Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris

2012-01-07T16:05:00.002Z

A Merry Christmas & a wildlife-tastic New Year to all our readers!
December 2011 started unseasonably mild, only to rapidly turn very wintry, with gales first, then floods, followed by snow & sub-zero temperatures. The days are very short now, with less than 8 hours daylight, but there is still plenty to see. Bird day-lists remained in the 30's or 40's, with mammal day-lists steady at 5-9 species depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Winter-white specialities: Our local Ptarmigan & Mountain Hares are now resplendent in their thick pure white coats, though opportunities to see them are restricted to days with reasonable weather due to their upland & mountainside home territory.

Local speciality species such as Dipper, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare etc all continued to show regularly.

Our local Dippers continued to display & sing loudly at dawn, with the need to establish a territory & find a mate well underway.

Black Grouse numbers at or near traditional 'lek' sites continued to increase, with the cock birds becoming noticeably more vocal & aggressive as the countdown to breeding season begins.

The cock Red Grouse on the moors too are starting to become more obvious, with much calling & displaying going on.

Crested Tits are still best seen at forest feeding stations, as natural food becomes more elusive, giving us the opportunity to see & photograph them at close range..

Golden Eagles continued to show in secluded upland glens, with the shorter days giving less time to feed , winter is definitely the best time for raptor-watching in this area.

The colder, snowier weather usually brings a few rarer birds into well stocked garden feeding stations, and I was lucky enough to tempt a Brambling into mine, with locals also reporting Yellowhammers & Redpolls.

Mixed flocks of Finches & Buntings on farmland continued to grow, with some flocks having upwards of 300 birds of many different species.

Coastal birding is often a good substitute if our upland areas are inaccessible due to bad weather, with attractions such as King Eider , Iceland Gull & Glaucous Gull along with the more common species.

A few Waxwings were reported , but not in anything like the numbers of last year's 'invasion'.

2011-12-01T20:50:00.002Z

November 2011 was mainly unusually mild & pleasantly autumnal, but turned more wintry as the month went on, with high winds, heavy rain & floods, and then snow on the hills at the end - but still very acceptable , in comparison with the last two winters.........though the days are very short now, with less hours of daylight then there is darkness.
Incoming winter visiting birds kept our day-lists up into the 40's , whilst mammal day-list varied between 4-8 species.

Wildlife highlights included:

The Red Deer 'rut' continued well into November this year, probably due to the mild weather, though it was pretty much over by mid-month,with territories & mating rights established, and the hillsides are now a much quieter, safer, place!

The numbers of (distracted?) Red Deer on the hillsides proved irresistible to one particular Golden Eagle - which I managed to film actually attacking a good sized hind, chasing it at speed down a steep slope, presumably in an attempt to harry it into falling to it's death or serious injury - amazing stuff!

In fact, raptors in general are much easier to see in winter, with the days growing shorter, they have very limited hunting time, so a visit to suitable habitats usually brings results with a bit of patience...with Buzzards, Kestrels, Sparrowhawks & Peregrine Falcons all seen regularly.....even White-Tailed Sea Eagles were seen in one beautiful upland glen, well away from their more usual coastal haunts...

Spawning Salmon - as seen on the BBC's Autumnwatch programme, were very evident in the shallow, wild upper reaches of our local rivers - with much leaping, splashing and fighting for position viewed from incredibly close range - a super wildlife spectacle!

Our local Otters were not going to pass up the food bonanza provided by the (distracted!) spawning Salmon, and on two occasions at dawn, we were able to witness
Otters successfully taking pretty large Salmon from the spawning grounds - a great start to a safari!

Pine Marten were regular visitors to my baited site after dark - allowing me to show a number of very happy customers this very rare & elusive species for the first time - often at very close range - with their visiting times getting progressively earlier as the days grow shorter.

Geese were a big attraction this month, with us seeing some of the rarer species for this area, such as Bean & White-Fronted, alongside the more regularly seen Barnacle & Greylag.

Large flocks of Redwings & Fieldfares were seen , particularly after Northerly winds, so these were presumably visitors from colder climes....

Crested Tits were seen regularly at forest feeding stations, giving good close range photo opportunities (see pic), along with dozens of Coal Tits, that are now so used to me, I can hand feed them with up to 3 on each hand at a time - a lovely interaction with nature!

Dippers continued to sing & perform well at dawn - some of my safari customers had seen Dippers before , & heard their distinctive 'zit' 'zit' calls, but none had ever heard their quite attractive, squeaky, scratchy song - often accompanied by a magnificent orange-pink sun rising over the River Spey - nice!

Mountainside species such as Ptarmigan & Mountain Hare were seen more frequently at lower levels as the tops became more snowy, and both were noted to be rapidly gaining their thicker, white winter coats.

Black Grouse numbers were seen to be increasing at or near traditional 'lek' sites, with up to 6 males being noted on some colder mornings.

The cock Red Grouse were also getting notably more showy & aggressive on the moors, as they start to try & establish territories ready for the breeding season.

The mixed Finch & Bunting flocks were seen to grow even larger on local farmland, with Bramblings now included in their ranks

Waxwings were also reported to be trickling into our area from the North & East, though not in the huge numbers of last year.

2011-10-31T19:52:00.005Z

October 2011 was a kind of 'back to front' month weather-wise - it started cold with snow on the higher tops, was windy throughout, but ended surprisingly mildly with temperatures into double-figures - very unseasonal! The days are shortening noticeably now though, with almost as much darkness as daylight. Inward bird migration continued apace, with many winter Thrushes joining the early Geese & Wildfowl. Bird day-lists increased slightly into the 40's, whilst mammal day-list remained steady at 6-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

The Red Deer 'rut' is always one of the highlights of any Autumn, and it is surely one of British nature's 'must-see' spectacles, with the magnificent fully antlered stags (see pic) corralling their 'harems' of hinds, defending them from other 'challengers' with much roaring, posturing & even actually fighting, & repeatedly mating with as many of their 'ladies' as possible - it's wonderfully entertaining , if a little brutal at times, and looks exhausting!.

The winter Thrushes poured in from the North, first the Redwings - usually heard before being seen - their thin 'seep seep' calls alerting us to the presence of the flocks flying overhead, followed a few days later by the Fieldfares. I think the berries on our trees & bushes may disappear very soon.....

Whooper Swans appeared on one of our large local lochs on the 5th, their dawn arrival preceded by their amazing 'trumpeting' calls while the flock of around 20 circled - I think I was the first 'local' to see them this winter, as I happened to be quietly fishing... a magic moment.

A trip into the Caledonian Pine forests at the foot of the Cairngorms gave us an amazing close-up view of 2 young Capercaillie - one male , one female - both just gaining their adult plumage - a rare treat to get a good sighting of arguably Britain's most endangered bird species...

A short afternoon visit to Insh Marshes RSPB reserve provided splendid views of a ring-tail (female)Hen Harrier hunting low over the marshland, and actually having a grab for a Mallard from one of the many shallow pools.

Mid-month, I witnessed some Dipper behaviour that I had never seen before - although I was aware that they start to compete for territory in Autumn - I actually saw 2 Dippers, fighting very aggressively - seemingly trying to drown each other!, on the surface in the middle of a good-sized loch - amazing stuff!

The Pine Marten - one of Britain's rarest & hardest to see mammals - was again a regular after-dark visitor to my baited site, putting smiles on many faces, with his arrival time getting progressively earlier as the days grew shorter.

Black Grouse numbers continued to grow at traditional 'lek' sites , as the Cock birds began their long build-up to the 'lekking' season with a little gentle posturing at dawn, especially on the colder mornings.

The mixed Finch & Bunting flocks on local farmland grew noticeably larger, with some now containing over a hundred birds of at least 6 different species.

2011-10-01T20:48:00.002+01:00

September 2011 started with cool, changeable weather, but, rather surprisingly, ended with a very mild & sunny spell, instead of the expected early autumnal frosts, and the days are growing noticeably shorter now.
With the last of the summer visitor bird species departing the area during the month, and just a few of the winter visitors arriving, bird day-list struggled to top 35 - 40 species, while mammal species remained steady at 6-10 depending on our luck.
As mid-late September is one of the 'quieter' times of the year for my safaris, I took some time off to visit relatives & friends down in the south of England, so this report may be a little shorter than normal.

Wildlife highlights included:

Last sightings for this year of summer visitors such as Osprey, Swallow, Wheatear etc - I found myself wishing them good luck on their migration to warmer climes, many as far south as Africa.

Winter visiting bird species began to increase, with good numbers of Greylag Geese & Mistle Thrushes being seen, and the first few Whooper Swans being reported at the end of the month.

Local speciality species still showing well included Dipper, Goldeneye, Goosander, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Crested Tit & Crossbill, with occasional sightings of Capercaillie & Golden Eagle.

The Red Deer stags became noticeably more aggressive late in the month, with the first 'roaring' being heard, and the dominant males seemed to be assembling their 'harems' of females ready for the forthcoming 'rut'.

Crested Tits were noted to be coming to woodland feeding stations more frequently, especially on cooler mornings.

The mixed woodland flocks continued to grow in size, with some consisting of 100+ birds of 6-8 different species - but can you pick out the Cresties?....it's harder than you might think, and knowing their chuckling trill is a must!

Pine Marten was seen several times after dusk at a baited site, and we are now entering the best time of year in which to see them regularly as the number of dark hours increases.

Rowan trees are at their colourful, vivid red berry-laden best now, and the Thrush species are not slow to exploit this bumper autumn harvest.

A short trip West across to Mull produced great close-up views of 3 different Otters(see pic) and a super sighting of a soaring Golden Eagle along with all the expected seabirds such as Gannet, Guillemot & Black Guillemot etc - great stuff!

My trip south gave me the chance to see many species not seen this far north, and also gave me a 'life-tick' in the form of a very rare (& very pretty) Sabine's Gull- nice!

2011-09-03T18:48:00.003+01:00

August 2011 was yet another changeable month weather-wise, with some reasonably warm days earlier in the month, but a distinctly autumnal feel towards the end, with night-time temperatures dropping down into single figure. With migration of our summer visitors out of the area well underway, bird day-lists dropped a little down into the 40's, but mammal day-list figures remained steady at 6-10. Most of our family members & friends choose August to visit us up here, so my wildlife-watching opportunities were a little more limited than I would like,& consequently, this update may be a little shorter than usual.

Wildlife highlights included:

Seeing our local Osprey youngsters learning to fend for themselves. It often surprises my safari guests when I tell them that their Mother & then their Father desert them in August, leaving them to feed themselves, before they too embark on an unaccompanied journey to Africa at the age of just 3 months! amazing stuff!

Family trips to the Moray coast are actually a pretty decent wildlife-watching opportunity, with sightings including Ospreys fishing, Common & Arctic Terns, large flocks of Mergansers & Goosanders, many seaduck & wader species & good views of Yellowhammer (see pic)

Though several of our sought-after summer bird species such as The Divers & Slavonian Grebe, have now left the area, many of our 'local speciality' bird species such as Dipper, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill etc can all still be seen regularly, with occasional sightings of Golden Eagle, Capercaillie & Black Grouse...

Our local mammals continue to put a smile on my safari clients faces, with Red Squirrel, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Reindeer, Brown Hare, Rabbit, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat, Bank Vole, Stoat, all being seen.

With the nights drawing in now, Pine Marten is back on the agenda, with us having several good after-dark sightings at our baited local site.

2011-07-31T20:15:00.003+01:00

July 2011 was, in keeping with the last two months, again, very changeable weather-wise, though we did manage to complete the month without a frost, with temperatures generally cooler than average. Despite the days shortening slightly, there were still 19-20 hours of daylight available for wildlife watching and still plenty to see.
Despite many of our wader species noticeably departing the area for coastal regions, we still saw bird day-list into the 50's, though we have now had our highest lists of the year. Mammal day-list remained steady at 6-10 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Osprey action! our local birds continued to put smiles on our faces with us enjoying seeing the birds plunge-diving to catch fish, delivering fish to the nests, eating the fish, and watching the youngsters learning to fly & fish for the first time - great stuff!

Close-up views of up to 7 Red Squirrels together at once at favoured feeding sites - a real treat for my safari clients from outside this area, many of whom had never seen our charming native species before.

Mammals! our early starts gave us many close-up sightings of (usually) very shy species such as Fox, Roe Deer & Brown Hare along with other species such asRed Deer, Reindeer, Red Squirrel, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare, Stoat and Bank Vole, though the local Otters proved elusive.

Sought after local speciality bird species that continued to show well included Crested Tit, Dipper, Osprey, Crossbill, Red Grouse, Ring Ouzel, Slavonian Grebe, Red-throated Diver and Black-Throated Diver, many with youngsters, though Black Grouse became noticeably more difficult as the month progressed.

Though they were generally quite difficult to find, we did manage one super sighting of not one , but two Golden Eagles in the air together, gliding majestically along a high ridge in a beautiful upland glen - magic!

Amazingly, within a few minutes of the above Eagles sighting, we were then treated to the amazing spectacle of a pair of Peregrine Falcons teaching their youngsters to hunt, at a sheer cliff face, accompanied by lots of enthusiastic calling - a marvellous wildlife experience!

Butterflies! July & August are our best months for them this far north with most of the common species being seen along with several sighting of our local speciality - the pretty brown & orange Mountain Argus.

Towards the end of the month I spent a very enjoyable day on the North-West coast at the Scottish Wildlife Trust's beautiful Handa Island reserve. As if the fantastic scenery, azure blue seas and unspoilt golden beaches were not enough - the close-up views (and photo opportunities) of Great & Arctic Skuas, Seals, Red-Throated & Black-Throated Divers (see pic), Gannets, and nesting colonies of Arctic Terns, Razorbills, Guillemots, and , everybody's favourites, Puffins make for a memorable and highly recommended day!

The end of July, is for me, always tinged with a little bit of sadness, as I know that the next month will see many of our summer visitors start to depart this area for warmer climes, not to return until next spring......but at least I can say I that my job gave me many opportunities to see & enjoy them while they were here - I love my job!

