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| Scottish Highland Diary |
Highland Bird ForumIf you are interested in keeping up with the latest bird and wildlife news feel free to join. Click the link below.Highland & Moray Bird Forum . 10:03 PM - 6 January 2009 - comments {0} - post commentReturnAh! Is it winter again? It's very cold and I suddenly remembered the password to my blog account! Mystery Photo No.1  Loch Morlich Only hope it melts before the divers return! It has been serioulsy cold over the past few weeks, Inverness shrouded in freezing for for days became ice capital of the north. Even at Kinloss at sea level was down to -12. Here in Nethybridge the lowest I recorded was -14 on 28th December, I think that it has barely gone above zero for at least two weeks now. Currently it's back to -10 this evening. Not surprisingly there aren't many birds about. A Blue Tit on the feeder today had a noticable odd bend in it's tail, evidence probably of spending the night roosting tight in to a crevice somewhere. No doubt many have succumbed to the bitter cold. Birding from my window or car has become preferable of late though not doing too bad, had a nice White-tailed Eagle drifting over the Strath as I was coming back from the shop and a flock of Waxings while filling with petrol at the garage. Am considering going for the lazy birding challenge in 2009 perhaps. It is actually possible I reckon to see EVERY Scottish speciality from your car window, there's a challenge for 2009. My vehicle window list will be updated on a regular basis, watch this space. 9:09 PM - 5 January 2009 - comments {1} - post commentOn The CoastStarted the day looking for Black Grouse, with visibilty down to ten yards in mist this was seeming a rather poinless exercise. Not to mention the surreal appearance of a convoy of vintage cars crosssing the moorland at 7am. Talk about surreal, what the hell is a vintage car rally doing ploughing across a remote Highland moor at 7 O'Clock in the morning? Though I guess they might have been equally bemused by finding a group of wooly hatted folk all standing around in the mist with tripods in the middle of nowhere. We headed off home, amazingly stumbling across a lone Black-Cock lekking away right next to the road, not impressed at all no doubt that the stunning Hen he'd been hoping to attract turned out to be a clunking 1930's Austin 7. Strange things happen on those misty moors. Spent the day birding around the Moray coast between Spey Bay and Burghead, the clear skies of the Highlands replaced by damp cold sea mist on arrival at Spey Bay! A small group of Common Scoter and Long-Tailed Ducks remained close inshore, though hardly any compared to even last week. A fantastic summer plumage Knot joined the Dunlin and Ringed Plovers at Lossiemouth and the first Little Tern of the year seen over the dunes as the weather finally cleared to yet more glorious sunshine. A trip to a small coastal freshwater loch proved fruitful to see a drake Garganey, and while checking out a local Tree Sparrow colony got great views of a Tawny Owl and chick peering out at us from a nearby Owl box. Corn Bunting were showing well along the road to Spey Bay, sadly one of the only regular places we now see these birds, and several Grey Partridges in nearby fields an indicator also of what a bit of well managed local set-aside can achieve. Finally ended up at Burghead to search for the ever elusive King Eider, a possible sighting well out to sea was not confirmed by a better view so dipped yet again on that one. 10:03 PM - 3 May 2007 - comments {0} - post commentSpring Highlights
Even made it to BBC online! Most of the spring migrants are in, Redstarts and Tree Pipits singing in the glorious sunshine we've been having. The last week has seen some of the clearest skies and light I have ever seen up here, today I watched a stunning female Caper preening in a pine in brilliant afternoon sunlight, sadly the photos weren't very successful! Great Northern Divers are starting to come in to stunning breeding plumage before they head off back across the Atlantic, quite a few along the shores of Loch Linnhe showing very well. Was over on Mull a few times, one day clocking up 11 individual Eagles in 2 hours! (4 WTE and 7 Goldies). Common Crossbill seem very scarce these days, but families of Parrots are showing well in various places in the forest where there are cones. On the Moray Coast sea duck numbers are steadily falling, but waders are starting to move through and a good flock of about 60 Purple Sandpipers is still hanging around Lossiemouth. Nice find last week was a Redwing singing at a regular site, good to know that a small population is still hanging on in the Highlands, oddly enough have hardly seen any Fieldfare or redwings this spring passing back through, probably just not stopping because of the clear weather. We have had no significant rainfall in these parts for about six weeks now, and nice as this weather is, sitting out in the garden in "hot" sunshine, in April, in the North of Scotland, is just a bit worrying as to what is going on with the climate! 