Scotland 2016
Scotland - 18th - 22nd Feb 2016
Thursday 18th Feb
After months in the planning today was the day we set off for a winter trip to the Cairngorms. Firstly a trip to Sharpness was needed. Ricky who was joining me on this trip to Scotland had requested to see one of the long staying Black Redstarts that were in the area. This would be a lifer for Ricky.
I am unfamiliar with Sharpness as I had not been here since fishing trips as a child. A quick text to Lee Gardiner a fellow bird photographer produced the goods. Lee's words were drive along Dock Road and look for building with sloping roof. We quickly found the building and boom sat on the roof was one Black Redstart. We pulled up alongside the building and waited for the bird to come within photographic distance. Below are a few images of the Sharpness Black Redstart.
Black Redstart - Sharpness
Black Redstart - Sharpness
Black Redstart - Sharpness
Black Redstart - Sharpness
Black Redstart - Sharpness
This great Start today was quickly followed by a fat boy fried breakfast cooked by the old man and then it was off to Bristol Airport to catch our flight to Inverness. We were met at the Airport by our fellow travellers Brian Thompson a Local Bird Photographer and Karle Burford a local Birdwatcher. Yes you have read this right 3 photographers and a bird watcher are off to Scotland together. Are they going to play nicely??? how will this ever work??? Surely the photographers will come back with no photos as the birder in the group will tell them off as they kept getting to close and flushing the birds. This will never work surely???.
Brian, Karle and Ricky are all year listing so are keen to see as many species as possible within the 4 days we had in Scotland. Myself I don't list or tick birds lol, so I am after plenty of photos and happy to see what ever comes along!!! The flight was pretty painless apart from a 30min delay. Myself and Ricky both got pulled up at bag search and had all but a full strip search!!! I fully get all the security stuff but the unhelpful and uncooperative staff at this part of the Airport really didn't help the situation.
On arrival in Inverness we quickly picked up our hire car a nice white Mazda 6 (didn't stay white for long) and set off to make the most of the last hour of daylight. We stopped at Alturlie which overlooks the Moray Firth. Karle had visited here before and knew it was a good place to tick ( not me) the Sea Ducks. I don't keep a list so this is purely from memory. I think we saw a few of Goldeneye, Gooseanders, and Long-tailed Ducks. These were mostly blobs in the distance and not great for the photographer in me but still great to year tick Long-tailed Duck (not that i year tick).
Moray Firth
Setting Sun Moray Firth
We also saw plenty of Hooded Crows but apparently you can't if I was ticking, tick these as most birds on the East coast of Scotland are Hybrids. I won't waffle on with the science shit but i ticked it anyway. According to the Brian Thompson list it counts!! Good enough for me! The daylight was fading so it was time to head off to our hotel for the next 4 nights. We were staying at the Grant Arms in Grantown on Spey, a superb hotel which is idea for nature lovers. If anyone is thinking of a vacation to the Cairngorms i highly recommend this hotel. The food is fantastic.
Tea was the time of great debate on what the plans were going to be for our first full day. It was decided to try for some Black Cock (stealing a Packham joke) first at the bottom Cairngorm Ski car park and then up onto the mountains for Ptarmigan and Snow Bunting. The Weather didn't look great but looked the best for the next 3 days. After a few pints of tradewind it was time to get some rest before a full day in the mountains.
Friday 19th February
A slight covering of snow in Grantown wasn't enough to put us off going up into the Cairngorms. We set off slightly later than planned as breakfast which was excellent was a bit slow in coming. By the time we had got to the first car park it was probably to late to find any Black Grouse on the Lech. We were right it was. The Lech is viewed from a purpose built viewing station and sadly no birds were seen. It was bloody freezing and the driving winds was wiping up the lying and falling snow. We were soon in the car and off to the main car park further up the mountain. The car park is a good place to see Snow Bunting and on occasions Ptarmigan. No Ptarmigan today but a flock of 15 Snow Bunting was a good year tick for most of the guys. (If I was year listing I would already have it on the List) We decided to head off into the mountains to try and find some Ptarmigan the weather wasn't great so we made a decision to head up before the weather got any worse. We were heading to an area that I had photographed Ptarmigan in last year. There were a lot of serious hill walkers and Ice climbers on the route but no Ptarmigan. As we climbed the weather continued to get worse and after Brian went arse over tit we decided that the weather had got the better of us. Even if they were on the lower slopes we wouldn't be able to see them in the white out conditions let alone hear them in the howling wind. We headed back down to the Car Park for the Snow Buntings again. Sadly these had disappeared. The weather was bad enough to close the Ski runs, definitely the right decision to turn around.