2011-07-01T18:22:00.004+01:00

June 2011 was, again, a very changeable month weather-wise, with some cold days and even a light dusting of snow on the high tops early on, and pretty much every type of weather experienced at some stage, though temperatures were generally higher than those in May. With the days at their longest now, there really is virtually 24 hours a day of wildlife watching available, and with a 'full-set' of summer species here, bird day-list hit their highest totals of the year, with often over 60 different species being seen. Mammal day-lists too were impressive with up to 9 different species recorded.

Wildlife highlights included:

Our local Ospreys continued to delight us, with many sightings of them plunge-diving to catch a fish, delivering the fish to the nest, feeding the youngsters, and the rapidly-growing youngsters stretching & flapping their wings - great stuff!

June is the best time to brave the high tops for the 'mountain species' - with Dotterel, Ptarmigan & Snow Bunting all being reported - though it has to be said that you should only attempt this habitat in good conditions.

Our local speciality bird species ( Dipper, Goldeneye, Osprey, Red Grouse, Red -Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe (see pic), Crested Tit, Crossbill, Ring Ouzel, etc) were all seen regularly, though sightings of Capercaillie, Black Grouse & Golden Eagle were much harder to come by.....

Cuckoos featured regularly on my safaris, with as many as 5 being seen on one day, though many of my guests tell me that they find them very hard to see elsewhere in the UK....

Crossbills were seen not just regularly, but spectacularly well on several occasions - not a common occurrence! - ask any wildlife guide, and they will tell you that Crossbills are one of the hardest species to get a really good view of!

Although Golden Eagle is generally harder to see in summer, we did have one marvellous sighting of a juvenile bird duelling with a Buzzard in a beautiful upland glen - magic!

A strange, writhing, rolling, 'ball of fur' in the middle of a busy A-road suddenly turned into a family of young Stoats!, who suddenly (& thankfully!) scattered when we approached - amazing!

An early morning close encounter with a beautifully marked Woodcock and her family of fluffy brown chicks on a quiet woodland track - a bird rarely seen that well.

The end of the month saw a rare vagrant settle in a nearby village on the edge of a forest - a superb (& singing) bright red summer-plumaged Common Rosefinch - a bird usually seen much further North & East in Europe, so a rare treat for us!

Our local speciality mammals deserve a mention, as we locals can tend to take them for granted a little - but we must remember that species such as Red Deer, Red Squirrel, Reindeer, Mountain Goat & Mountain Hare are not exactly common in most of the UK, and my safari clients are always pleased to see them.

2011-06-01T16:08:00.005+01:00

May 2011 was unfortunately, a bit on the wild side weather-wise in this area! With just about every type of weather imaginable being experienced at some point, and seemingly 4 seasons in one day at times! Temperatures fluctuated wildly from -4c to +20c, and the end of month floods proved disastrous for many birds nesting in flood plain areas such as our local Insh Marshes and the cold wet weather and accompanying lack of insects could not have been timed worse for those birds needing them for food. However, it was not all doom & gloom, with the last of the summer visitor birds such as Swift, Spotted Flycatcher & Cuckoo arriving, bird day-lists crept up into the high 50's & low 60's and mammal day-lists averaged 8 species.

Wildlife highlights included:

Capercaillie were seen regularly at dawn, though sightings tailed-off noticeably mid-month as the 'lekking' season came to an end.

Similarly, our local Black Grouse entertained us superbly (see pic) up to the end of the month, though they too became more elusive later on.

A marvellous early-morning close encounter with an Otter on a local loch - cue big smiles on my & my safari clients faces!

Our local Ospreys provided fantastic entertainment, with us witnessing plunge-dives (some successful, some not) , numerous fish deliveries and parents feeding youngsters - great stuff!

Fledglings! Just about every species of bird now seems to have youngsters - including our local Ospreys, Red Grouse and Crested Tits.

Most of our 'local speciality' species (Dipper, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Goldeneye, Osprey, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare etc) continued to show regularly, though Golden Eagle sightings became harder to come by as the days lengthen & they have more available hours of hunting time.

A couple of other more common bird species that proved very popular with my customers, more because of their gorgeous good looks rather than their rarity value were our local Redstarts and Golden Plovers, both looking splendid in their summer colours.

Dolphins! A trip to the Moray Coast saw us enjoy a fantastic couple of hours entertainment as a group of around a dozen fished & dived & leapt & played, sometimes at amazingly close range - superb & highly recommended!

To summarise, May is an amazing month for wildlife-watching in this area, and although the weather can be a bit changeable, I can honestly say, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world than here during Springtime!

2011-04-30T20:29:00.003+01:00

April 2011 was almost entirely dry, warm & sunny, with just a few overnight frosts to contend with - making it an absolutely fantastic month for wildlife-watching. Although the majority of our winter visitor birds have now departed, with summer migrant birds flooding in, our bird day-lists shot up into the 50's , with mammal day-lists also growing, to an average of 8, with one memorable day giving us an outstanding 11 different species!

Wildlife highlights included:

Ospreys returning to their nest sites within the Spey Valley. These magnificent raptors provided us with super views of them nest building, catching fish, delivering fish, & even mating - great stuff! (see pic)

Capercaillie were seen regularly (especially from mid-month) - mainly at the RSPB's excellent early-morning 'Caper-watch' facility, at their beautiful Abernethy Forest Reserve (Open April1 - May 20).

The local Black Grouse performed superbly at traditional 'lek' sites at dawn - my safari clients marvelling at the glossy black cock birds aggressive, strutting, jumping displays, all accompanied by their loud bubbling, hissing calls - one of British nature's must-see spectacles - magic!

Our dawn starts also gave us sightings of two very rare & very sought-after mammals - namely an Otter, seen fishing in the Spey, &..... (for only the 3rd time on one of my safaris), a Scottish Wildcat, seen hunting small mammals at a remote moorland location, it's large size, stocky build, broad head, & thick stripy tail hinting at a truly wild lineage.......

Other 'local speciality' birds seen regularly, and looking splendid in their truly beautiful summer plumage on secluded local lochans, were Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver & Black-Throated Diver - these three 'super-models' of the bird world often featured highly in our 'bird of the day' awards at the end of each safari.

Hen Harrier was a welcome (& sadly rare) addition to our sightings list , with several views on local heather moorland - lets hope they attempt (& are allowed!!) to breed, as they are very attractive , charismatic birds, especially the cock bird, with his grey-white plumage & black wingtips - fingers crossed!

Moorland also gave us regular excellent views of Red Grouse, the cock birds still very aggressive & showy, with their red eye combs seemingly almost glowing!

A 2011 record mammal 'day-list' of 11 different species - Hedgehog, Rabbit, Brown Hare, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Reindeer, Bank Vole, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare, Stoat, & Red Squirrel.

Kingfisher was a good local 'tick' , streaking low across a local loch - they are not a common bird in these parts.

Incoming migrant birds included: Wheatear, Willow Warbler, Common Sandpiper, Swallow, House Martin, Sand Martin, & Redstart.

Crossbills were seen sporadically, with mainly 'fly-over' sightings, and just a couple of 'thru the scope' opportunities.

Golden eagles were also seen sporadically - they are actually harder to see in spring/summer than in winter, as they have so many more hours of available feeding time, so you need a little luck.....

Overall, I would say that April (especially the 2nd half) is one of the best months for wildlife-watching in this area - it's probably my favourite month of the whole year.

2011-04-01T18:03:00.003+01:00

March 2011 started cold & wintry with lots of snow which thankfully, gradually disappeared from lower levels as the weather slowly warmed up as the month went on. We actually ended the month with temperature creeping into double figures, and though winter is coming to an end , this far north,it's not quite spring yet. With our winter visitor birds still lingering, and the first few summer visitor birds arriving, bird day-lists crept up into the 40's, with mammal day-list steady between 5 & 8.

Wildlife highlights included:

An amazing , (once in a lifetime?) encounter in a local forest with an incredibly impressive & aggressive cock Capercaillie, who displayed magnificently , allowing me the rare opportunity to photograph & video this iconic & very rare 'local speciality' at VERY close range (he approached me!), and really enjoy his tail-fanning, strutting, popping, belching antics as never before - up until the point that he obviously took exception to my presence & physically attacked me, forcing me to retreat to a safe distance - an unforgettable experience!!! (see pic)

Dawn chorus! After many months of virtually silent mornings, a combination of warmer, longer days & the urge to establish a territory & find a mate inspired our local songbirds to do their stuff & cheer us all up after a long, hard winter.

E.J., our local 'celebrity' Osprey returned to her nest at RSPB Loch Garten at the end of the month - here's hoping for another successful breeding season! Several other Ospreys were also reported in the last few days of the month.

Also returning to lochs in the area were other 'local specialities' such as Red- Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, & Slavonian Grebe - all very popular with my safari customers, especially as they are now in their superb summer plumage.

Tree Pipit, Wheatear & Sand Martin were all also reported for the first time this year.

The cock Black Grouse were becoming noticeably more showy, noisy & aggressive at their 'lek' sites as breeding season approaches.

Numbers of wader species such as Oystercatcher, Lapwing & Curlew were seen to visibly increase along local river floodplains, and much displaying was noted.

Our other (resident) 'local speciality' species - Crested Tit, Crossbill, Goldeneye, Dipper, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Golden Eagle, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare etc continued to show well.

Whooper Swans continued to show well on favoured local lochs, though they will soon be leaving us for their breeding grounds farther north.

I managed a short trip down to south-east England towards the end of the month, mainly to visit relatives & friends, but I did manage to sneak in a few birding trips where I added a few species never or rarely found up north such as Wood lark, Nuthatch, Ring-Necked Parakeet etc to my year-list.

2011-03-02T20:02:00.004Z

February 2011 was surprisingly mild throughout, with only the occasional overnight frost & just a little hill snow, temperatures were well above average, & some decent wildlife-watching weather was enjoyed.

Bird 'day-lists' remained steady in the 30's or low 40's, with mammal 'day-lists' fluctuating between 5&9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Birdsong! A weak dawn chorus was enjoyed on sunnier days, with more & more species joining in as the month progressed.

Dippers were seen to be performing their bizarre bobbing, wing waggling mating displays, accompanied by a distinctive scratchy song.

Goldeneyes too were spotted displaying, the attractively plumaged males cocking their heads sharply back & skywards whilst uttering their croaking calls.

Cock Black Grouse numbers increased at traditional 'lek' sites, and they were even seen (& heard) lekking on frosty mornings.

Cock Red Grouse too, were getting into mating mode, with some aggressive posturing & calling, with their bright red 'eyebrows' visibly growing - (see pic - courtesy of Greg Morgan)

Several Stoats, still in their white winter coats, were seen chasing rabbits or eating roadkill.

Mountain Hares were very popular with my guests, they too, still sporting their fantastic white winterwear, the lack of snow on the slopes making it easier to spot them!

Crested Tits remained pretty easy to see, often at close range , coming to forest feeding stations.

Great Spotted Woodpeckers were heard 'drumming' for the first time this year.

Crossbills, too, were frequently seen & heard as they too, displayed , called & were even singing - quite a rare occurrence.

Whooper Swans & other wildfowl remained on local lochs, grateful for the lack of ice, no doubt!

The Great Grey Shrike still showed regularly, though a good photo still eludes me!!

There were several more sightings of the Gyr Falcon at the Southern end of the Spey Valley - sadly, still not for me, though!

Pine Marten was seen at my baited site on several occasions, though he was not totally reliable, with us having about a 50% 'hit-rate'.

2011-01-31T20:44:00.002Z

January 2011 started very cold, with December's snow lingering, but the rest of the month saw a gradual thaw and the unusually mild weather was most welcome, as it allowed access to my favourite remote wildlife-watching areas. The days grew noticeably longer, and a few sunny mornings were enlivened by a hint of a dawn chorus! Bird day-list averaged high 30's & low 40's & mammal day-lists were 5-8 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

A flying start to my 2011 'year-list' included New year's day sightings of Bittern & Great Grey Shrike.

Local specialities such as Dipper, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Golden Eagle, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Reindeer, Mountain Goat & Mountain Hare continued to show regularly, giving many of my safari clients good 'year-ticks' & for some , memorable 'life-ticks'.

A trip to the Moray coast gave excellent views of many species of of sea birds including good numbers of Long-Tailed Ducks & Eiders (see pic) - though I failed to see the King Eider, or Glaucous or Iceland Gulls that were reported to be in the area.

A few Waxwings lingered in the area , though many seem to have travelled south throughout the rest of the UK in search of berries.

The first 'proper' birdsong of the year came courtesy of our local Dippers, their loud squeaky, scratchy song even audible over the fast flowing water.

Birdfeeders close to coniferous woodland continued to give regular sightings of Crested Tits.

Winter is the best time to see Golden Eagle in this area - the short days giving them less hours of daylight in which to hunt.

Mountain peaks gave sightings of our most sought-after 'winter-white' species - Ptarmigan, Snow Bunting & Mountain Hare, to those hardy enough to venture out!

Both Black Grouse & Red Grouse males became easier to see & hear as they became noticeably more active & vocal, especially in the early mornings.

There was an unconfirmed report of a Gyrfalcon at the south end of the Spey Valley, most winter's see one or two brief sightings of this huge Northern falcon over mountainous areas, but I've yet to be lucky!

2010-12-31T20:43:00.003Z

Merry Christmas & a happy & wildlife-filled new year to you all. December 2010 was cold & snowy throughout, with a slight thaw at the end of the month at last allowing access to some of the more remote wildlife-watching areas. Bird day-lists remained in the 40's, with mammal day-lists ranging between 5 & 9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of our 'local specialities' - Dipper, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Golden Eagle, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat etc, continued to show well, when the weather permitted.

The very cold weather tempted many 'garden rarities' such as Brambling, Yellowhammer & Bullfinch, as well as huge numbers of more common birds, into 'bird-lovers' well-stocked gardens - & accordingly, Sparrowhawks too, were seen much more frequently!

Crested Tits were seen regularly coming to feeders in areas near forests.

Snow Buntings were seen on a few occasions in & around the Cairngorms Ski Area car park.

Wildfowl & seaduck numbers continued to increase round our coastline.

Inland, rarities in our area included a Great Grey Shrike & a Bittern, both around Insh Marshes & both good 'ticks' for this area.

