Crested Tits, Crossbills, Capercaille & back to the Coast

Finally getting around to finishing off the trip report for our last couple of days North of the border last week. Apologies go to our avid readers in Cults in particular for the delay in producing the last installment!

We'd originally planned to retrace the same route up Deeside, through Glenshee & Perthshire back to Edinburgh after our few days in Aberdeen. However, tantalised by seeing other people's fantastic shots of Ptarmigan on snow, we decided to take the super-scenic route back with a detour through Aviemore & a flying visit to the Cairngorm.

After a hearty full Scottish breakfast to give us strength for the day, we set off up Deeside as far as Balmoral Castle - again passing good numbers of Greylag Geese feeding in the fields around Muir of Dinnet. 
A final pass through the moorland around Bridge of Gairn was rewarded with some more great views of Red Grouse displaying.  

Red Grouse

We then continued along the same road through Tomintoul and the Lecht towards Aviemore - passing several Roe Deer, large flocks of Lapwings, several groups of Curlews and some distant Mountain Hares along the way. I'd been hoping that there might be some better snow-cover remaining at the Lecht for another chance of getting the Grouse on snow, but it was pretty much all gone apart from a few compacted patches. 

Nearing Aviemore, we spotted quite a lot of large winter visitor waterfowl grazing in the fields along the Spey - mainly Greylags again, but also several groups of Whooper Swan and some Pink-footed and Canada Geese. 

Just outside Grantown on Spey, I was absolutely flabbergasted to spot a female Capercaille walking through the pine trees, not too far back from the main road. I nearly crashed the car in my shock, but as we were in a stream of fast-moving traffic there wasn't anywhere to pull over for some distance. We had to go a couple of miles further down the road before coming to a place where I could turn round, and by the time we'd made our way back, there was no sign of the bird. While I'm gutted not to get even a record shot, it was an incredible feeling to see one in Scotland. 

By this time, we were in dire need of caffeine & cake, so we paid a visit to the Potting Shed Tearoom at Inshriach Nursery. This is a great place for a coffee stop if you are even remotely interested in birds, as the tearoom has a really nice viewing area looking directly out over their wildlife feeding station, which attracts a constant stream of birds and the odd Red Squirrel or two - with the added bonus of excellent cake too! We enjoyed watching the dozens of Chaffinches and Coal-tits on the feeders, as well as Greenfinches and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.

Arriving at the Cairngorm, I was disappointed - but not really surprised- to see that here too, the snow cover had receded up the slopes. I did pick up a group of Ptarmigan on a ridge to the far left of the funicular railway, but too far up to tempt me to try an ascent, I'm afraid! Ah well, got to leave some challenges for next time, after all.

We then stopped into the Scottish Heather Centre, as we've found their wildlife feeding station to be good for woodland birds when we stayed in the area a couple of years ago. However nothing at all was moving during our (admittedly, very breif) visit this time - although we could clearly hear Crested Tits calling in the pines around the grounds. Chatting to the owner, he hasn't seen any come down for a few months, so he thinks the mild winter has meant they are less interested in visiting feeders.

Before hitting the road again, we decided to stretch our legs with a quick walk in one of our favourite spots - in the beautiful RSPB Abernethy forest around Loch Mallachie. Almost immediately, we were surrounded by Crested Tit calls on every side, and we had fun watching them flitting around high up in the pines - too high for much in the way of photos, sadly. (Guess I'm just spoilt after my close encounters in Spain last month!)

Crested Tit - Spain

We also had a small flock of Scottish Crossbills, although again they were staying in cover at the top of the trees. 

Lou stumbled across (almost literally) a very obliging Common Toad - always a fun challenge to shoot 'macro' style subjects using a 500mm lens! 

Common Toad

The highlight of the walk was hearing the unmistakable sounds of a male Capercaille clacking away somewhere in the depth of the forest. We didn't manage to work out where the call was coming from, but it was quite a thrill all the same. 

Back in Edinburgh on Friday, the weather had changed back to cold, grey and drizzly - with strong winds. It wasn't a day to tempt us to go too far afield, especially knowing we had the long drive home the next day. We did take a drive down to the coastline at Crammond, where we found the sea was very rough and few birds were visible out on the water - except a few gulls on the front. However we did come across a huge flock of over 200 Curlews in a sheep field just back from the bay -accompanied by a single Ruff. If it wasn't for the farmer driving through the field as I was setting up I could have managed some close shots of them.

Moving on through Leith Docks, we noticed there were quite a few more birds sheltering in the harbours, so we decided to pop down to Musselburgh again to see if we could pick up the Surf Scooter.

Arriving at the Fisherrow Harbour, we thought we had completely struck out, as there wasn't a single bird to be seen. However a quick scan through the bins showed a few waders huddled on the spar at the mouth of the River Esk further along the bay, so we headed in that direction for a closer look. It turned out to be a good call, as we discovered lots of the waders and waterfowl were sheltering just slightly upriver - including Greylag & Canada Geese, Golden Eye and Dunlin. We didn't find the Scooter, but I was very pleased to be able to finally get really close to a group of Goosanders, as they've been a bit of a bogie bird for me in terms of getting a decent shot!

