Yesterday morning saw us passing through Glen Morlich on our way up to the car park, at the base of Cairngorm. With the funicular train out of action and no helicopter handy, the prospect of reaching the summit and the ptarmigan plateau was out of the question. A walk on the lower slopes was still very rewarding, with spectacular views of the surrounding highland and over Glen Morlich below us. Birding revealed only a handful of Meadow Pipits feeding in the heather. Later, on the shores of Loch Morlich, I came across Crested Tits once more. In fact, while looking for somewhere to have lunch and, without the camera (!!!) a Crested Tit was at arm's length in a small sapling. (i-phone picture below) A corner of Loch Morlich. We returned to the Feshiebridge area for more Crossbills. A large flock, around eighty birds was constantly on the move over the forest. The only birds settling were inconclusive as to their identification in Crossbill terms. Great-spotted Woodpeckers were in the forest and another Crested Tit was seen. A forecast of rain all day cleared by midday. I was even more optimistic when our little Red Squirrel put in an appearance. We set off for the Findhorn Valley in search of raptors. A mile along the valley's minor road, we got off to an excellent start with a roadside Common Buzzard. Along the Findhorn Valley. A beautiful valley to walk and had no sooner set off when juvenile Wheatears were found. ,On a rocky escarpment, two Kestrels were fighting in the air. A Peregrine showed up, crossing the valley to the far side. Along the valley walk, we only saw two other people, but I felt I was being watched from afar! Reinforcements arrived across the valley, some more Red Deer stags. A Sparrowhawk was seen together with eight Common Buzzards (a group of four with two Ravens). No Golden Eagles were seen over the area visited. One of the many Meadow Pipits seen on the valley floor - just happens to be ringed!
We began today, walking in Abernethy Forest on the lookout again, for specialist woodland birds. Staying off what I thought would be the main tracks and picking a narrower one, we were able to walk alone for the best part of an hour through the massive pines which make up this ancient forest. I realised after some distance, I was struggling to find any birds at all. Those who know me will be aware that I can hear birds long before seeing them and a good half mile had passed, before I heard a single Wren singing. Continuing on our way, Siskins were heard occasionally high up and a Woodpigeon was put out of a tree. A Roe Deer crossed the path ahead of us and a Jay was seen briefly. The remainder of the walk revealed nothing at all. Moving on to the shore of Loch Garten, a Common Sandpiper was seen there and two female Goldeneye were sitting out on the Loch (in the picture below). From here, we did a four and a half mile walk taking in two lochs. A few more Woodpigeons were flushed and two Robins were seen along the way. After around half an hour, I heard Crested Tits in the trees nearby and saw two, high up in the pines. Only being found here in the Caledonian Forest, these Crested Tits were my first seen in the U.K.
In this same piece of forest, a few small flocks of Crossbills called, flying high over the tree canopy without stopping. Coal Tits were present in the treetops at times. After lunch, we moved on to the Rothiemurchus Forest and Loch an Eilein. Only a small number of Mallard were seen on the loch. Three days into our break and the only raptors seen (apart from the Ospreys) amount to four Buzzards during that time. For a complete change in birding habitat, we have chosen the highlands of Scotland and in particular, the Cairngorms National Park. In view of the distance from home, an overnight stop around the outskirts of Edinburgh was arranged. After the first leg of the journey we were ready for a good walk and the beaches along the Firth of Forth were ideal for this. Along our walk I noticed many seabirds over the water. Gannets were seen which would be from the large colony on Bass Rock. Sandwich Terns fished over the sea and Cormorants were diving. Two female Eider Ducks were far out, but three Goosanders gave us some nice close views as they fished in the shallower water. The next morning we were on our way towards the mountains and made a lunch break at Pitlochry, where we saw a Dipper on the River Tummel whilst looking at the salmon ladder on the hydro-electric scheme. We arrived at our destination after first noting the Falls of Truim, close to our cottage and possibly tomorrow morning's walk. The cottage is part of an entire estate and with the cottages and main house, there is a lochan, mixed woodland and the heather and bracken covered hillsides. The grounds of the house gave me fleeting glimpses of a Red Squirrel and the bird feeders are busy with a variety of woodland birds. Around the gardens, in no time at all, I found Mistle and Song Thrush, Chaffinch, Siskin, Great, Blue, Coal and Long-tailed Tit, Treecreeper, many Spotted Flycatchers and a smart male Redstart. Before setting out on our fist day, I scanned the distant hills from the cottage in time to see a dozen Red Deer moving over a ridge. For a chance to see some of the birds in the coniferous forests, I picked an area around Feshiebridge and in doing so, unexpectedly came across a well-established Osprey site on a large loch. This was a real treat after seeing many Ospreys in the Algarve, possibly even Scottish birds passing through on migration. Here we had a breeding pair which have been very successful over the years and this year alone, had three young Ospreys almost ready to fly. Two young on the left and the third just showing, behind the male parent. Leaving the young alone, the female returned after a short absence carrying sticks to continue maintaining this longstanding home. On the female's left leg there is a colour ring in green with the number ten. The male is not ringed and neither will the young, as the site is too fragile to access. With very little room in the nest, the female takes up a position in a tree close by. In time the male returns, carrying a fish which for some reason, is already missing its head!! The female comes over to check all is done properly and that about sums up the work of the parent Ospreys. The young are very close to flying, one was watched flapping its wings and lifting off the nest just a few inches, then settling down again. An amazing experience to see these parent Ospreys producing a further family of spectacular raptors. So in the coniferous woodland, Siskins were about in good numbers, Coal Tits are common, a Mistle Thrush flew through and these Treecreepers were showing very well, even on the ground. Crossbills were my target bird and although I was hearing them almost constantly and seeing them fly high over the spruces, they were not settling anywhere and proved hard to pin down. After a while, a small group of juveniles dropped into a nearby tree and I had a good look at these 'brown' individuals. The only adult-looking Crossbill I saw was very high in a spruce tree and into the sun too. At this stage of the trip, I can't say whether that is a 'Common' or Scottish Crossbill and need some more hours in these great forests.
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