Coastally, rarities in our area included a King Eider & Glaucous & Iceland Gulls, all seen in the Moray area.

A trip down to the South coast of England gave me sightings of bird species never, or rarely seen this far North, such as Green Woodpecker, Nuthatch, Jay, Magpie & Ring-Necked Parakeet!

2010-11-30T20:51:00.002Z

November 2010 started cold, wet & windy &..... deteriorated from there really!, ending with massive snowfalls & temperatures well below zero, which made access to remote areas very difficult. With all the winter visitor birds now here, bird day lists remained at 30-40, with mammal day lists steady at 4-8.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of the 'local speciality' species (Black grouse, Red Grouse, Dipper, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Goldeneye, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat etc) continued to show regularly - weather permitting!

Good views of Whooper Swans on large local lochs, their mainly yellow bills & much straighter necks making i.d easy.

Close-up sightings (& good photo opportunities for a change!) of Crested Tits coming to bird feeders near suitable forest habitat.

Several decent views of Crossbills in local forests, including a rare opportunity to view one group through the scope for over 10 minutes.

Regular sightings of Golden Eagle in secluded upland glens - this is one species that is actually easier to see in Winter, as they only have a limited number of daylight hours & thermals in which to hunt.

Woodcocks. These normally very elusive crepuscular birds were spotted probing in the leaf litter at dawn & dusk on forest tracks on several occasions.

Black Grouse numbers increased further, with up to 4 males being seen at or near 'lek' sites on local moorlands.

Stoats were spotted eating roadkill on several occasions, their coats now almost totally white except for the black tail tip.

Also now almost totally white are the Mountain Hares, they were very conspicuous & easy to see on the snowless hills, until the snow came, now they are almost invisible! (see pic. courtesy of Greg Morgan)

A first sighting, in this area for me, of a Jay - they, along with Magpies & Nuthatches are very rarely, if ever, seen this far north.

2010-11-02T19:32:00.002Z

October 2010 was changeable weather-wise, starting unseasonably mild with temperatures into double figures, with a few frosts & bit of hill snow mid-month, but ending wet & windy. Autumn is possibly one of the most scenic times of year in this area , with the woods ablaze with beautiful coppers, golds, reds & yellows. Incoming winter birds boosted bird day-list up into the 40's, with mammal day-lists still steady at 5-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

The Red Deer rut is always an October highlight, with these magnificent 'monarchs of the glen' guarding their 'harems' of hinds, with much roaring & strutting & occasional actual brutal antler to antler contact - awesome stuff - a 'must-see' of British wildlife!

Winter thrushes flooded into our area from further north, first the Redwings, their 'seep-seep' calls overhead betraying their presence, followed soon after by the larger Fieldfares. Not surprisingly, local berry crops were soon depleted!

Waxwings! The end of the month saw a huge influx of these beautiful berry-chomping 'viking invaders' a bird guaranteed to put a smile on your face, with their amazing colour scheme & confiding nature! (see pic)

Other winter visitors noted were good sized flocks of yellow-billed Whooper Swans on local lochs & the first Bramblings on farmland.

Otters were seen on several occasions on local loch & rivers, usually, and most typically, at dawn, though one obviously hadn't read the rule book, and showed well at midday!

Crested Tits began to visit bird feeders at venues near to forests, making it much easier to see them than wandering round a wood searching for them in roving tit flocks!

Golden eagle sightings became more frequent, as the birds now have less available hours of hunting time, with the first dry day after a couple of rainy days being particularly good.

Other 'local specialities' such as Dipper, Black Grouse & Red Grouse were seen regularly, though Capercaillie proved more elusive.

2010-10-01T20:52:00.002+01:00

September 2010 started with a warm, summery feel with us continuing to enjoy seeing some of the remaining summer birds, but soon became autumnal, and ended with a taste of winter, with a few frosts and even a little snow on the higher tops as the first winter birds arrived.

Bird 'day-lists' dropped down into the 40's, but mammal 'day-lists' remained steady at 6-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Early Sept gave us our last sightings of local speciality summer visitors such as Osprey, Black-Throated Diver & Red-Throated Diver, and we also got to see a Hobby - a rare bird this far north - hawking dragonflies, and a number of Lapland Buntings were noted in coastal areas.

Another rarity noted early in the month was a frustratingly short visit by a Black stork - seen by only a few, and sadly, not by myself!

September was one of our best months for Golden Eagle sightings, most birds were juveniles, presumably actively searching for their own territories after being driven away by their parents.

Our resident 'local specialities' such as Dipper, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Goldeneye etc continued to show well & delight my safari clients.

Later in the month, early winter visitors in the form of Greylag Geese & Whooper Swans were spotted in the area.

The Red Deer became noticeably more aggressive as the month progressed, with many of the stags 'roaring' & sharpening their antlers on trees & rocks in preparation for the forthcoming rut.

As mid-September is one of the quieter times safari-wise , I took the opportunity to have a trip down to the south of England to see my relatives & friends, and top up my 'year-tick' list with a few' southern specialities' such as Bearded Tit, Woodlark, Yellow Wagtail etc.

2010-08-30T21:21:00.003+01:00

August 2010 was a changeable month, with a few sunny, summery days in between the showers, but a noticeably cool autumnal feel towards the end, and with the days shortening, we are definitely approaching the change of season. With many of the summer migrant birds departing, bird day-lists dropped down into the 50's or even 40's, but mammal day-list remained steady at 6-9, and with the heather at it's beautiful purple best & the Rowan trees laden with bright red berries, the countryside is at it's scenic best

Wildlife highlights included:

Our local Osprey youngsters, now almost fully grown, were left to fend for themselves as , first their mothers, and then soon after, their fathers departed for Africa. I was lucky enough, whilst fishing one morning, to see 3 youngsters fishing together under the watchful eye of a parent bird - great stuff!

Our 'local specialities' - Osprey, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill, Black-Throated Diver, Red-Throated Diver (see pic), Red deer, Red Squirrel, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat etc, continued to show well, and helped many of my clients to add sought-after 'ticks' to their 'wish-lists'.

The mixed 'winter' flocks in the forest grew noticeably larger, with some including over 100 birds of 7 or more species - finding the 'Cresties' amongst the crowd requiring a certain amount of fieldcraft!

Large groups of up to 20 Goosanders were noted on local lochs & rivers - but only females & juveniles - where do all the males go?.....

A few reports of Hobbies hunting dragonflies over quiet local lochs, it's always a treat to see this dashing swift-like raptor, especially when it's such a rare bird this far north.

2010-07-30T18:02:00.005+01:00

July 2010 was a very changeable month, weather-wise, with just about every combination of sun, rain, cloud & wind that you could imagine, though with the days still long, it's still a great month for wildlife watching. Bird day-lists topped 60+ species at the start of the month, though they dropped a little at the end as some of our wader species began to depart the area. Mammal day-lists remained strong at 6-9 species depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Osprey action! July is 'Osprey month' (see pic) in my opinion, with the early part of the month seeing the adult birds working frantically to feed the ever-growing youngsters as often as possible, making it the best month for seeing the amazing spectacle of Ospreys fishing and delivering fish to the nest. With the added bonus later in the month, of seeing the youngsters perched on the edge of the nest flapping their wings furiously, and then ultimately fledging, making their first ever flights... great stuff!

Another dawn close-encounter with a female Capercaillie, on a forest track, with her happily taking grit quite unperturbed by us sitting quietly close by in my safari vehicle - a great start to the day - making the early start worthwhile.

Our closest ever views - down to 4ft away! - of a family of Crested Tits feeding at our eye level for a good 10 minutes, giving my safari clients the rare opportunity of getting some close-up photos.

Butterflies! July is our best month for butterfly spotting, with all the common species showing well, and our local speciality species such as Mountain Argus being spotted for the first time this year.

The first sunny day after a couple of rainy days giving us the rare & very enjoyable sight of 5 different species of raptor ( Kestrel, Sparrowhawk, Buzzard, Peregrine & Red Kite) all seen from the same spot in a beautiful upland glen in a 20 minute spell - magic!

Most of the 'local speciality' bird species (Dipper, Red & Black-Throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Red Grouse, Osprey, Crested Tit, Crossbill etc, all with well-grown young, continued to show well & delight my clients, with the occasional sighting of Capercaillie, Black grouse & Golden Eagle sometimes putting the icing on the cake!

2010-07-03T12:47:00.002+01:00

June 2010 was mainly a warm, dry month - great weather for safaris, and with the days at their longest there was nearly 24 hours available for wildlife watching, for those with the stamina to attempt it! We usually get our biggest bird day-lists in June, with 60+ species a day not uncommon, and with mammal day-lists steady at 6-10 species a day, depending on our luck, my clients invariably went home very happy with what they had seen.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of our local specialities (Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Osprey, Ring Ouzel, Red Grouse, Goldeneye, Dipper, Crossbill, Crested Tit, Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare etc etc) continued to show well, with occasional sightings of other sought after species such as Capercaillie, Black Grouse & Golden Eagle.

Our local Ospreys continued to delight us , with regular sightings of them fishing, delivering fish, & feeding the rapidly growing youngsters.

An incredibly close - less than 6ft away!! - dawn view of a pair of Woodcock in a local forest, giving us a rare chance to admire their incredibly intricate, cryptic plumage.

The fantastic, and very rare!, sight of 3 Golden Eagles in the air together, hunting in a beautiful local upland glen.

The (even rarer!) treat of a dawn sighting of Britain's rarest & difficult to see mammal, the Scottish Wildcat - my first sighting for over 2 years!

The end of the month saw me take a small party to one of my favourite wildlife-watching locations in the whole UK - Mull. An epic 16 hour day saw us on the island by 8am, and by the end of the day, we had enjoyed super views of Otters fishing, Golden Eagles & White-Tailed Sea-Eagles, Red- Throated Divers & many other various sea-birds - a tiring, but very enjoyable day!

2010-06-03T20:04:00.003+01:00

May 2010 saw us, at last, enjoy some decent wildlife-watching weather, with , apart from a few morning frosts, the weather remaining dry & warm throughout the month. The last 'missing' summer visitor birds - Swifts, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat etc.. finally arrived in our area, and this boosted our bird day-lists up towards 60, whilst mammal day-lists remained strong, with a new 2010 day record of 10 different species being recorded.

Wildlife highlights included:

Regular sightings, in the early part of the month, of Capercaillie at RSPB Loch Garten, with the odd 'random' sighting in suitable habitat.

The local Black Grouse continued to 'lek' at dawn, though activity began to tail-off towards the end of the month.

Fledglings! Many species were seen with young, notably Red Grouse, Goldeneye, Osprey, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Curlew & Crested Tit as well as many more common species.

Our local Ospreys continued to delight us, with us frequently witnessing the males plunging into the water to catch fish, eating the head, and then delivering them to the females - great stuff!

Most of our 'local speciality' birds - Slavonian Grebe (see pic) , Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Osprey, Crossbills, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Goldeneye, Ring Ouzel, Dipper etc continued to show well, with occasional sightings of Golden Eagle & Crested Tit , and just a couple of views of Red Kite & Kingfisher.

A short (& very off-course!) visit to our area by a Hoopoe!! This exotic 'vagrant' was seen by just a handful of people, but sadly, not by me!

A trip to Chanonry Point on the Moray Firth gave us great, close-up views of Dolphins, including a mother with a very small youngster - well worth a visit!

Another 'out of area' day trip up North West to the Scottish Wildlife Trust's beautiful Handa Island reserve, gave us a chance to see some wonderful seabird colonies nesting on the island's cliffs - Razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmars, Kittiwakes, and, everbody's favourite - Puffins! and on the moors, Arctic & Great Skuas, Red Grouse Wheatears & much more, with a bonus sighting of an Otter fishing! Highly recommended.

2010-04-30T20:48:00.002+01:00

April 2010 started with another massive dump of snow, which fortunately didn't stick around too long as more spring-like weather gradually took hold, though we had plenty of days where the weather could certainly be described as 'changeable'! The lingering wintry conditions certainly held back the usual influx of spring migrant birds, and the winter visitor birds lingered longer than usual. Bird day lists increased up into the 50's, and mammal lists remained steady at 5-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

Year ticks! Spring migrant birds seen for the first time this year included Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Sand Martin, House Martin, Swallow and Tree Pipit.

Good dawn views of an Otter on the River Spey - a 'first' for one of my safari guests - and a great start to the day!

Regular decent views of Capercaillie, one of Britain's rarest & most sought-after birds, at the RSPB's excellent early-morning Caper-watch initiative at their beautiful Loch Garten reserve - and a bonus (& unexpected!) late afternoon close-encounter with a female on a nearby forest track (see pic).

The Black Grouse continued to entertain , as the 'leks' hit their peak activity mid-late month.

Our local Ospreys appear to be on eggs already - the females now only leaving the nest briefly to exercise, whilst the males now do all of the fishing.

Forest walks provided us with regular sightings of Crossbills (all 3 species) & occasional sightings of Crested Tits - though it is important to know their calls, as an aid to location amongst the ever increasing volume of 'general' bird song.

Local lochs gave us good views of some of our rarest & most beautiful water birds - namely Black-Throated Diver, Red-Throated Diver & Slavonian Grebe - all now in their superb summer plumage.

2010-03-31T17:17:00.002+01:00

March 2010 started with heavy snow and low temperatures, had a very welcome mild, almost spring-like middle, then hit us with a 'sting in the tail' ending, with more heavy snow, just to remind us that winter was not quite over yet! March is definitely a 'crossover' month bird-wise up here, with most of our winter visitors like Geese, Whooper Swans and wildfowl still lingering, whilst the end of the month saw our first 'spring/summer' species return to their breeding grounds in this area. Bird day-lists increased slightly into the 40's and mammal day-lists remained steady between 5&8.

Wildlife highlights included:

Birdsong! After a long, hard winter, it's great to hear a 'dawn chorus' again.

The wintry weather continued to attract 'garden rarities' into my garden - including a new 'garden-tick' in the form of a Skylark.

Good views of Snow Buntings around the Cairngorm Mountain car park - despite the thousands of snowsports enthusiasts all around us!

