Late June 2009 saw us enjoy some beautiful ,hot, sunny weather with temperatures even reaching 30c on a couple of occasions - unusually warm for this area! With over 20 hours of daylight available there is no shortage of time for wildlife watching, though the crepuscular (dawn & dusk) species require an early start & late finish!

Bird day-lists still topped 60 species, with mammal day-lists steady at 6-10 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of our local specialities (Dipper, Goldeneye, Red / Black - Throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Ring Ouzel, Osprey, Red Deer, Red Squirrel etc) continued to show well.

Fledglings! First sightings of young Slavonian Grebe, Ring Ouzel & Black-Throated Diver.

Regular sightings of families of Stoats hunting for Rabbits.

Continued regular views of Osprey fishing in local lochs.

Good views of large herds of Red Deer in upland glens - the stags & hinds still in separate groups, seemingly more interested in feeding than each other.

A short, but extremely enjoyable family trip to the isle of Mull - concentrating on the area I know best (the South-East corner) produced super views of all the target species - Sea Eagle (at nest & flying), Golden Eagle (hunting) & some of our best ever close-ups of Otter (see pic), along with good views of bonus birds such as Short-Eared Owl, Gannet, Black Guillemot & Snipe.

Early June 2009 saw us temporarily return to wintry conditions with early morning frosts and even a fresh dusting of snow on the Cairngorms! (see pic). The birds & animals seemed relatively unaffected though, and bird day-lists rose higher into the 60's and mammal lists remained steady at 6-10.

Wildlife highlights included:

Fledglings! Just about every species of bird we saw seemed to have youngsters - drawing lots of "aaaah's" from my safari clients!

A brief visit to our area by a very rare and beautifully marked adult male Red-Backed Shrike, and yes, I'm pleased to report that I was one of the lucky few that got to see it!

The very unusual sight of both Red-Throated Diver & Black-Throated Diver on the same loch at the same time.

A brief sighting of a Stoat chasing Rabbits near a farmland track.

Most of the 'local specialities' - (Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Grouse species, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Dipper, Ring Ouzel, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Reindeer, Mountain Goat etc) continued to show regularly & delight my safari clients.

Regular sightings of Ospreys fishing on local lochs - seeing these magnificent birds plunge-dive so spectacularly must be one of British wildlife's must-see moments.

Late May 2009 saw us enjoy some fantastic dry,hot, sunny weather with temperatures soaring to to 27.5c on the last weekend, and we now have almost 20 hours of daylight - great wildlife watching weather! With all of the Summer visitors now arrived, bird day-lists crept higher up into the 60's, with mammal day-list steady at 6-10.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of our 'local specialities' - the species that my clients most hope to see (Osprey, Goldeneye, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Dipper, Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Red Deer, Red Squirrel, Mountain Hare, etc) continued to show well - though Capercaillie & Black Grouse, with their 'lekking' season over, have become much more difficult to see.

A new 2009 record (so far!) mammal day-list of 10 - Rabbit, Bank Vole, Wood Mouse, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Reindeer, Brown Hare, Mountain Hare, Red Squirrel, & Mountain Goat.

Regular views of our local Ospreys fishing (& sometimes actually catching a fish!) & delivering their catch to the female & chicks at the nest - a wonderful sight!

Great views of a ring-tail (female) Hen Harrier hunting low over heather moorland, impressing us all with it's very buoyant , acrobatic flight - sadly, this is a very rare sight these days.

Super close-ups of one of Britain's rarest & most beautiful birds - Slavonian Grebe, on a lovely secluded local lochan (see pic).

A brief mid-afternoon glimpse of a beautifully marked Woodcock on a quiet track - a rare & enjoyable treat as they are normally only seen at dusk.

Fledglings! First sightings of young Goldeneyes, Red Grouse, Greylag Geese & Ospreys.

Early may 2009 saw us , generally, enjoy proper Spring weather, though it could still be frosty overnight, and we did wake up to a light dusting of fresh snow on the hills a few times - so my safari clients were advised to dress for all 4 seasons in one day!

With more Summer species arriving , we saw bird day-lists hit the 60 mark for the first time this year, whilst mammal day-lists ranged between 6&9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Regular dawn sightings of Capercaillie at RSPB Loch Garten - the males still seemed to be 'lekking' - though not as aggressively as in late April.

Good early morning views of 'lekking' Black Grouse - though they too seem to have calmed-down a little lately.

A dawn encounter with an Otter, seen fishing on the River Spey - a great way to start the day.

An unbelievably close view of a beautiful Golden Plover on our local heather moorland (see pic).

Regular mountainside encounters with Ring Ouzels - the male birds looking very dapper with their white crescent moon chest markings & silvery wings.

On our seclude local lochans we had regular sightings of Black-Throated Diver, Red-Throated Diver & Slavonian grebe, all looking superb in their striking summer plumage.

