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.