Common Buzzards were seen to be displaying over local woodlands, making their characteristic 'peeww' calls whilst they did so.

Greater Spotted Woodpeckers were heard 'drumming' loudly on tree trunks.

The male Black Grouse began to properly 'lek' - strutting and jumping aggressively at each other whilst uttering their loud 'hissing' calls (see pic).

First sightings of the year in this area of Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Red- Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Grey Wagtail, Lapwing and Oystercatcher among others.

2010-02-27T21:04:00.005Z

February 2010 started mild-ish (compared to January!), with the snow starting to disappear, and I was at last able to get to some of my favourite , remote, wild places. However, it was a bit of a false dawn, as the month ended with more heavy snowfall & sub zero temperatures which , again, caused problems getting around, though the lengthening days were very welcome.

Wildlife highlights included:

A dawn encounter with an Otter on the Spey, an enjoyable & memorable experience, which made the early start worthwhile!

Several after - dark sightings of the elusive & very sought - after Pine Marten at a local baited site, though their arrival time was very variable, sometimes within 15 minutes of arriving, at other times after 2 hours+ of waiting, with the occasional 'no-show', just to keep me on my toes!

Decent views of up to 7 male Black grouse at a local 'lek' site, their behaviour becoming noticeably more aggressive (& noisier!) towards each other, as the breeding season draws nearer.

Similarly, the Red Grouse on local moorland have begun to display, the bright red 'eyebrows' of the males now showing well, as they utter their guttural, cackling calls from a prominent perch in the heather.

Snow Buntings were seen regularly at favourite spots in the Cairngorm Mountains, though sightings were very subject to disturbance by the thousands of snowsports enthusiasts on the nearby slopes.

Also on the snowy local mountains, we managed a few sightings of beautiful winter-white Ptarmigan, with a stealthy approach allowing some good close-up views.

Mountain Hares also featured on hill-walks, with their cute, fluffy appearance not diminishing our respect for them as they 'tough it out' in the Arctic conditions - these guys are very hardy! (see pic - courtesy of Greg Morgan)

The first Waxwings of the year were seen in the area, beautiful visitors from colder climes further North, though not yet in the large numbers of recent winters.

Dippers were seen to be displaying on local rivers, their comical bobbing, wing-waggling dances were very entertaining, and their song is about the only one to be heard at this time of year.

Redpoll was added to my 2010 'garden-list' as several uncommon (in gardens) species, joined the dozens of more common birds in taking advantage of the food & water I provide for them.

2010-01-31T21:19:00.002Z

A happy new year to all our readers - wishing you a wildlife filled 2010!

January 2010 will probably be remembered more for the extreme weather we experienced than for the wildlife sightings. We had our coldest & snowiest January since records began, with the snow measured in feet rather than inches, and temperatures seemingly permanently below zero, this made getting to remote areas for wildlife watching almost impossible, so most watching was done from roadside verges, though we did get a gradual thaw towards the end of the month.

Wildlife highlights included:

Several sightings of pure white Stoats chasing rabbits, and some being spotted eating roadkill.

More 'countryside' birds being seen in my garden, with Pheasant being added to to the list of other garden rarities such as Brambling, Yellowhammer and Bullfinch.

Dippers were heard to be singing from exposed rocks along the River Spey, they are about the only species that make the effort at this time of year.

Huge flocks of mixed Buntings & Finches were noted on farmland, taking advantage of extra food put out for cattle.

Several after-dark sightings of Pine Marten from a baited site, always a treat, as it is one of Britain's rarest and hardest to see mammals.

The Moray coast played host to a number of rare species throughout the month, namely, Little Bunting, King Eider, Smew, & Iceland & Glaucous Gulls.

2010-01-07T17:52:00.003Z

December 2009 started cold , then got colder still!, with temperatures as low as -16c and lots of snow at the end of the month - great for snowsports enthusiasts & very picturesque - but not great for getting around! The days are very short up here in December, with barely 7 hours of daylight. There is however, still plenty of wildlife to see, for those hardy enough to venture out. Bird day- lists remain in the 30's, and mammal list were steady at 5-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

One 'plus' of the severe winter weather is that, as natural food becomes scarce, it tends to drive less common bird species into the gardens of those who put food (& water) out for them - so far I have had visits from 'garden rarities' such as Yellowhammers, Bullfinches, Redwings, Fieldfares & Bramblings (see pic). Numbers of more common garden visitors are also greatly increased and I think that it is really important for as many of us as possible to help our garden birds during the winter.

Local speciality bird species such as Dipper, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Crested Tit, Red Deer , Red Squirrel, Mountain Hare etc continued to show well.

Winter wildfowl such as Whooper Swans, Greylag Geese, Teal, Wigeon etc showed well on local lochs & rivers early in the month, but the 'big freeze' at the end of the month saw them become harder to find.

Large mixed flocks of assorted finches & buntings were noted feeding in fields, taking advantage of the food put out for cattle and game birds.

Raptor sighting are easier and more numerous at this time of year, probably because they only have a limited amount of time for daylight hunting, especially when compared to mid-summer, when they have 20+ hours of opportunity.

A very close encounter with a marauding Sparrowhawk, which tried to catch a Chaffinch off my birdfeeding table whilst I was filling up a nearby feeder.

2009-12-03T20:32:00.003Z

November 2009 started very mild, but ended very wintry with sub-zero temperatures and the first 'proper' snowfall on the Cairngorm Mountains. The days are getting much shorter now, with only around 8 hours of daylight. With most of the winter visitor birds now here, bird day lists are usually between 30 & 40, with mammal day lists steady at between 5 & 9.

Wildlife highlights included:

A spectacular invasion of our area by record numbers of Fieldfares, with some flocks over a thousand strong, and with good numbers of Redwings as well, it was not uncommon to see berry bushes literally covered in these attractive winter thrushes.

The discovery in our area of 2 locally rare birds - a Great Grey Shrike (or 'butcher bird '- notorious for it's habit of storing it's prey of small birds, mammals & invertebrates on spiky bushes or barbed wire fences) which frequented a local airfield for several weeks, & a Black Redstart (a small robin-like bird with a lovely orange tail which it regularly 'shivers' ,a bird more usually found in urban or mountain environments much further south) which took a liking to a small local farm (see pic.)

Regular sightings of resident 'specialities' such as Dipper, Red Grouse , Red Deer, Red Squirrel.

Good sightings of increasing numbers of male Black Grouse near traditional 'lek' sites.

Decent views of Whooper Swans & winter wildfowl on our local lochs.

Some of my favourite local wildlife watching spots being featured on BBC1's excellent Autumnwatch TV programme, with presenters Chris Packham & Kate Humble showing such 'local specialities' as Crested Tit, Ptarmigan, Pine Marten & Mountain Hare amidst a beautiful snowy mountain backdrop.

2009-10-30T20:39:00.003Z

October 2009 started cold, with frosts & even a light dusting of snow on the Cairngorms but, rather oddly, ended very mild with unseasonably warm temperatures. The days are shortening now, but by way of compensation, the trees are a glowing blaze of Autumn colours. Winter migration into the area is noticeably picking up now and bird day-lists are now into the 30's & 40's with mammal day-lists steady at 5-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Amazing views of a Golden Eagle menacingly descending a steep upland slope at speed with it's huge talons outstretched, trying to harass a female Red Deer into fleeing, presumably in the hope it would fall - a magnificent wildlife spectacle!

The Red Deer rut is in full swing in October, and we witnessed many of the 'soap opera' moments - the posturing,... the romance,... the friction,... the aggression,... the winners ...& the losers.... one of British nature's must see events!

Decent dawn views of an Otter on the Spey, always the most sought - after mammal on my safaris, & making the early get-up worthwhile!

A memorable close encounter with 5 Red Squirrels at once feeding just a few feet away from us, so close that we could actually hear them grunting & squeaking to each other!

Seeing our first 'Winter Thrushes' - the Redwings were first to arrive, often betraying their presence with their thin 'seep-seep' calls & the Fieldfares arrived later in the month, and not surprisingly, our Rowan berries are disappearing rapidly!

Super views of a Crested Tit coming to a bird-feeder - not a common occurrence, and a rare chance for my clients to get a 'proper' look at one - rather than the fleeting glimpses we usually get in the forests!

Wildfowl numbers are increasing on our local lochs, with Teal, Wigeon & Whooper Swans being seen regularly.

2009-10-03T16:19:00.002+01:00

September 2009 started with some pleasant autumnal sunshine but ended with a more wintry feel, with night time temperatures dropping noticeably, and the days getting shorter. By the middle of the month the last of the summer visiting birds had departed, but by way of compensation, the first winter visiting birds were beginning to arrive, and with the heather at its vivid purple best and the Rowan trees full of shiny red berries Speyside is a very attractive place to be.

Wildlife highlights included:

Bird day-lists dropped down into the 30's & 40's but resident local speciality birds such as Dipper, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Crested Tit etc continued to show well.

Mammal day-lists remained steady at 6-9 with local specialities such as Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat etc being seen regularly.

Our first sightings of winter visiting birds, mainly large flocks of Greylag Geese (see pic), though a few early Brent Geese & Whooper Swans were reported too.

Good views of Black Grouse, our first since late spring, as, with breeding season now over, their numbers increased near their traditional 'lek' sites.

The Red Deer stags became noticeably more aggressive as the October 'rut' approached, with their loud, belching roars echoing around the hills.

At the end of the month I took a break to visit relatives & friends in Surrey & Hampshire, but managed to sneak in a bit of bird watching, which produced a number of 'year-ticks' for me such as Dartford Warbler, Bearded Tit & Little Egret - species that are not, or are only rarely found this far North.

2009-08-29T20:23:00.003+01:00

August 2009 was very changeable weather-wise, with a noticeably autumnal feel towards the end of the month as the days grew shorter and dawn & dusk temperatures began to drop down into single figures.

With most of the migratory birds now departing the area, bird day-lists dropped down into the 50's or 40's but mammal day-lists remained steady at 6-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of the local speciality birds (Red-Throated & Black-Throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Dipper, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill etc) continued to show in the first half of the month, though some of the Summer visitors had vacated the area by the end of the month.

An amazing (& incredibly rare!) close encounter with a female Capercaillie, which, to the delight of my guests!, walked slowly across the road in front of my safari vehicle, stood & posed on the verge for a few seconds, before melting away into the forest - a truly magic moment!

A brief glimpse of a beautiful Kingfisher on the River Spey - a very rare bird in this area.

Watching the young Ospreys coping with being left to fend for themselves after both parent birds departed mid-month.

More sightings of Stoats (sometimes whole families) chasing Rabbits.

Regular sightings of a real local speciality butterfly - the Scotch Argus.

Large numbers of Hirundines (Martins & Swallows) - seen gathering on wires ready for migration South, see pic.

2009-07-26T21:03:00.002+01:00

July 2009 was warm but very changeable, with no two consecutive days alike and a fold-up waterproof jacket a must-have!

Bird day-lists hit 60+ early month but dropped into the 50's later in the month as many of the wader species vacated the area. Mammal day-list remained steady at 6-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Many of the 'local specialities' (Dipper, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Osprey, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Red Squirrel etc) many with young, continued to show well and it always brings me great pleasure to see many of my clients add these to their 'life-lists', especially if they have struggled to find them themselves!

July is always a big month for our Ospreys, with the early part of the month seeing the well-grown youngsters stretching & flapping their wings and the latter part of the month seeing them make their first faltering flights - a magic, if nerve-wracking moment!

Several decent sightings of Golden eagles, usually being mobbed by other raptors which gave us the chance to see the huge size difference between the Eagle & say.. a Peregrine Falcon.

Several sightings of Stoats chasing Rabbits

A strenuous but very rewarding walk up a local mountain, along with great scenic views in all directions, gave fantastic close-up views of one of our rarest, most beautiful, and thankfully, most confiding birds - the Dotterel. Some patient searching on a grassy plateau near the summit revealing a small number of adult (see pic) and juvenile birds. Whilst at the summit, my mate Malcy & I also had an amazing 'too close for comfort' encounter with a plummeting Golden Eagle, which shot over his head at a speed which had to be seen to be believed, and which was so close , we could actually hear the wind rushing through it's tightly folded wings - an incredible moment!

2009-07-05T21:57:00.003+01:00

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.

2009-06-16T21:30:00.003+01:00

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.

2009-06-02T21:54:00.005+01:00

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.

2009-05-16T21:59:00.003+01:00

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.

2009-05-02T20:38:00.004+01:00

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.

2009-04-04T14:23:00.003+01:00

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.

2009-03-02T20:29:00.002Z

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.

2009-01-31T21:42:00.002Z

A Happy New Year to all our readers! May you have a wildlife-tastic 2009!

January 2009 started very cold up here with plenty of snow & temperatures down to -11c but got less cold as the month went on, and finished with an unseasonably mild spell, and the days began to grow noticeably longer.

Wildlife highlights included:

Good views of Red Grouse on the moorland - the males already becoming very vocal, their guttural 'go-bak, go-bak' calls livening up the otherwise near-silent moors. (see pic)

Super views of a juvenile Golden Eagle hunting low over heather moorland just before dusk, presumably on the look-out for a Red Grouse or a Mountain Hare, it's white tail-base & wing patches showed up well in the low light as it changed direction.

A dawn encounter with a Stoat in it's beautiful pure white winter coat on the banks of the River Spey. It appeared to be manically searching bankside holes for small mammals.

Good, close up views of Red Deer in a beautiful Highland glen - Winter often gives us our best views of these impressive animals as they get driven down off the hills by bad weather.

Waxwings - several small flocks of these gorgeous winter visitors lingered in our area, with 3 seen just outside my garden on the 24th.

Early signs of Winter's end & Spring's arrival were also evident:

Blackbirds & Thrushes began to join the Robins in a (very weak) dawn chorus.

The first Lapwings were seen alongside the River Spey.

Common Buzzards were seen to be displaying.

2009-01-03T19:56:00.003Z

December started & ended cold with a brief mild spell in the middle of the month with less snow than last month, and sadly, very little over the Christmas period. Though the days are now at their shortest, there is still plenty to see.

Wildlife highlights included:

A brief glimpse of a Stoat chasing Rabbits on a roadside verge, looking splendid in its pure white winter coat with just the tip of the tail remaining dark.