Our local female Ospreys all seem to be incubating eggs, but we sometimes got lucky & witnessed the males either plunging in to the water to catch a fish , or delivering fish to the waiting female - both sights being thoroughly enjoyed by my clients & myself.

More year ticks! - Redstart, Cuckoo & Swift were noted for the first time this year.

Walks in our local Caledonian pine forests gave us regular views of Crossbills, though Crested Tits became more difficult, as we only had the males to see as the females must be on eggs.

April 2009 saw Springtime finally hit this part of the world, with, apart from a few frosts at the start of the month, the weather generally warmer & sunnier. With most of the Winter visitors now gone and many of the Summer visitors arriving, bird day-lists crept up into the 50's, with mammal day-lists ranging between 6-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Good views of one of Britain's rarest & most impressive species, the magnificent Capercaillie at the RSPB's excellent early-morning caper-watch hide at their beautiful Loch Garten reserve (open April1-May20 5:30-8am). Seeing these huge Grouse 'lekking' with their huge tails fanned is surely a 'must-see' for any real birder.

The first 'fledglings' of the year being seen - namely Mallard chicks, closely followed by Blackbirds.

Nesting Ospreys appear to be on eggs - the female doing most of the incubating, whilst the male brings her fish, the male only incubating whilst she feeds or exercises her wings.

The Black Grouse 'lek' also peaks in mid-late April - like the Capercaillie, seeing their bizarre strutting, jumping dances accompanied by strange bubbling, whooshing calls is an amazing spectacle, and highly recommended.

Year ticks! Whether it be the first flash of a Wheatear's white rump, the first hirundines (Martins & Swallows) seen catching insects over the River Spey, or hearing the Willow Warbler's uplifting whistling song from the top of a silver birch - these are actually much more than just mere 'ticks' , they are signs that Winter is over & Spring is here!

Black-Throated Divers (see pic), Red-Throated Divers and Slavonian Grebes are now back on territory and in their splendid Summer breeding plumage - these are all very rare breeding birds in the UK and very welcome & attractive additions to our day-list.

Walks in the Caledonian forests produced frequent sighting of both Crested Tits & Scottish Crossbills, though it should be noted that knowing their calls is very important in locating them.

March 2009 started cold & wintry, but ended mild & spring-like. March in this area is probably best described as a seasonal overlap month with many of the Winter visitors such as Redwing, Whooper Swan & Fieldfare lingering, and the end of the month seeing some of the Summer visiting species such as Red, & Black-Throated Divers , Slavonian Grebe & Osprey returning to the area to breed. With many species now beginning to sing & display, I think it's fair to say that 'Safari season' is now officially here!

Wildlife highlights included:

The first Ospreys returning to traditional nest sites after a Winter in Africa, during the last week of the month, many of them 'old friends' - identified by leg rings. These iconic birds are always very popular with my guests and a welcome addition to our day-lists.

The male Black grouse were seen to be properly 'lekking' - posturing aggressively at each other, fanning their tails, flutter jumping & 'hissing' harshly - an amazing sight!

Good views of a Peregrine Falcon perched proudly on a sentinel point on a steep cliff, it's dark 'hood & moustache' , barred front & yellow legs showing up well through the scope.

A brief sighting of a Kingfisher - a rare bird in this are - on a local loch.

Super views through the scope of a family party of Scottish Crossbills feeding high up in a conifer, the orangey-red males looking particularly impressive (see pic).

A new mammal day-list record for 2009 (so far!) of 9: Red Deer, Roe Deer, Sika Deer, Reindeer, Red Squirrel, Rabbit, Brown Hare, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat.

February 2009, can probably best be described as (to use an old football cliche) a month of two halves - the first half being very cold, with temperatures down as low as -18c, and lots of snow turning the area into a true winter wonderland - whilst the second half was unseasonably mild, with temperatures into low double-figures and a real spring-like feel about it.

Wildlife highlights included:

Bramblings, Yellowhammers, Waxwings & Redpolls were all seen in or around my garden during the coldest weather, taking advantage of the food & water on offer when natural food was hard to come by.

A fantastic close encounter with a flock of Waxwings in a fellow birder's garden (thanks Peter!) - with our kind host allowing us access to within a few feet of the birds - a marvellous experience (see pic).

A trip North to the Moray coast to escape the snow provided a good selection of waders, wildfowl, water birds & sea ducks including Knot, Long-Tailed Duck, Scaup, & Common Scoter.

The local feral Mountain Goats were seen to have (very cute) white, new-born youngsters.

Good views of a Merlin hunting Buntings & Finches over some local farmland - the speed & agility of these small raptors has to be seen to be believed!

Several species of birds were noted carrying nesting material, including Dippers & Ravens.

Red Grouse males are reaching peak condition, & are quite easy to see (& hear ) as they display from high points amongst the heather on the moors.

Wader numbers were seen to increase along the Spey valley flood plain, including Oystercatchers, Curlews & Lapwings.

Skylarks were heard singing properly for the first time for many months.