Next on the agenda was a Trip to Loch Morlich and Loch Garten. There were a few Goldeneye and Mallards on Loch Morlich but little else. After dipping the Ptarmigan we headed Loch Garten for The Crested Tit. These are pretty much a given from the feeders at Loch Garten. It wasn't long until we gifted our first views of a Crestie they were few and far between probably 3 birds in total but great to see. We set up a few perches and baited them with bird friendly Peanut Butter (no salt) the Cresties loved it along with the 100s of Chaffinches and Coal Tits. No Red Squirrels was a disappointment.
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Crested Tit - Loch Garten
Chaffinch - Loch Garten
We had a bit of time to kill after dipping on the Ptarmigan so we headed off to Lochindorb. But first we stopped off at a Place called Broomhill Station which is an old Railway Station that overlooks a few flooded fields. Throughout the Winter a Glaucous and Iceland Gull had been spotted here. We were reliable informed that both had in fact been seen yesterday. No Such luck today but hey we could maybe try again.
Broomhill Station
Lochindorb is a great place to find Red Grouse from the comfort of your car. We also hoped for some raptors or some early returning Divers on the Loch. The Loch held the usual suspects Goldeneye and Gooseanders but little else. There were plenty of Grouse to photograph from the car. The sun even shone here for a spilt second!!
Red Grouse - Lochindorb
Red Grouse - Lochindorb
After travelling past Lochindorb we decided to head over to the Findhorn Valley. This was also our planned area to visit tomorrow so if we ticked all the boxes we could probably do something else on Sunday. Findhorn Valley AKA as Raptor valley is an area of outstanding beauty it is a single track road with a few houses rooted along it the follows the River Findhorn for about 10 Miles.
We took a slow drive along as every time we caught sight of the River Findhorn, Karle would ask me to stop and say "this is a good place for Dipper here". This wasn't the first time today he had said this and every time we went over a bridge, saw or even heard water we had to stop as it was a good place for Dippers. Like the other 106 times we had stopped today we drew a blank. LOL. We decided to pull in at a small lay-by and scan the surrounding areas for Raptors. The one thing i wanted to see this trip was a Golden Eagle. Having been to Scotland on numerous occasions I had always drew a Blank on this amazing birds. Today was going to be my lucky day. No sooner had we got out of the car a raptor drifted towards us, we got our bins on what we though was a Buzzard but as it drew closer it clearly wasn't and a Golden Eagle drifted low over our heads. Before any of us could close our mouths and grab a camera it was gone!!!! Wow no photo but who cares I had just saw my first Golden Eagle (life tick). We travelled on to the end of the valley were we hoped to see more raptors and Mountain Hares. We saw quite a few Buzzards around but not much else. I climbed up on the hill to see if I could flush any hares. No such luck. Plenty of poo about but no hares. The views from here are stunning and well worth the trip.
Findhorn Valley
Findhorn Valley
Findhorn Valley
I think on the way back to the hotel we stopped again at Broomhill Station!! Guess what no Gulls. Tea again at the Hotel was fantastic I can highly recommend the Haggis dumplings to start. They are to die for. It was decided over a few Tradewinds we would head off tomorrow to see the long staying Ring-necked Duck at Pitlochry.