Another animal that changes colour to white in winter is the Mountain hare, and these are quite easy to find on the hills - as long as there is not too much snow!

Snow Buntings were seen on a few occasions near the Cairngorms Ski centre car park, they appear to be driven down from the mountain tops by bad weather & heavy snowfall (see pic).

Ravens were seen to be displaying - wheeling around acrobatically whilst uttering their coarse "gronk-gronk" calls

Woodcocks were seen on a few occasions, usually over woodlands at dusk.

Waxwings were still in the area, often being seen around local villages, usually feeding on berry bushes.

The number of male Black grouse at traditional lek sites was seen to increase, with up to 5 seen at a time - numbers should continue to grow as the lekking season approaches.

One sad thing to report: One of the River Spey Otters was unfortunately found dead, killed whilst attempting to cross a road near the river. With no real predators, this is the biggest cause of premature death to the UK's Otters.

2008-11-30T18:59:00.002Z

November was a wintry month in the Cairngorms National Park, with regular falls of snow and temperatures dropping down as low as -9c towards the end of the month.

Wildlife highlights included:

A Waxwing 'invasion', with several hundred of the berry-munching beauties from across the North Sea visiting our area, bringing a welcome splash of colour to the dark Winter days (see pic).

Several dawn & dusk sightings of Barn Owls hunting over fields, seeing one of these almost ghost-like creatures in the half-light is surely one of British nature's most enjoyable sights.

Regular sightings of Crested Tits on bird feeders sighted near to Caledonian Forest. They only seem to come to feeders regularly when conditions turn really wintry.

A brief visit to our area by a Snow Goose in it's pure white plumage, it mingled with a flock of Greylag Geese for a few days.

2008-10-26T21:15:00.004Z

October saw the arrival of Winter to our area (we don't seem to get a proper Autumn anymore!). The transition is quite dramatic with temperatures significantly lower than September and the Cairngorms having snowy tops for much of the month.

Wildlife highlights included:

Rutting Red Deer stags: This has to be one of British nature's "must see" (& hear!) experiences, with the dominant stags attempting to secure their 'harem' of up to 20 hinds by roaring loudly, thrashing at trees and bushes and occasionally actually coming into spectacular antler to antler contact - an impressive sight! (see pic)

Numbers of Winter wildfowl such as Teal & Wigeon increasing on our local lochs.

Good views of Whooper swans, both in flight (when you can hear their distinctive "whooop whoop" calls, and quietly feeding in the margins of our larger local lochs.

Increasing numbers of visiting 'Winter' Geese being noted feeding on suitable fields.

Large flocks of Redwings & Fieldfares were seen , often covering a berry laden bush and soon stripping it of its crop.

Great views of a ring-tail (female) Hen Harrier, seen hunting low over heather moorland. We see many more Hen Harriers ( & Short-Eared Owls) in Winter due to an influx of birds from even colder climes to the North & east.

2008-10-03T21:20:00.003+01:00

September,s weather could also , surprise, surprise!, be described as changeable. Temperatures ranged from a sunny 22deg c, down to 0deg c with a light dusting of snow on the hills at the end of the month. Most of the Summer visiting bird species have now left the area, and are being replaced by our Winter visiting bird species.

Wildlife highlights included:

Mountain Ash or Rowan trees becoming fully laden with their bright red berries, and the Thrush species wasting no time in enjoying this bountiful harvest.

The arrival in our area of Winter visitors from further North such as Greylag & Brent Geese & Whooper Swans.

The mixed woodland flocks grew noticeably larger, with some having 100+ birds of up to 9 different species.

Lots of sightings of 'purple poo' in the forests - the result of many different species of birds and animals feasting on the abundant crop of blaeberries.

Dippers started to sing again along the riverbanks - very noticeable & enjoyable as not many species of birds sing at this time of year (see pic)

The Red Deer began to 'roar' towards the end of the month, in preparation for the forthcoming 'rutting season''.

2008-08-30T21:01:00.002+01:00

August saw the changeable weather continue, with seemingly no two consecutive days the same! This far North Autumn comes early, and later in the month the first signs were noted; shorter days, cooler mornings & evenings, Rowan trees full of their vivid red berries , a few leaves changing colour.

Bird day-lists remained around the 45-50 mark with many of the migrants now gone , and mammal day-lists were still good at 6-9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

An amazing close encounter with a very bedraggled-looking Scottish Wildcat one drizzly dawn - the fierce glare it gave us with it's wild orange eyes had to be seen to be believed!

A brief visit to a garden in our area by a Rose-Coloured Starling, a rare visitor to the UK, normally found much further East, it was enjoyed by a small number of keen birders , but sadly, not by me, as I missed it!

Our local juvenile Ospreys, now deserted by their parents, initially seemed lost without them & spent many hours calling in vain for them , but eventually seemed to accept their situation & knuckled down to some self-sufficient fishing.

A pair of lost/disorientated Sperm Whales turning-up in the Moray Firth, the initial joy & amazement soon turning to sadness, however, when one of them stranded, and sadly, despite the best efforts of many good people, died.

Also in the Moray Firth, the resident Dolphins delighted many with their super acrobatic displays , sometimes coming amazingly close to the shore.

Many of the local speciality birds such as Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey ,Red Grouse, Goldeneye & Golden Eagle continued to show, some more regularly than others of course, though all were seen during the month.

Mammals featured well during the month with the following all being seen at some stage;

Red Deer, Roe Deer (see pic), Reindeer, Sika Deer, Red Squirrel, Brown hare, Mountain hare, Mountain Goat, Stoat, & Bank Vole.

2008-08-09T12:00:00.003+01:00

Late July saw the weather remain changeable, though temperatures were generally quite high, with plenty of sunshine & 16hours+ daylight. Bird day-lists dropped a little into the low 50's due mainly to the exodus from our area by most of the wader species, though mammal day-lists still hit 6+ most days. Another sign of Autumn approaching was the early forming of 'winter flocks' by our resident small birds.

Wildlife highlights included:

Visits to our local Osprey nests gave us good views of the nearly full-grown youngsters furiously exercising their wings in readiness for their 'maiden flight', while their parents sat nearby screeching encouragement.

Super views of a Black-Throated Diver family all fishing together on a beautiful upland loch, their dapper black, white & grey plumage never failing to impress my safari clients (see pic).

Regular sightings of whole families of Spotted Flycatchers eagerly catching insects.

Great views of a Slavonian Grebe family, with the parents seen feeding the still stripy , but rapidly growing youngster.

Regular sightings of Crossbills, their loud 'glip -glip' calls betraying their presence as they fly from tree to tree in search of pine cone seeds.

The Roe Deer rut is now in progress, with the bucks frequently being seen chasing after the does, and their rasping, barking calls being heard from some distance.

2008-07-13T21:49:00.003+01:00

Early July saw a slight improvement in our weather though it was still a bit changeable. Although we have now had the longest day, we still have 18 hours of daylight available for wildlife-watching, and bird day-lists still regularly hit 60+ and mammal day-list still average 7+.

Just about all bird species now have fledged young, making them easier to find as they feed in family groups.

Wildlife highlights included:

An amazing and rare close encounter one early morning with a female Capercaillie and her 2 chicks, seen taking grit from the edge of a track (see pic - courtesy of Alan Everest).

Good views of a Peregrine Falcon family on a craggy cliff, the fluffy grey chicks growing rapidly, with the adults often perched nearby.

Regular sightings of Scottish Crossbills in our local Caledonian Pine forests, their presence often being betrayed by their chunky 'glip - glip' calls and the sound of pine cones dropping.

Good views of a Golden eagle in a beautiful upland glen, first over a high ridge, and then the very rare opportunity to see it well through the scope when it landed on a rock in the heather - magic!

A new 2008 record mammal day-list of 11 species! namely: Rabbit, Roe Deer, Brown hare, Bank Vole, Red Squirrel, Reindeer, Brown rat, Red Deer, Mountain Goat, Sika Deer and Mountain Hare.

Regular sighting of Crested Tit families - these real 'local specialities' always proving popular with my clients.

A short, but very enjoyable trip to the Isle of Mull produced superb views of Sea Eagle & Golden Eagle (both adults & youngsters), and a very close loch-side encounter with an Otter - marvellous stuff!

2008-07-01T20:37:00.003+01:00

Late June saw more changeable weather, with most days seeing us experience a little bit of everything, except snow, thankfully! Bird day lists continued to hit 60+ species most days, with one late June day also giving us 10 mammal species!

Wildlife highlights included:

An amazing dawn encounter with arguably 'Britain's rarest mammal' a magnificent Scottish Wildcat - the animal in question seen hunting wader chicks, our attention being drawn to it by the furious, and very vocal 'mobbing' of the parent waders. The Wildcat's key i.d. points of large size, heavy build, broad head, black spinal fur, white face & whiskers and thick black ringed tail leaving us with little doubt as to it's lineage.

Good views of Osprey parents feeding their chicks, and the fast-growing chicks being seen to stretch & exercise their wings for the first time.

Decent views of a Golden eagle duelling with a Buzzard in a beautiful upland glen, giving us the chance to see just how much bigger than a Buzzard an Eagle really is!

A very dapper pair of Black-Throated Divers, resplendent in their beautiful grey black & white plumage with a very young looking chick - good news for a very rare species.

A close encounter with a lovely Golden Plover on a local heather moorland (see pic) our attention being drawn to it by it's plaintive whistling call.

2008-06-22T14:07:00.003+01:00

Early June saw changeable weather hit the area, with a light dusting of snow on the Cairngorms in the second week! The long days however, provide the opportunity for 20 hours of birding for those with the stamina to attempt it! With all the migratory bird species now back in the area we have seen bird day-lists approaching the 70 mark, many of them with recently fledged young, with mammal day-list usually between 6 & 9 depending on our luck.

Wildlife highlights included:

A couple of amazing track-side close-ups of Woodcock - giving us the chance to admire the wonderfully cryptic plumage of this usually very elusive bird.

Good views of Red Grouse families on the Heather moorland, some with as many as 8 well-grown youngsters.

A 'bonus' view of a splendid male Capercaillie up a silver birch tree, discovered by accident as we were observing an Osprey in an adjacent tree!

Nice close-ups of singing Wood Warblers - not a common bird in these parts - their whole bodies quivering with the effort.

Several sightings of Cuckoos being 'seen-off' by Meadow Pipits - the Pipits obviously very aware that they are a favourite species for the Cuckoo to parisitize!

Good views of Osprey in their nest, with the fluffy, grey youngsters seemingly growing bigger every day (see pic).

2008-06-01T20:58:00.004+01:00

The second half of May saw the warm, dry weather continue and the last of the expected migrant bird species such as Dotterel and Whinchat appear in our area, and this combination of good weather and a near 'full-house' of Summer wildlife, of course, made for perfect safari conditions!

Wildlife highlights included:

Bird day-lists hitting the high 60's for the first time this year and mammal day-lists usually between 6 & 9 depending on our luck!

BBC Springwatch featuring the Cairngorms National Park as one of their featured locations, with Simon King 'spreading the word' about Speyside being a great place for watching wildlife and their wonderful footage backing up his claims.

Good dawn views of an Otter fishing on the River Spey - a great way to start the day!

Huge herds of Red Deer seen grazing on the fresh Spring grass on the floodplains of a beautiful upland glen - a magnificent sight.

A walk up to the summit of Cairngorm Mountain - the physical exertion being well rewarded by reasonable views of Ring Ouzels, Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan.

The first new-arrivals for some of our local speciality species - with the first Red Grouse and Osprey chicks being seen at the end of the month.

Unusually good views of a Crossbill family in one of our local forests -the birds, for a change, feeding part-way up a tree rather than at the top - giving me a better opportunity to get some decent photos (see pic).

A day-trip to the SWT's lovely Handa Island reserve off Scotland's spectacular North West coast producing super views of many nesting seabird species such as Arctic & Great Skuas, Razorbills, Guillemots, Fulmars and everbody's favourite, the Puffins. We also had bonus mammal encounters with Seals, Harbour Porpoises and a Minke Whale! A great day out in beautiful surroundings - highly recommended!

2008-05-10T19:43:00.002+01:00

May started with a prolonged period of high pressure, Southerly winds and fine weather helping the late-arriving migrant birds such as Swifts, Spotted Flycatchers and Hobbies to make their journey here.

Wildlife highlights included:

A trip to the Moray Coast near Inverness gave us nice views of Dolphins, Porpoises and Seals, with a supporting cast of various Gulls,Terns & Waders, Gannets, Guillemots, Eiders, Long-Tailed Ducks etc.

Closer to home, we have had:

Regular dawn sightings of Capercaillie, mainly at the RSPB Loch Garten hide, though we also managed to see a few taking grit from forest tracks whilst driving between venues.

Good views of Black Grouse 'lekking' (see pic) , making the early starts and stealthy approaches worthwhile!

Most of our local Ospreys are now paired-up with the females on eggs and the males dutifully supplying them with regular fish deliveries.

Regular sightings of both Red-Throated Divers & Black-Throated Divers on local lochs, both species looking very dapper in their smart Summer plumage.

Slavonian Grebes being seen nest-building in sedge beds on secluded local lochans, their amazing golden 'ear-tufts' seemingly glowing in the Spring sunshine.

Occasional sightings of family parties of Crossbills, the pale, streaky youngsters being outshone by the bright brick-red & green-yellow parent birds.

2008-04-15T21:08:00.004+01:00

Early April saw the wintry conditions continue, and with no helpful Southerly winds migrant birds remained a little thin on the ground, and most of the Winter visitors remained.

The end of the month however, saw warmer sunnier weather arrive, bringing with it more of the expected Summer visitors.

Bird day-lists started to beat the 50 mark for the first time this year and mammal day-lists were between 6 & 9 depending on our luck!

April highlights included:

Regular sightings of Capercaillie at the RSPB Loch Garten reserve after the 7th as the annual 'lek' got into full swing.

Ospreys being seen at traditional nesting sites, the females first, shortly followed by the males who earned their conjugal rights by providing regular fish deliveries!