10:42 PM - 2 May 2007 - comments {1} - post commentLunar EclipseWhat a fantastic sight seen in the crystal clear skies of Northern Scotland, with the brightly lit landscape plunged in to darkness by 11pm the sky became even clearer, in fact one of the clearest for a while. It was interesting to note how the Lapwings and Oystetcatchers which had been calling in the fields earlier when lit by the full moon became quite silent during the darkness of the eclipse. As geese often stay in the fields to feed also during the full moon period instead of returning to their roosts on water at dusk, I wondered if anyone had ever observed their reaction to a full lunar eclipse?10:18 PM - 6 March 2007 - comments {0} - post commentFebruary HighlightsThe annual Highland Bird Race came and went, sadly with fewer teams this year as it unfortunately coinciding with local WEBs counts. Highlights had to be getting a leking male Caper and Blackgrouse by 8am! Spent a week at the beginning of the month taking a group to the Camargue, which was actually colder than here some days! Still worth it for stunning views of Wallcreeper, Eagle Owl, Long-Legged Buzzard, pink birds with long legs .............(and plenty of Flamingos too). Heard the first Curlew back in the area about mid-month and the fields are now filling rapidly with Lapwing and Oystercatcher. Been a lot of Snow down to about 1000ft, the Cairngorms looking stunning at the moment. Not much this year at low level, just a few days at the beginning of the month which soon melted. Spring must be here early I thought, seeing the first lambs bouncing round the farm already in the snow.....not quite.....seems they're the offspring of a rather eager tupp which crashed it's fence sometime last summer. And as the farmer said, if you had to wait a year wouldn't you have done the same! There were a couple of Ravens honking around the fields this morning so not too sure how they're doing? Anyway, seems winter is on the way out at least, noticed it was well past six tonight before it was dark. 10:54 PM - 2 March 2007 - comments {0} - post commentWildcat in the Garden!
A "not so wild" Wildcat photographed in Glenfeshie.
Sightings of Wildcat up are are few and far between, my only glimpses of good looking candidates on roads at night and with most villages having their fair share of Tabbies it's tricky. Last Saturday afternoon however , just before dusk I was watching few Chaffinches feeding on seed I had put out on the ground through the window when a largish "tabby cat" appeared stalking them at the edge of the garden. Unusual I thought, as I live on an area of farmland outside the village and have never seen a tabby down here, just the black and white farm cat which visits now and then. We have two pretty lively dogs too, which keep the garden pretty much feline free. I spent some time a few years ago watching a known "tame" Wildcat which had been released, taking photos and becoming familiar with it's quite distinctive jizz and I soon became pretty convinced that the cat I was watching was almost certainly a pretty good canditate. Also once it caught sight of me it fled like crazy aross the fields. So definitely NOT tame. Pretty sure that it was as good a Wildcat as you are likely to see around Strathspey, and probably the best view I'm likely to ever get too. 10:23 PM - 2 March 2007 - comments {0} - post commentBlack Crow BluesLittle bird news I'm afraid, Bob Dylan has just bought a house in the village and the car is in the garage for the millionth time this winter. Role on next week when I'm off to the Camargue!!
12:12 AM - 24 January 2007 - comments {0} - post commentHarbinger of Doom!Work is taking it's toll of the few daylight hours available at the moment, time to admire the flock of 16 Whooper Swans still feeding on the flooded fields on the way and a nice flock of Bullfinches which have been feeding amongst the birches in the garden but little else.