Saturday 20th Feb
The weather in Grantown was a bit sleety and thankful no real over night snow that had been forecast so we set off after another hearty breakfast to Pitlochry which is about 90 minutes south of Grantown-on-Spey. We made a quick stop to Broomhill Station, yes you guessed it no Gulls. The weather went down hill pretty fast and it wasn't long before we were into a full on Snow storm. Probably just a light dusting for the locals but to us southern softies this was pretty mental. I was trying hard to follow the car in fronts tyre marks and to not drive on any of the lying snow. It took a little longer than hoped due to the weather but we were soon out of the mountains and into Pitlochry. We had a brief stop off to buy some bread as rumour has it the Ring-necked Duck can't get enough of it. We soon located the small lake on which this long staying American visitor had been frequenting and sure enough amongst the Tuffted Duck was a slightly odd looking Tuffty. Boom Ring-necked Duck in the bag.
The Cuilc - Pitlochry
Luckily the lake was frozen and the small area that wasn't, was right next to the road from here we had great views of another lifer for me. The rumours were true it loves the bread, although it was a little timid and took its time to come in close. Shame the light was so bad as this was a real opportunity to get some stonkers of a pretty rare visitor.
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
Ring-necked Duck, Pitlochry
An awesome bird. Brian even managed some great pics of the dull red ring that goes around its neck. Sadly a few of mine showed this but were pretty crap so got binned. There was also a Mandarin Duck on the Lake. Nearby were 2 Red Squirrels, Siskin and a Jay. We headed back to Cairngorms for another drive through the Findhorn Valley. The route back home was again fun but the snow wasn't quite as bad as the journey across. Oh I almost forgot we stopped at Broomhill Station!! Boom Gulls.................. but no white wingers!!!!!!!!!!!! We also stopped at Nethy Bridge and found no Dippers.
Nethy Bridge
By the time we arrived at Findhorn the weather had turned again and it was snowing pretty hard. We made the decision to try and get down the valley road but if the snow started to settle on the roads, we would turn for home. Luckly it was about 0c so the road temperature stopped the snow from settling. We slowly drove along the road until we reached the end we had a look around before heading a couple of 100meters back along the road to an area which is good for Mountain Hare. We could see from the car park a few people on the mountains this was good enough for us. Karle decided he was happy to stay in the warm and scope us and the hares from the safety of the car park. Ricky, Brian and myself geared up and set off up the mountain. The snow was coming down thick and fast and made walking very difficult. It was like having needles hit your eyes.
Findhorn Valley in the snow
Findhorn Valley
Findhorn Valley - Whiteout
Brian and Ricky in the Findhorn Valley
Findhorn Valley - Whiteout
Findhorn Valley
We got up onto the mountain where a couple of guys were photographing a Hare we decided not to disturb these guys and find another. Brian went high and Ricky and I went low. It wasn't long before Brian signalled us. He had found a sitting Hare, an excellent spot. We all got together and slowly approached the hare. It gave us fantastic views in some horrendous conditions.
Mountain Hare - Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
Mountain Hare, Findhorn Valley
After spending about 10 minutes with this Hare we thought it best to get of the mountain and out of the Valley as the conditions were getting worse and we didn't have a Keg of Tailwind in the boot so we headed back to the Hotel. We made it back to the hotel via Broomhill Station. Surprise surprise no Gulls.
That night I had arranged a night in a wildlife hide just outside Aviemore on the Rothiemurchus estate. We were met by our Guide and taken to the hide. The guide without trying to be was a comedy legend. I think we all enjoyed his store about an event that happened during 1 of his 16 years working at a wildlife park. A Goat or something managed to hook his belt off and pull down his trousers revealing his bright blue pants. He had caught the animal and was kind of riding it from behind with his trousers down!!!! Awkward!!! Thats his story and he was sticking to it I am sure someone somewhere else could of saw this differently. If you ever meet the guy ask to see his tattoo as well!!! The hide was awesome and we hoped to see Badgers and Pine Martins. Despite what the website says photographing from here isn't easy as the light isn't great but none the less the experience was amazing. It wasn't long before a badger visited the feeding area and before long a Pine Martin graced us with her presences. Across the 3 hours we had at least 3 Badgers, 2 Pine Martins and a few Wood Mice visit us. Below are a couple of half decent photos I managed. Was also good to see how well the 7D mark 2 coped on 16000 ISO.
