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.