Same as much of the Northern Hemisphere, it seems the Highlands too are having a record breaking mild January. There's fresh snow on the hills today above 1000 feet, but the cold snaps are just short breaks between relentless lows which keep sweeping in off the Atlantic, bringing exceptionally mild air with them.
Saw an amazingly beautiful sight tonight at dusk......a Comet! Comet McNaught to be exact, a hazy bright ball with sweeping tail hanging low in the winter twilight, clearly visible with the naked eye.........
Comets in Ancient Cultures Comets have inspired dread, fear, and awe in many different cultures and societies around the world and throughout time. They have been branded with such titles as "the Harbinger of Doom" and "the Menace of the Universe." They have been regarded both as omens of disaster and messengers of the gods. Why is it that comets are some of the most feared and venerated objects in the night sky? Why did so many cultures cringe at the sight of a comet?
oh dear !
http://deepimpact.jpl.nasa.gov/science/comets-cultures.html 9:49 PM - 10 January 2007 - comments {0} - post commentSpring !!??Is this the UK's earliest ever first sign of Spring?.................two returning Oystercatchers seen today on farmland nearby.9:30 PM - 1 January 2007 - comments {0} - post commentHappy New YearWell the wind stayed away from the North till after midnight, last bird of 2006 was a Tawny Owl flying out of Nethy Churchyard at 11.57. Not got further than the garden so far today and even the feeders are pretty quiet. Might go and see if I can search out a couple of "Nordic" Jackdaws to photograph which have been feeding with the local flock. Stand out pretty well with both having very distinctive pale collars. Other than that its a coal fire with the last of the Bailey's for me today!
3:30 PM - 1 January 2007 - comments {0} - post commentOrbiting Capercaillie !Well as usual New Year looks to go out with a bang, though it looks as if the centre of the low will be right over Strathspey so we might escape the worst winds. Still not much in the way of snow, though the Cairngorms have a nice covering and seem to have been like that since November. The feeders have been quiet as food is probably still available in the forests and on the farmland. Barn Owls have been seen hunting around the local roads at night and seem to be having success in breeding now in the area too, Tawnys and Long-Eared Owls can already be heard hooting on quiet still nights and Woodcock a regular sight at dusk along the forest edges. One seems to have a favourite spot to sit along the road which winds through Abernethy Forest, having seen it several times sitting motionless in my headlights on the road verge. Two of this years White-Tailed Eagles were seen recently in the area, having wandered from the west, amazingly at the time flying together with THREE Golden Eagles. Not often you see five Eagles together (unless you are on Mull perhaps. I suspect they might be wintering somewhere but haven't come across them since.
The Pinewoods are spectacular in winter, though birds are few and far between. Even these native "Scottish" Crossbills seem to have turned invisible. The RSPB recently blew the tops off ten Scots Pines with explosives "to mimic deadwood caused by lightning", rumours of a flurry of red and green feathers swirling through the air afterwards have yet to be confirmed, but I hear that the shuttle recently reported what is believed to be the first Capercaille in orbit.
Still, save a few year tickers from trampling the pinewoods.......... now you can check it's trajectory with NASA and tick it from your back garden on a clear night.
2:25 AM - 31 December 2006 - comments {1} - post commentNew Year, New Blog.
Winter Flooding. For those of you who know the famous view of the Spey from Broomhill Bridge!
Hi All,
Hopefully a continuation, after some time, of my old "Highland Diary" blog
5:20 PM - 30 December 2006 - comments {0} - post comment
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Highlight of the spring so far for me was finding this stunning Camberwell Beauty on the track to the house earlier this month. In weather more typical of southern Europe at this time of year, it was seen gliding around the foliage of a Balsam Poplar and sunning itself on the track for about half an hour. I wondered if it was the strong scent of this foliage which had attracted it in the first place??
