav Grebes, and a scattering of Velvet and Common Scoter.Checked out one of the harbours, cracking views of Long-tailed Duck around the boats and a nice line of Purple Sands sitting on the wall. Went looking for a reported Smew, stood staring at a misty loch for a while until eventually something black and white appeared in the furthest and mistiest part of the loch. Views got better eventually, in fact so good that I found another! This time a redhead. Smews are real cold weather birds, just wouldn't be the same watching one while wearing shorts and T-shirt on a hot summers day would it. 3:13 PM - 28 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentSome days there just are no birds.I did look, the weather was awful and I forgot my hat and gloves. Rooks are quite nice really, as are Chaffinches and Coal Tits.9:53 PM - 26 February 2009 - comments {1} - post commentCoal Tit on HolidayHeard an odd call I couldn't quite place, was a Coal Tit but just something odd about it. Found the bird and seemed odd too. Paler below, and colder grey/blue on the back. Can't say I have ever seen one before but seems to be a bird of the continental race rather than "britannicus". Not really sure how regular these are in winter, probably over-looked but if they can make it over the north sea then well, raises interesting questions as to what other tits might manage it also. Some nice thoughts for future UK firsts there.10:09 PM - 25 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWest CoastA trip over to the west again, nice 1st w Iceland Gull at the fish farm near Corran ferry and a couple of Slav Grebes there also, already coming in to summer plumage. Goldies were impossible to find for some reason, but a smart adult WTE soaring in the mist was a bonus. Fantastic otter sighting, watched it fishing for nearly an hour, then swim ashore just yards away where it groomed, rolled about a bit doing cute otter things before falling asleep.Great Northern numbers are building up, counted over 20 at least in Loch Linnhe (or is it Lhinnhe or Lhine or linny or lhinney, whatever I can never spell it without looking it up and I can't be bothered to check). So didn't find a single Goldie up despite driving through about half a dozen territories. All or nothing with these birds.......one's up and they all follow or they just all laze around doing absolutely nothing for hours on end. If you are lucky enough to manage to find one sitting you will see I am correct, I once found a perched bird, then went on to tour the whole of south Mull, had lunch, toured some more of Mull, had numerous coffee breaks, a brief snooze then went back and it was STILL there. On the way home had ridiculous views of Black Grouse doing acrobatics in roadside birch trees.......I discovered that the optimum speed to pass them is 15mph..........lower than this and they'll fly, but if you keep moving they stay and you get crippling views. You can reverse back and forward if you want, but keep an eye for massive logging lorries in your mirror as the impact tends to flush everything for miles. 9:21 PM - 24 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWest CoastGot away from the snowy Highlands to the west coast for a couple of days. On the way had half a dozen Black Grouse feeding in birches right next to the road accompanied by a Barn Owl sitting on a roadside snow-pole. First Eagles were an immature Goldie circling with a sub-adult WTE, then cracking views of a pair of WTE sitting in a tree together on the edge of a forestry plantation. Had another three Goldies together and to top it all three Otters and a Pine Martin!!! Not bad for 24 hours.11:11 AM - 18 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentCairngorm Wilderness!Well it would be apart from several thousand skiers. Nice flock of Snow Buntings in the car park, 6 Ptarmigan feeding around one of the ski tows and a Mountain Hare.11:48 AM - 17 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentMoray CoastWow, the snow's just vanished, never seen such a quick thaw. The river Nethy is a raging torrent and there are branches littered all over the forest floor.See Dead Wood a Bounty for Birds Headed up to the coast, loads of Scaup on the inner Moray Firth and a couple of Iceland Gulls as well as the usual mix of wintering sea-duck. Scoter and Long-tailed Duck numbers very low off the usual haunts of Findhorn Bay, must be somewhere else at moment, probably off Culbin Bar. (It's probably easier to access the central Cairngorm plateau than Culbin bar so didn't go there!). Cool bird of the day was a Tawny Owl blissfully sitting warming it's feet on a Chimney pot oblivious to passers by and traffic. Headed round to the Cromarty Firth, lots of distant grey blobs.........barwits, knot and dunlin was the best my distant grey blob id could manage. A nice flock of Twite and other finches near the hide and as usual no exciting gulls. A word of advice, Udale Bay NEVER has exciting gulls, if you love Common Gulls it's great, but they really are just all Common Gulls. Chanonry Point had a very sad looking Guillemot a nice close flock of Dunlin but little else, Dolphins probably basking off some tropical island if they have any sense. 
11:18 AM - 16 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentSiberiaSiberia, well Loch Garten actually but felt like it. Amazing scenes as the forest branches cracked under the weight of the mounting snow falls, the worst for 20 years. 
11:49 PM - 15 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentFinding Caper in thick SnowForget it. Your feet get soaked and you will have to dig your vehicle out more times than you'd care to mention. Wait till spring.11:42 AM - 15 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentSnow Birds.Heavy snow showers all day today, built an igloo in the garden and watched a couple of very nice Lesser Redpolls feeding in the nearby birches .A few Redwings were flying about this morning, first I've heard for ages, not sure what they're feeding on, probably scouting about the local village gardens in this weather as there is little else. The flock of Waxwings was apparently still in Grantown, feeding on rotting apples, but very little bird activity otherwise. Hope to get out and about a bit more next week, perhaps, but the big freeze seems set to continue till the end of the week at least.10:31 PM - 6 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentSnow Go15 inches of snow fell in 25 hours so not going far today. (didn't they have a couple of inches down south recently, thought I caught something at the end of the news?). Had a report of 20 Waxwings in Grantown this morning. A Meadow Pipit calling overhead this morning was interesting, as shows that a few birds do indeed stay around in winter down in the Straths. Suspect this one was perhaps on a day trip to the Moray Coast in search of a bit of bare ground!11:11 AM - 5 February 2009 - comments {0} - post commentBullfinch PonderingsWell 25 Waxwings reported today from Aviemore, seems I missed the other 24, well it was gettin dark! One irate Crestie going ape at my Black Lab bounding round in the forest was the sum total of todays birding other than a couple of lonely Bullfinches. Actually thinking about it, those Bullfinches are a bit of an enigma. They are perpetually in exactly the same clump of young pines, and have been for weeks. Have no idea why those pines are preferable to millions of others in the area, but they never budge. Guess is they are feeding on heather seeds, but there's about 5 billion square miles of that here. Funny birds really Bullfinches, they just sort of exist in a mysterious sort of "Bullfinch world"............odd what you think about when walking the dog.11:55 PM - 16 January 2009 - comments {0} - post commentWild & WindyWild, windy and cold just about sums up the Highlands in winter. Good job I really enjoy watching swirling flocks of corvids at dusk as that's about all there is to be seen in this weather. Oh and a wawing, dashing for cover in an Aviemore housing estate today was first "rare" of the year. Apparently the local Buzzards suffered in the recent cold snap, with reports of them attacking hens at several places. Cresties are showing very well on local feeders but they just hate my garden for some reason. There was one once in the big pine, many moons ago, but other than that my garden is a Crestie no go zone.Got Tawny Owl on my car window list, also Black Grouse and Woodcock. 10:26 PM - 15 January 2009 - comments {1} - post comment
|
Description Home User Profile Archives Friends Tooth and Claw Photos Highland & Moray Forum Recent Entries - Autumn? - Scottish Crossbill............the real truth!! - Blogless - Seems to be Spring? - White-billed Diver no.2 Friends |