Pine Martin, Rothiemurchus
Pine Martin, Rothiemurchus
Pine Martin, Rothiemurchus
Pine Martin, Rothiemurchus
Badger, Rothiemurchus
Another fantastic day. What will tomorrow Bring
Sunday 21st Feb
The Plan today was to head down to the Coast starting at Dingwall for a long staying Ring-billed Gull. This Gull has been seen throughout the winter on a small Pond in a park right in the heart of Dingwall. We arrived and quickly located a few Gulls none of which were the Ring-billed Gull. After a quick visit to Tesco for some bread we managed to bring in a lot more gulls, for some reason they were all very cautious. After an hour of nothing I located a bird that fitted the bill!!! Yes we had the Ring-billed and just as we were about to leave. Brian managed to fire of a few quick shots before it disappeared. It was later on when viewing these shots we realised that it was a Common Gull and not a Ring-billed Gull! A Kingfisher was a nice addition to the days birds.
We headed off to our next stop Burghead harbour. This has the potential to turn up some decent birds in the harbour at close range. A Male Eider and a seal were good to see in the Harbour. Along the Harbour wall was a small wader flock of Turnstones, Redshanks and 2 Purple Sandpipers.
Eider Duck - Burghead
Purple Sandpiper - Burghead
Purple Sandpiper - Burghead
We checked the Sea from the Harbour walls and the nearby coastline, we quickly located a Red-throated Diver, Long Tailed Ducks, Goldeneye, Eiders, Red-brested Mergansers and a raft of Common Scoters. Next Stop was a Pig farm near Hopeman that has had 2 Iceland Gull visiting it over the past few weeks. We arrived at the Pig farm and were overwhelmed by the number of Gulls there. There must have been well over 1000 we tried in vain to locate one but the words needle in a hay stack come to mind!! We soon moved on to Lossiemouth for a scout around the coast. The tide was fast going out and not much was seen from the sea walls. A lot of disturbance on the beach meant little chance of finding any Snow Buntings. Brian and Karle were checking out the Sea Whilst Ricky and I headed to the Harbour. It was there I spotted two Ducks in close I slowly approached and found it was a pair of Long-tailed Ducks I quickly called Brian and Karle over and we spent the next 30 mins in the wind,rain and hale photographing these amazing Birds. They were both very wary and stayed pretty much away from us before flying out to sea. Was great to see these up close just a shame about the weather.
Long-tailed Duck- Lossiemouth
Long-tailed Duck- Lossiemouth
Long-tailed Duck- Lossiemouth
Guess what on route back to Grantown we stopped at Broomhill Station and guess what no Gulls!!! Another fantastic meal was had at the hotel and a few more Tradewinds were sunk. Brian and Karle thought it was a good idea to sample the delights of Scottish Whisky. Hopefully they will be good to go for an early start for Black Grouse on our last morning.
Monday 21st Feb
Our last morning was spend at Tulloch Moor at first light looking for Black Grouse sadly no sign but we did randomly find a few gravestones. We had enough time to have another look around Loch Garten. Karle and Brian had a thrash around the woods whilst Ricky and I had another pop at the Crested Tits.
Crested Tit-Loch Garten
Crested Tit-Loch Garten
Crested Tit-Loch Garten
We then headed off to the Airport but one last stop was needed at Broomhill Station and at last it was to be!!!! sat in the flooded field was a huge big fat amazing...... nothing!!!! Oh well wasn't to be. Before we dropped the car off we had another look around the Moray Firth. There were plenty of Hybrid Hooded Crows in the nearby fields and plenty of Sea Ducks just off the beach. Most were Scaups and Wigeon but there seemed to be a few distant Long-tailed Duck. It was good to see such good numbers of Scaup. I have only either seen these in 1 or 2s before. A Flock of Curlew and Oystercatchers were on the beach but before we could photograph them some prick in a van beeped his horn and scared them all off!!!!!
Greater Scaup - Moray Firth
Hooded Crow
It was finally time to head for home. The weekend could be summed up by these words. Good times, Good Beer, Good Food, Good friends and Shit Gulls. Thanks to Ricky Brian and Karle for a top weekend and we all played nicely. Oh and i forgot to mention on the last day Karle was true to his word and we found a Dipper near Nethy Bridge.