Increasing numbers of the beautiful summer-plumaged Slavonian Grebe on shallow weed-fringed lochs, and we even got to see them perform their amazing mating dance .

Black Grouse in full 'lek' mode, with up to 11 males 'strutting their stuff' in an attempt to impress the attendant females.

The Red Grouse were seen to have 'paired-up' already , with the males, their bright red 'eyebrows' seemingly glowing, very protective of their partners (see pic).

Regular sightings of both Red-Throated & Black-Throated Divers on suitable local lochs

The end of the month saw many more Summer migrants arrive, such as Willow Warblers, Ring Ouzels, Wheatears, Swallows, House Martins & Sand Martins.

2008-03-17T20:42:00.011Z

March may be regarded as early Spring in many parts of the UK, but it is still very much Winter in this area. Though the lengthening days may hint of what is to come, the sleet, hail , snow & frosts suggest that we are still in Winter's icy grip.

Wildlife highlights included:

Close scrutiny of a wintering Geese flock giving us 3 different species - Greylag, Pink-Footed and Greenland White-Fronted.

Good views of Scottish Crossbills in the Caledonian Pine Forests (see pic).

Pied & Grey Wagtails returning to the area, after their partial Winter migration to milder climes.

Dawn birdsong increasing in both numbers of birds & volume, as the mating instinct kicks in.

Wader numbers increasing along the Spey floodplain - Lapwings, Oystercatchers, Redshanks & Curlews, their calls seemingly filling the air with hope that Winter is nearly over.

The Drake Goldeneyes serenading the females with their amazing display dance which involves cocking their head violently onto their back then pointing their bill skywards whilst croaking loudly - an amazing sight!

Black Grouse numbers increasing at their 'lek' sites, with the males getting noticeably more aggressive and noisy as lekking season draws near.

Red Grouse males becoming more conspicuous on the heather moorland, their guttural "go-back" calls giving away their location, and the males' vivid red 'eyebrows' almost seem to glow as they reach their finest breeding plumage.

A super close-encounter (less than 100 metres away) with a sub-adult Golden Eagle seen hunting along a low ridge at the foot of the Cairngorms one beautiful frosty dawn, an amazing wildlife experience, and for once I was able to get some good video footage, so I can get to relive it over & over again.

Frogs being seen near watery areas for the first time this year.

The final week of March saw the welcome return to Speyside of some of our most popular local specialities, namely Ospreys, Red-Throated Divers and Black-Throated Divers.

2008-02-15T15:53:00.025Z

February saw a mix of weather conditions with snow, floods, frosts and sunshine all making an appearance and temperatures ranging from -11c to +11c! Though still very much Winter in this area, there were a few early signs of Spring approaching.

Wildlife highlights included:

A memorable close encounter with a juvenile
Golden Eagle, seen hunting along a ridge in a beautiful steep-sided glen.

Great close -up views of an Otter fishing in the River Spey at dawn - meaning the early start and -9.5c temperature were soon forgotten.

Dawn bird-song starting up for the first time for many months.

Lapwings & Oystercatchers being seen returning to their breeding grounds along the River Spey.

Super close-up views of Mountain Hares in upland areas (see pic).

11 Common Cranes remaining in fields near Elgin (see Jan).

Regular sightings of Barn Owls hunting over fields at dawn & dusk.

Excellent close views of a feral Mountain Goat and her very cute newly - born kid.

Cracking views of a pair of Peregrine Falcons displaying over a ruined castle.

A brief glimpse of an almost pure white Stoat running across a road between two fields.

Black grouse numbers increasing at their traditional lek sites on woodland edges.

Red Grouse males becoming noticeably more vocal on the heather moorland.

Nice views of a pair of Scottish Crossbills in the Caledonian pine forest.

2008-01-19T20:18:00.000Z

January 2008 saw the cold, wintry weather continue, with plenty of snow and low temperatures, and the snowsports centres having their busiest winter for a long time.

Wildlife highlights included:

Great close-up views of Snow Buntings at the Cairngorms Ski car park (see pic) their confiding nature making it quite easy to get some decent pics

Good, extended views of an Otter fishing amongst the kelp at a local coastline, always a wonderful wildlife experience!

A small flock of Waxwings taking advantage of the berry crop in the gardens of a nearby village, their wonderfully colourful plumage lighting up the dull Winter days!

A Ring-Necked Duck & a Wood Duck, both rare birds in these parts, visiting a local loch

A flock of very rare Common Cranes (presumably stopping off for a pit-stop on migration between Africa and Scandinavia?) paying a visit to the nearby Moray Coast, these huge, almost Ostrich-like birds, not surprisingly, drawing a lot of interest from local birders!

One huge mixed finch/bunting flock on local farmland included Reed Buntings, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Bramblings, Yellowhammers and Twites

2007-12-18T18:21:00.000Z

December saw the weather get colder still, with temperatures dropping as low as -11 in the middle part of the month, and snow remaining on the higher peaks throughout the month.

Wildlife highlights included:

A brief visit from a very rare Sabines Gull to a nearby wetland reserve

Snow Buntings regularly being seen in the Cairngorm Ski Centre car park

Crested Tits began coming to feeders in gardens close to forest edges

Mountain Hares now have their beautiful pure white Winter coats

The Male Black Grouse getting noticeably more frisky on the moors

2007-11-18T13:36:00.000Z

November saw the first real snows fall on the Cairngorms, suggesting that Autumn has very swiftly turned to Winter! Wildlife highlights have included:

A further increase in the numbers of Whooper Swans appearing on our local lochs, along with
more Winter wildfowl such as Wigeon, Teal, Shoveler & Pochard

The appearance of Redpolls in the (ever-increasing!) mixed Winter flocks seen in the forests

Increasing numbers of reports of Hen Harriers seen over our local marshlands, especially towards dusk, as they gather to roost in the large reedbeds

Several sightings of the (usually!) elusive Woodcock, probing the leaf litter on the edges of the forests

The addition of good numbers of Bramblings to the mixed finch flocks feeding on the stubble fields

A rare (at this time of year) inland sighting, whilst fishing, of a winter-plumaged Red-Throated Diver on a local loch

A brief view of a splendid Male Merlin perched on a farmland fence post, then , in a flash it was gone, fast & low across a field.

2007-10-14T21:37:00.000+01:00

October in the Cairngorms National Park sees the true arrival of Autumn. The days shorten, temperatures drop , the trees take on their glorious golds, coppers, russets and reds and the influx of Winter visitors gathers pace.

October highlights include:

The arrival of Whooper Swans on our local lochs, their large size, mainly yellow bills , straighter necks and bugling calls making them easy to identify.

The Red Deer rut reaching it's climax - the older, larger, stronger stags attempting to secure a harem of up to 20 hinds with aggressive displays of roaring, tree-thrashing and ground -raking and occasional actual antler to antler combat - an awesome wildlife experience! (see pic)

Our first sightings of incoming winter thrushes, the Redwings are first to arrive, their thin 'seep -seep' calls betraying their presence whilst flying, accompanied by 'continental' Mistle Thrushes & Blackbirds, the Fieldfares usually being the last to arrive.

The Male Red Grouse on the moors appear to be much more aggressive & vocal, perhaps already trying to establish territories in preparation for breeding season?

The 18th October gave me a great close-up view of a Barn Owl hunting over a local marsh. Using the car as a hide, I parked up and it actually landed on a roadside fence-post less than 20 feet away - a marvellous sight!

The Mountain Hares are beginning to get their White Winter coats, from their feet upwards.

2007-09-11T21:36:00.000+01:00

September saw most of our remaining summer visiting birds depart the area, leaving us to concentrate on our resident species and the first of the Winter visitors. Recent highlights in the Cairngorms National Park area included:

The heather-clad hills looking at their beautiful deep purple best.

Mountain Ash or Rowan trees full of Autumn berries (see pic).

The Roe Deer rutting, their loud barking calls alerting us to their presence.

Large flocks of incoming Greylag Geese seen arriving from further North.

Mixed woodland flocks increasing in size and numbers of species - picking out the Cresties is quite a challenge - unless their chuckling trill gives them away!

Large flocks of Mistle Thrushes were noted - presumably Winter visitors from further North.

Dippers on the rivers were heard to sing again for the first time since Spring.

2007-08-23T22:01:00.000+01:00

Mid- late August saw further evidence of the approaching Autumn - dawn is becoming later, and dusk earlier (and cooler!), Rowan berries became noticeably abundant and Swift numbers were seen to reduce. Most of the local specialities continued to be seen and enjoyed. Highlights included:

Good views of a Golden Eagle interacting with a pair of Buzzards in a beautiful upland glen, it's white wing patches and tail base identifying it as a juvenile.

An unusually long view of a Stoat exploring amongst riverside rocks, it's quick, jerky movements sadly making it impossible to grab a photo!

Good views of our local speciality butterfly - The Scotch Argus (see pic)

Male Black Grouse numbers increasing at their traditional lek sites

Decent views of a pair of Kingfishers - a rare bird in these parts!

2007-08-12T21:28:00.000+01:00

Early August saw most of the local specialities continue to show well, highlights included:

An early morning encounter with an Otter on the River Spey - worth getting up at 4am for!

Our mammal day-list record of 11 being equalled (Otter, Rabbit, Bank Vole, Brown Hare, Mountain Hare, Roe Deer, Red Deer, Reindeer, Sika Deer, Red Squirrel and Mountain Goat)

Our local juvenile Ospreys being seen to fish successfully by themselves for the first time - just as well, as their parents will abandon them any day now and fly off to Africa, leaving them to find their own way!

Great views of Dolphins at the Moray Firth (see pic), so close that we could hear them 'snorting' in air between dives!

2007-07-30T21:51:00.000+01:00

Late July saw us get a few sunnier days but daytime temperatures still rarely topped 18c and some nights saw temperatures as low as 5c! These big diurnal temperature ranges often create very atmospheric, misty mornings though, as compensation (see pic).

Safari highlights included:

Good views of Mountain Hare families on the boulder-strewn slopes of an upland glen - their mottled blue-grey/brown/white coats providing good camouflage.

Super overhead views of a Peregrine Falcon and Kestrel having a high-speed fracas, giving us a good chance to compare the the slim, lightweight build of the Kestrel with the altogether heavier more solid build of the Peregrine.

Watching an Osprey make several (sadly,unsuccessful!) plunges into a rather choppy upland loch - a fantastic sight to see!

Several sightings of Stoats chasing young Rabbits.

Our first sightings of Mountain Argus Butterflies, a local speciality.

2007-07-22T21:14:00.000+01:00

Mid-July saw no significant improvement in the weather, and perhaps these un-summerlike conditions hastened the Autumn dispersal of breeding birds from the hills and moors, with species such as Redshanks, Curlews, Lapwings and Oystercatchers becoming noticeable by their absence.
There is still plenty to see though, with recent highlights including:

An unusually close-up view of a pair of Red-Throated Divers on a local loch on a beautifully calm, misty morning.

A family of 4 Red Squirrels all feeding closely together.

A really close view of a whole family of 6 Spotted Flycatchers perched on a track-side fence.

Seeing the newly fledged Osprey young taking their first flights and watching intently as their parents teach them how to fish.

Some great early-morning close-ups of Roe Deer - why do they always seem to run out in front of cars?!!

Good views of a very un-seasonal Whooper Swan (usually a winter visitor). This bird has now spent nearly two full years on a local loch, and I suspect it is probably unable to make its usual migration flights due to injury (or perhaps it just likes it here!)

2007-07-15T21:39:00.000+01:00

Early July saw a slight improvement in the weather, maybe Summer is here at last?

Safari highlights included:

A new mammal day-list record of 11 (Rabbit, Otter, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Reindeer, Red Squirrel(see pic), Mink, Water Vole, Sika Deer, Mountain Goat, Mountain Hare)

Seeing the 2 young Osprey in a local nest flapping their wings furiously in preparation for fledging, under the watchful eyes of their parents

A good close-up view of an Otter on the River Spey soon after dawn

Good views of a pair of Red-Throated Divers, a family of Crested Tits and a family of Scottish Crossbills all from the same forested lochside location!

2007-07-01T21:20:00.000+01:00

Late June saw the unsettled weather continue, with a light dusting of snow being noted on Cairngorm on the 26th!!. Safaris continued of course, with the unseasonal weather adding a certain amount of atmosphere to the experience! recent highlights included:

A dawn encounter with a Scottish Wildcat and it,s 2 kittens - their robust build, thick black-circled tails and wariness of humans hinting at their lineage - though only a DNA test can confirm it for sure, as they are known to mate with domestic cats!

Several sightings of Stoats hunting young Rabbits - it always amazes me when I see them tackling prey that is much larger & heavier than themselves!

Great views of Ospreys feeding their young in the nest - with the youngsters visibly growing by the day!

Very close views of Red Grouse families - some with as many as 9 young.

Good views of Crested Tit families - their chuckling trills betraying their presence.

Several amazing close encounters with Sparrowhawks hunting smaller birds near bird feeders (see pic. courtesy of Joe Adams)

2007-06-20T11:48:00.000+01:00

Mid-June saw me take a trip to Sutherland on the North West coast of Scotland to visit the Scottish Wildlife Trust's beautiful Handa Island Wildlife Reserve. Just a 10 minute ferry crossing from Tarbet, during which we saw Black Guillemots and Seals, sees you land on one of the small, uninhabited island's many unspoilt sandy beaches. A short walk through heather moorland provided Meadow Pipits, Stonechats, Wheatears, Sedge Warbler, Skylarks, and a super close-up of a family of Red Grouse, and aroused plenty of interest from the nesting Arctic Skuas & Great Skuas, though thankfully, they were not particularly aggressive on this occasion!

The main attraction of Handa though is the island's 300ft+ high sandstone cliffs and the huge (200,000!) numbers of seabirds that nest on them. From our clifftop viewpoint we saw, heard (and smelt!) Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, and most popular of all, good numbers of Puffins (see pic),often at close range - a breathtaking spectacle that I highly recommend.

