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.