2007-06-10T20:26:00.000+01:00

Early June saw many species with newly-fledged young, causing many aaaaahhh! exclamations amongst my customers as doting parent birds were seen dutifully feeding their wing-quivering offspring.
Though the weather has still been a little changeable, the days have now lengthened to around 20 hours of available birding time, for those with the stamina to attempt it!
The combination of sun and rain has given a very lush look to vegetation and inspired the wild flowers to bloom, and accordingly, more butterflies are now being seen regularly.
Early June highlights included:

Seeing one of our local Ospreys delivering a good-sized trout to the nest.

A Peregrine Falcon hunting waders over a riverside field.

7 Buzzards circling together using the same thermal in a beautiful local glen.

Regular sightings of Cuckoos, often being chased away by Meadow Pipits.

2007-05-29T20:35:00.000+01:00

Late May saw bird day-lists hit the 70 mark for the first time this year, with most of the local specialities continuing to show regularly. Highlights included;

Good views of a hunting Golden Eagle being buzzed by a very brave Peregrine Falcon

A family of 4 Red Squirrels all feeding together

Good views of a flock of 20 Golden plover in smart Summer plumage

Super close-up views of a Cuckoo (see pic)

2007-05-14T21:11:00.000+01:00

Mid-May saw a return to unsettled conditions, with some days seeing us experience all four seasons in the space of just a few hours, and some light snowfall turning the mountain-tops white.

Day lists of birds crept up through the 60's with the arrival of more migrants such as Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher,with most of the local specialites such as Osprey, Red Grouse, Black Grouse, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Ring Ouzel, Dipper, Slavonian Grebe, Goldeneye, Crested Tit etc etc continuing to delight us. Mammal day-lists remained steady at between 5 & 8 depending on our luck!

Highlights included:

The very unusual occurrence of a Red-Throated Diver beaching itself on the shores of a local loch just 50 metres from us, it,s comical attempts at walking hindered by the positioning of it's legs at the very rear of it's body.

A close-up fly-past by a female Merlin with a small bird in it's claws being harried by a Buzzard.

The discovery of a Crested Tit territory giving us the opportunity to get some decent views of this usually difficult species (see pic). Great stuff!

2007-05-06T10:47:00.000+01:00

May,s first week saw the amazingly warm, settled weather continue. I was therefore inspired to take a small party high up into the Cairngorms in pursuit of the true mountain species. We had only been walking a while, and had reached around 2,000ft, when we had good views of male Ring Ouzel and male Red Grouse, on both occasions being alerted to their presence by their distinctive calls, a harsh "chak-chak" and a guttural "go-back, go-back" respectively - a good start! By the time we had reached 3,000 ft we had added several male Wheatears to our list, their smart grey, buff, black and white plumage giving them a very dapper appearance, and the views, of course, became truly spectacular in all directions. The gruelling "final push" up to the summit at 3,600ft was rewarded in great style, when our packed-lunch break was interrupted by a lovely close-up visit from an inquisitive male Snow Bunting in his beautiful almost all-white summer plumage (see pic). Our luck continued as we walked around the sheltered corries below the summit, when, within just a few minutes,we had good views of 2 Ptarmigan, their upper plumage beginning to turn a mixture of greys and browns, though their lower half remained winter-white, a splendid white Mountain Hare, and one of the Cairngorms Reindeers - giving us pretty much a full-house of the hoped-for species, Excellent!

2007-04-29T21:51:00.000+01:00

Late April saw fantastic weather - high pressure and clear skies meant cold, crisp mornings followed by warm, sunny days - perfect safari conditions.
Safari highlights (as voted for by my customers) were several good dawn sightings of Otter on the River Spey ( a good way of justifying the 4am alarm clock!) , lekking Black Grouse, calling Cuckoos, Ospreys catching fish and delivering them to the nest, a hunting Red Kite, good views of Scottish Crossbills, and an amazing close encounter with 2 Ptarmigan.
With bird day-lists now hitting 60+ and mammal day-lists of 7-8, it is probably fair to say that we are getting into peak safari-season!

2007-04-22T17:29:00.000+01:00

Mid April at last saw us enjoy some Southerly winds and warmer weather, and with it came some of our returning migrant birds, with species such as Ring Ouzel (see pic), Wheatear, Common Sandpiper, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff, Swallow, House Martin & Sand Martin all being seen in this area for the first time since late Summer last year.

Capercaillie always seem to feature on my Safari guests "wish-lists", but are one of the most difficult species to see, with many hours searching in suitable forest usually ending in failure, or at best, with a fleeting glimpse of the backside of one as it disappears noisily into the canopy, it having seen you long before you saw it!

However, help is at hand in the form of the RSPB early morning Caper-Watch , which takes place at their Loch Garten reserve between April 1 and May 20, with the Osprey hide and a specifically built new hide overlooking a traditional lek site giving us a much better chance of seeing this magnificent creature. With as many as 4 Capercaillie being seen on some mornings it is well worth a visit, and also means less pressure on other sensitive lek sites.

2007-04-09T21:42:00.000+01:00

April started with the weather showing signs of improvement, with the Easter weekend being particularly pleasant, and ideal for safaris. However, with no Southerly winds to report, returning migrant birds were still very thin on the ground.
Despite the lack of migrants, day-lists of birds started to creep up into the mid 50's, with day-lists of mammals regularly reaching 7 or 8.
My personal favourite sighting of early April,s outings had to be the return to her nest of a female Osprey - to be joined a day later by a male who soon earned his conjugal rights by bringing her regular fish deliveries!
Another highlight was a close-up fly -past by a dashing male Merlin with a small bird clutched in his claws, which interupted our viewing of the (still mainly white) Mountain Hares in a beautiful mountain glen.
The Slavonian Grebe was seen to have transformed from it's uninspiring black and white Winter colours into it,s beautiful summer plumage with those amazing gold ear tufts seemingly glowing in the sunshine.
Most of the other "local specialities" continued to show well and I think it' fair to say that my safari customers went away very happy with what they had seen , if a little tired maybe, after the 5am starts!

2007-03-25T20:56:00.000+01:00

Mid- March saw Winter return with a vengeance, with one 48 hour period seeing 10 inches of snow fall in the Cairngorms National Park -very scenic (see pic) and great for skiers- not so great for birders wanting to get to remote areas!

However,the weekend of the 24th/25th saw the winds switch from Northerly to Southerly and the beautifully calm, sunny days made for perfect safari conditions.

A safari on the Saturday gave 50+ bird species & 8 mammal species:

The Rivers produced Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Goosander, and Goldeneye.

Farmland's highlight was a great close-up of a perched Long-Eared Owl, it's prominent ears and bright orange eyes showing well at close range - sadly, it flew off as soon as I reached for the camera! Yellowhammer, Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Curlew, greylag Geese & 4 Thrush species as well as Roe Deer and Sika Deer were also all seen.

Moorland gave us Black Grouse (lekking), Red Grouse, Meadow Pipit and Stonechat.

Lochs produced 4 red-Throated Divers & 3 Black-Throated Divers and many other species of wildfowl & waders.

Forest specialities were represented by a beautiful male Crossbill seen drinking from a puddle, and several Red Squirrels.

Mountain habitat's best sightings were 20+Reindeer , white Mountain Hares, and a herd of multi-coloured Mountain Goats with 2 tiny youngsters.

Even the breakfast stop was enlivened by a close encounter with a dashing male Sparrowhawk attempting to snatch a chaffich from the bird feeders as we enjoyed our bacon butties!

A great day of wildlife-watching, and all with a fantastic backdrop of blue skies and snowy mountains!

2007-03-10T17:08:00.000Z

Early March saw lengthening days and rising temperatures and more birds making their return to Speyside for the breeding season. Curlews were seen to join the Lapwings and Oystercatchers , their bubbling calls drawing your attention to them from some distance away.
I saw my first Grey wagtail of the year on the 4th March, it,s long tail pumping furiously as it sat on a rock in the River Spey, it,s gorgeous lemon yellow underparts showing well in the sun.
Our Winter visitors are still around, with good numbers of Greylag geese and Whooper Swans still being noted, with just the odd report of a Waxwing here & there, though Waxwing numbers in the UK this Winter are well down on the previous few years.

2007-03-01T19:01:00.000Z

February ended with more signs of Spring approaching. The Red Grouse are becoming noisy & conspicuous now, their guttural "go back , go back" calls enlivening the previously quiet Moors, their red eye-combs becoming visibly larger & brighter. Oystercathers are returning to their breeding grounds along the River Spey flood-plains, their dapper black & white plumage & bright orange bills brightening up the still wintry scenery (see pic), their shrill "peep peep peep" calls filling the air as they wheel around in display flights.

2007-02-18T21:26:00.000Z

February started as January had finished, with cold snowy conditions, but by the second week most of the snow had melted in the much milder conditions. Early feb wildlife highlight was a good dawn sighting of a male Capercaillie, seen taking grit from a forest track before very casually and surprisingly elegantly, melting into the deep undergrowth - a wonderful (& very rare!) experience.
Other notable sightings included more regular views of Crossbills and Crested tits, perhaps evidence of the onset of the breeding season? Further evidence of Spring's approach was the growing numbers of Lapwings seen on their traditional breeding grounds, and a noticeable increase in birdsong particularly at dawn.

2007-01-25T21:43:00.000Z

The third week of January saw decent falls of snow in the Cairngorms region, and with the wind dropping ,(at last!) good number of people were able to enjoy the first snow sports opportunity of this Winter. Wildlife highlights included good views of a large flock (300+) of Bramblings (see pic), on local farmland-their blackish heads, orangey breasts and white rumps showing well as they whirled around in a close-knit flock, with a few Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Greenfinches for company.

2007-01-08T21:32:00.001Z

January 2007
The first half of January was not perfect weather-wise for wildlife watching, with high winds and rain dominating. However, Bird highlights included: A beautiful Barn Owl on nearby farmland, a hunting Red Kite low over the A9, and a decent view through the scope of a Golden Eagle, all on the 2nd. A rare day of dry,cold weather on the 6th produced a decent day-list including a good, close view of 7 Whooper Swans on a flooded field close to the River Spey, a Hen Harrier (ringtail) and 4 Black Grouse on the moors at Dawn, and a close encounter with a gorgeous Mountain Hare, it's pure white winter coat making it very easy to pick out on the virtually snow-free slopes of a local glen!

2006-12-15T20:14:00.000Z

December started as November had finished, with high winds and rain, rain and more rain causing some bad flooding in low-lying areas of the Spey Valley. A brief window in the bad weather on the 8th allowed me to do a full dawn to dusk 'practise' Safari - the highlights being; 7 Male Black Grouse at dawn on the moors, good views of a small flock of Snow Buntings on Cairngorm (see pic), a close encounter with a Red Grouse in the heather, good views through the scope of a totally white Mountain Hare, Mountain Goats, Red Deer, Reindeer and Roe Deer plus plenty of Buzzards and Kestrels and a very obliging Red Squirrel in the birdfeeder box at the very welcome brekkie stop.

2006-04-22T12:24:00.000+01:00

Hi, my name is Steve Reddick.
I live in Aviemore in the Cairngorms National Park, Highland Region, Scotland, U.K.

I am a very keen birdwatcher & run Highland Wildlife & Birdwatch Safaris - a small independent business dedicated to helping others to see & enjoy the wildlife treasures of this beautiful & unspoilt area.

My blog will be used to describe my experiences & sightings while out & about, & will hopefully convey to you some of the feelings & atmosphere of this marvellously uplifting place.
I can be contacted by E:mail at steve.reddick@btinternet.com

I am writing this first report in early April 2006, so I will take the opportunity to briefly look back at January, February & March before getting up to date.

January 2006, though very cold (-16c!) at times was almost snow-free. Birding highlights included Whooper Swans, Greylag Geese, Pink-Footed Geese & good numbers of wildfowl such as Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye & Tufted Duck on our local lochs & wetlands, with the odd sighting of Smew, Pochard, Shoveler, Goosander & Red-Breasted Merganser. Dippers started displaying along the River Spey.
The Forests held some impressively large mixed flocks of Siskins, Redpolls, Goldcrests, Treecreepers & various Tit species & gave regular sightings of Crested tit , Crossbill, Red Squirrel & Roe Deer.
Moorland areas gave regular views of Red Grouse & Stonechat with just the odd sighting of a Hen Harrier, Merlin or Short-Eared Owl being noted.
Mountain habitat provided good views of Red Deer, Feral Goat & Mountain Hare (in their gorgeous white winter coat) plenty of Common Buzzards, & occasional Peregrine Falcon, Raven & Golden Eagle.

February 2006 was very similar to january in respect of weather & wildlife seen, though it was noticeable that many more raptors such as Common Buzzard & Sparrowhawk were displaying over the woodlands & had become more vocal. Garden species too, such as Thrushes, Tits, Finches & Robins were also starting to sing more. The first Oystercatchers & Lapwings were seen returning to their breeding grounds along the River Spey.

March 2006 saw snow fall virtually throughout the month, providing excellent skiing on the Cairngorm Mountains & giving those birders keen (or crazy!) enough to brave the elements( windchill of -25c!) the chance of seeing species such as Ptarmigan & Snow Bunting (see pic) at reasonably low levels.

The inclement conditions also saw rarer species attracted to gardens in the area. My garden visitors included Brambling & Yellowhammer as well as much increased numbers of the usual species, while others were lucky to get rarer Crested Tits & Waxwings(see pic below).The end of the Month saw the first of the migratory species returning - I saw my first Osprey on the 26th & my first Wheatears on the 27th. The final week also saw Red-Throated Divers, Black-Throated Divers & Slavonian Grebes return to our local lochs.
The numbers of Lapwings & Oystercatchers increased dramatically along the Spey, and on the moorlands the male Black Grouse began to 'lek' in earnest - their amazing "whooshing & bubbling" calls resounding across the otherwise near - silent moors.

The first returning Sand Martins were seen close to their traditional nesting sites & I was lucky to see a fantastic close-up view of a Kingfisher (a rare bird in these parts!) & decent prolonged views of an Otter catching fish, at the same time on a local loch!

The harsh conditions also attracted a Wildcat to come scavenging for scraps in the bins of a local hotel - a neighbour alerted me to it's presence & I was lucky enough to not only see it , but grab a bit of video too! Another local eaterie informed me that their bird-feeding area was being visited after dark by Pine Martens.

April 2006 started in the same wintry fashion as march, but a Safari on the 7th still managed to produce 49 bird species, the highlights being lekking Black Grouse, good numbers of Red Grouse displaying noisily , a Peregrine Falcon duelling with Common Buzzards, a superb male Merlin hunting down a Meadow Pipit - it seemingly 'locked-on' to it's prey's every desperate twist & turn , a pair of Ospreys at their nest, the female calling noisily to the male for food!, and a Hen Harrier (female) hunting low over the moors, being mobbed by angry Black-Headed Gulls.

The wintry theme was supported by continued sightings of Whooper Swans & Snow Buntings, whilst a hint of Spring was provided by views of Redshanks, House Martins & a Swallow(see pic). The only real disappointment of the day was the non-appearance of any Capercaillie at the RSPB's early - morning "Caper-Watch" on it's Abernethy Forest reserve, though it did provide good views of a female Crossbill as compensation.

Mammals were represented by Roe Deer, & Red Deer, a Red Squirrel, which ran across the road in front of my vehicle!, and 2 Brown Hares who entertained us by running around at high speed and occasionally reared up on their hind legs to "box" each other. A Stoat was seen hunting baby Rabbits on the banks of the River Spey.

Safaris in the middle of the month saw day -list numbers increase as more migrant birds returned, Willow Warblers & Tree Pipits were seen singing from treetops. Capercaillie were seen regularly, as many as 6 birds at a time being seen at the RSPB "Caper-Watch", the magnificent black cock birds fanning their huge tails & strutting agressively in an attempt to impress the watching hen birds - surely a "must-see" of British Wildlife spectacles?

The 15th-18th saw a Great Grey Shrike give good views to lucky birders when it showed well in an area of birch-scrub just outside Aviemore(see pic below).

A walk in the Abernethy Forest, near the River Spey on the 23rd added some more "year-list ticks" in the form of Common Whitethroat, Common Sandpiper, Housemartin and Chiffchaff, and also produced good numbers of Scottish Crossbill - their harsh "glip-glip" calls alerting us to their presence in the treetops. Crested Tit proved harder to see, with just one bird showing briefly. This was the warmest day of Spring so far, with temperatures reaching 16c(60f) in glorious sunshine.

April 28th saw an attempt at a big day-list with a 12 hour Safari covering many different types of inland habitat - in fact just about every type except mountain tops!

A dawn start in the Abernethy Forest produced most common birds plus highlights such as Capercaillie (a brief view of a female at RSPB Caper-Watch), Crested Tit, Scottish Crossbill, Cuckoo, Redstart, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Roe Deer (see pic) & Red Squirrel.

Local rivers gave us, among others, Dipper, Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Goldeneye & Goosander.

Local marshlands were kind to us too, with Curlew, Grey Heron, Little Grebe, another Osprey and a first Redstart (a stunning black & silver -headed male) of the year as highlights.

Farmland helped top up the list with those expert songsters Yellowhammer and Skylark being observed singing heartily, and good views of a hunting Sparrowhawk being of most interest. Brown Hare was added to the mammal-list.

Moorland gave us a first Whinchat of the year, Stonechat, Wheatear, numerous Red Grouse (their raucous "go-back, go-back" calls resonating across the moors), a good view of a splendid male Golden Plover (which I tempted out of cover by imitating its call!) but best of all, a super close encounter with 3 Black Grouse (see pic) which were found taking grit from the road through the moors, affording us much closer views than normal of these usually very easily-spooked birds.

Local cliffs came up trumps - a female Peregrine Falcon providing great entertainment when it left it's perch to impress us with its powerful flight and dramatic stoops, and a smart male Ring Ouzel (again, tempted to show itself by imitating it's call!) it's clean white 'crescent moon' chest marking showing well.

Upland lochs gave us perhaps three of the most attractively marked birds, in summer - plumaged Slavonian Grebe (it's golden ear-tufts shining in the sun), Red -Throated Diver and Black -Throated Diver, the good light conditions showing their striking markings beautifully.

To finish off the day, a trip to my favourite "raptor -valley" provided numerous Red Deer on the steep hill-sides , Kestrel, Raven, and, just as we were about to leave, what I was really hoping to see, a Golden Eagle, seen duelling with 3 (clearly smaller!) Common Buzzards, a first-winter, it's white wing patches and tail-base and huge size making identification easy. Taking into account their rarity, and (normally), the difficulty in getting a good view, maybe this magnificent specimen should get the vote for "Bird of the day"!

The final totals for the 12 hour day were Birds - 69 species and Mammals - 5 species, but more importantly the wow -factor and feel-good factor generated by all these marvellous wildlife encounters in such beautiful scenery is surely un-quantifiable?!

Mountain top was the chosen habitat for April 30th, to try and 'complete the set' of local specialities. A gruelling two & a half hour walk up above the snow-line to over 3,400ft on another beautiful sunny Spring day rewarded our efforts with stunning close-up views of Ptarmigan (see pic), their plumage a mixture of pure white Winter feathers and grey-brown Summer feathers. Lunch was spent in the snow at the summit cairn admiring fabulous views in all directions-we could see the Nevis Mountain range 60 miles to the West and the Moray Firth 50 miles to the North!

The best however was still to come - when two very aggressive male Ptarmigan decided to fight out a dispute before our very eyes! 'Belching' loudly, they leapt vertically in the air at each other and actually bit at each others wings and tails until the stronger combatant chased off the loser! Luckily, I had the presence of mind to video this behaviour as I don't ever recall seeing it before. A fantastic Wildlife experience, and a great way to end the month!

May started with a family trip( not officially a Safari!) to the Moray Firth coastline with tearooms and scenic views competing with the Wildlife for my attention. A bit of secretive scanning however, turned up plenty of Gulls & common seabirds, and year ticks in the form of Swifts, Sandwich Terns and Common Terns. Also seen were Black Guillemots, Gannets, Eider Ducks, Red- Breasted Mergansers and Rock Pipits. Bird of the day was a quite rare Glaucous Gull, it,s strikingly all-white plumage and 'heavy' appearance making it stick out from the crowds of commoner gulls.

May,s first week also saw me spend a couple of evenings watching Pine Martens( Britain's rarest mammal!) at a pre-baited area. I am working on adding evening Pine Marten watches to my Safari repertoire - so watch this space!

A mini - safari (5am - 9am) on May 11th produced a brief sighting of a male Capercaillie, excellent views of Black Grouse (& Britains most famous birder, Bill Oddie!) at a lek site, a Red Grouse(see pic) which, (for once!) posed beautifully for the camera!,a group of 6 noisy Scottish Crossbills, the bright red males & greeny-yellow females showing well in the low but bright early morning sunshine,a pair of Bullfinches, and another year-tick in Spotted Flycatcher as well as a good supporting cast of more common species, and all before breakfast!

The second weekend of May saw us make a trip North out of the Spey Valley beyond Loch Ness (sorry, no monster sightings to report!) to the magnificent ancient Caledonian pine forests of Glen Affric. We did several of the attractive waymarked walks, taking in riverside, waterfalls, forests, and moorland, seeing Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Crossbill, Redstart and many others on the way. The real highlights of the day though were the magnificent views at various points (see pic) along the glen and the feeling of being in a truly beautiful and unspoilt place - some of the trees are over a thousand years old!

The middle-end of May saw me take out a number of guests enjoying their first trip to the Scottish Highlands. Some were surprised at the wintry conditions we encountered, but all of them were impressed with the amazing scenery and the absence of other people at the places we visited. As all of the migrant species have now returned, May is probably the most productive month in terms of numbers of species of birds & mammals seen in one day, with totals reaching 60+ birds and up to 8 mammals including most of the local specialities that visitors have on their wish-lists! One of the great joys of doing what I do is seeing the look of amazement on people's faces when they get their first ever sighting of a much sought - after species, sometimes after several years of trying!

June sees the days noticeably lengthening, with 24 hour birding almost possible, and large day-lists possible, the only problems being the seriously early start needed to see the 'dawn species' and the seriously late finish needed to see the 'dusk species!

Most of the bird species now have fledged young to care for, giving us the chance to see some of the usually more secretive species such as Woodcock (see pic) and Golden Plover with close-up views of family groups of birds proving very popular with my Safari customers.

Mammals always prove popular with my safari customers, with most days providing Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Roe Deer, Brown Hare and Mountain Goat, and the occasional sighting of rarer species such as Pine Marten, Mountain Hare, Bank Vole, Stoat and Weasel.

However, an early start on June 11th gave us the most prized mammal of all, when an Otter entertained us for several minutes as it caught a fish out of the Spey and ate it on an island within 20 yards of us (see pic), fantastic!!.

Inland Otters are notoriously difficult to see due to them being almost entirely nocturnal in their activities, especially so in the Summer, when we are blessed with 20+ hours of light, so this was truly an exceptional sighting.

Despite the changeable weather, safaris throughout the remainder of June continued to produce good day lists of both birds & mammals, with good views of family

groups of most species,with Osprey,Red Grouse and Crested Tits proving particularly popular.

July started in a similar vein to June, with good weather and large day - lists.

Early highlights were good views of a Weasel, and a rare chance to obtain a good photograph of a perched Osprey (see pic)

July,s heatwave made for some memorable days out, with us all enjoying the warm ,sunny weather - there,s no doubt that our local scenery takes a bit of beating on a Summer,s day, and with the birds & wildlife continuing to show well, the feel good factor is running high!

July also sees most bird species with families, and with the adults preoccupied with feeding their young , and a stealthy approach, it is often possible to get much closer than usual views of some of the more flighty species such as Black -Throated Diver (see pic) .

A very successful Safari on July 27, as well as providing good views of such sought-after local bird specialities as Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Dipper, Goldeneye, Slavonian Grebe, Red -Throated & Black-Throated Divers, Osprey & Crested Tit (many in family groups) also gave us a record day-list of 9 mammal species! Namely: Rabbit, Brown Hare, Mink, Otter, Red Deer, Reindeer, Roe Deer, Red Squirrel & Feral Mountain Goat, and of course, a very happy Safari party!

August,s Safaris saw a slight drop in the number of bird species seen to around 50 per day, as some of the migratory species became notable by their absence. Compensation came in the form of seeing young Osprey learning to fish for themselves, a beautiful Kingfisher (a rare bird in these parts!) plunging into the River Spey, and the amazing sight of baby Slavonian Grebes being taken for a ride on the parents back! (see pic). It was noted in the Forests that large mixed flocks of all the Tits, Goldcrests, Treecreepers etc were beginning to form - a sure sign of Autumn approaching!

Other August highlights included an unusually close & prolonged view of a beautiful male Merlin, perched on a post on a remote area of moorland, it,s orangey breast & yellow legs showing well in the sunshine, and a brief sighting over a small local lochan of a Hobby(a rare bird this far North!) hunting dragonflies, it,s long, pointed , backswept wings, and swooping flight giving it the appearance of a giant Swift. Goshawk also made a welcome appearance on several occasions, one splendid male bird remaining perched in full view at quite close range giving us the chance to admire it,s powerful 'hip-heavy' build and broad, black-banded tail.

Late August saw more of the migrant birds such as Swifts & Flycatchers depart the area. Mammals, however, especially the semi-nocturnal ones such as Otter & Roe Deer actually became easier to see as our 5am starts coincided with the later arrival of sunrise. Stoats were a surprisingly regular sighting, with several seen eating road-casualty rabbits!.The mornings started to get a little chilly, with temperatures down to 4deg c - Autumn is definitely on it's way!

September saw the majority of the lingering migrant species departing our area, so we began to concentrate more on 'resident' species. Dawn starts in the Abernethy Forest produced several decent sightings of Capercaillie, and the colder mornings seemed to prompt the Black Grouse on the local moors into more activity. Raptor sightings continued to impress, with regular views of Buzzard, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, occasional Merlin and Goshawk, and best of all , on the 15th, 2 juvenile Golden Eagles seen clearly trying to scare a group of young feral mountain goats into stumbling off a steep cliff! Roe Deer stags were seen & heard rutting, their loud barking calls resonating around the forests, and Red Deer Stags became noticeably more aggressive in preparation for their forthcoming rutting season (see pic)

October, despite starting unseasonably mildly, saw the first signs of migration to Britain from further North, with the numbers of winter visitors to our area increasing rapidly. Greylag Geese were seen regularly from the start of the month, and from mid-month, large groups of Redwings began to strip the local berry bushes, and groups of Whooper Swans were noted on local lochs, their loud whooping calls carrying for quite a distance. The Red Deer rut started in earnest, and it was fascinating to watch the dominant males coralling their harems of females, and meeting the challenges of other rivals with mighty bellowing calls and occasional violent antler to antler clashes.

The end of October saw large flocks of Fieldfares appear in our area, and it was not uncommon to see Rowan trees heavily laden with bright red berries, being pillaged by all 5 of our Thrush species at once! October 26 saw our first snowfall on the Cairngorm Mountains, though it only lasted the one day in the still unseasonably mild temperatures!

November started in a similar vein, with temperatures dropping but no real frosts & the leaves finally turning to proper Autumnal colours. The numbers of Redwings & Fieldfares increased further still, with Continental Blackbirds starting to join them, their dark bills & sooty plumage distinguishing them from our native race. The first real frosts in mid-month saw the arrival of our first Waxwings of this winter in the Aviemore area, the Cotoneaster & Pyrocantha bushes in the Hotel car Park proving irresistible to these beautiful Scandinavian invaders! A noticeable increase in the numbers of more common birds feeding in our garden was seen, with the numerous feeders needing re-stocking much more frequently!

The third week of November saw snow fall on the Cairngorms above about 2,000ft, and a chilly walk into a sheltered corrie saw excellent close-up views of Ptarmigan (see pic) their plumage now almost entirely it's amazing Winter-white in order to provide maximum camouflage in the snow.

High winds and heavy rainfall throughout the last week of the month curtailed my wildlife watching plans, so I concentrated on my Pike fishing - catching (and returning) some nice specimens up to 16lb in weight. My binoculars did of course accompany me on my fishing trips, and although I have nothing spectacular to report, I did get some amazing close-up views (down to 4ft!) of mixed tit flocks, who seemed unaware of my presence under my camouflage brolly!