Goosander -Female

Goosander - Male

So, overall we had a really good time in Scotland - always good to combine seeing the clan with some top-quality wildlife action too!  

Garden birds, Guillemots, gulls and guano

Louise's parents' garden in the outskirts of Aberdeen provided a few additional species for our list for this week's Scottish trip over breakfast this morning. The feeders are visited by a constant stream of birds - mainly tits, Robins, Sparrows, Chaffinches, Blackbirds and Sparrows - and furnished the first sighting of a Dunnock for this week. We also enjoyed watching the clan of Wood Mice skittering around across the steps & in the undergrowth. I may have to get the camera out later in the week & see if I can get a few decent shots of them, as they are rather charming little critters.

It was another beautiful, clear sunny day here in Deeside - although the biting wind did make it feel quite wintery still. We spent most of the day on the coast, visiting a few different local sites which are good for a wide variety of species. 

We started off with a visit to the RSPB Fowlsheugh reserve, on the cliffs outside Stonehaven. The name translates as 'Bird Cliffs', which is certainly accurate. If you visit during the peak of the nesting season, the cliffs are absolutely jam-packed full of birds and the noise - and smell- is quite unforgettable. The main species here are Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars and Guillemots - although there are also other gulls, plus large rafts of Eider Duck on the sea below. 

Fulmar hovering on the updraft

Although it's still very early in the season, there are already good numbers of cliff-nesting seabirds accumulating and the prime spots on many of the ledges have already been claimed by amorous avians. The winding cliff-top path & high level ledges offer the possibility for some quite intimate views of the birds, so I spent quite a while crouched close to the edge shooting Razorbills, Guillemots and Fulmars. A bit of a triumph of will for me, as I'm very uncomfortable with heights, so being anywhere near the edge does bring me out in a cold sweat! I spent quite a bit of time shooting the birds in flight, catching them as they took off and landed just below me.

Razorbill

Many of the Razorbills were still moulting into their full breeding plumage; we spotted several with whitish heads. There were good number of Guillemots already present - both on the ledges, and in huge rafts out on the water. We spotted an enterprising pair of Ravens harassing the smaller Guillemots and driving them off their ledges. Presumably this is a tactic that is very successful once there are eggs and chicks to steal, but that is still several weeks away. 

Black-backed Gull

We did observe lots of courtship behaviour, particularly in the Razorbills and Fulmars - with plenty of displaying, beak-clacking and calls. Although the numbers of birds are far from what they will reach in peak season, the noise levels were already pretty loud - with the lower-range almost 'purring' calls of the Razorbills sounding almost like an outboard motor. 

Guillemots

When we last visiting at this time of year, we were lucky enough to see two of the small number of Puffins which nest here. However there was no sign of them today -  it's probably a week or so to early.

Although the seabird colony is the main attraction, the fields and gorse-filled gully through which a burn runs are also good for a variety of farmland species. We had good views of Yellowhammers, Sky Lark, Linnets, Rock Pipit and Meadow Pipit, a Wren and Dunnocks, as well as a quarrelsome trio of Buzzards.

Rock Pipit

Driving back towards Aberdeen, we stopped for a quick scan across the Loch of Loirston, which was fairly stuffed with waterfowl - including a group of eight Whooper Swans. Clearly the migration back to their summer breeding grounds is well on the way! Also present were Goldeneye, large numbers of Wigeon, Tufted Duck, plus Mute Swans, Coots and Mallards.

Whooper Swans

We then moved on to the mouth of Aberdeen Harbour, where there is now a large resident population of Bottlenose Dolphins. We spent quite a while watching them hunting and playing around the harbour entrance, spotting a couple of calves alongside the the adults. To boost the mammal count was a solitary Grey Seal, bobbing around in the middle of the channel. There were also lots of birds present - including more Eiders, Cormorants and Shags, Shell Duck, Oystercatchers and a Curlew. I also spotted an Icelandic Gull, amongst the more commonplace species.

Bottlenose Dolphins - Mother and calf

Driving back along the Dee, we spotted a good number of Goosanders on the river - plus several Little Gulls perched on rocks close to the bank.

To finish the day off, Bill (Dad-in-law) and I popped down to the Inchgarth Reservoir, as a Long-tailed Duck had been reported there over the last few days. We did get some distant views of it, but not close enough for photography. Again, lots of Oystercatchers, Wigeon, Goosanders and about 8 Goldeneye were present; the male Goldeneye were displaying nicely. We also spotted a Little Grebe.

Altogether a very pleasant day - although all the sea air has knocked me out. May have to have an early night tonight, as we are planning to be out early tomorrow for Black Grouse & Red Deer (fingers crossed!).

The white stuff - Snow buntings, grouse & other beasties

Yesterday wasn't brilliant weather-wise; while England basked in glorious sunshine, in Lothian we had drizzle and grey skies through to outright downpour for most of the day. However, we did grit our teeth and head over to the coast at Musselburgh as planned, to see what seabirds & waders were around. On the plus side, there were some really good birds present - including Red-breasted Mergansers, Slavonian Grebes, Common Scooter & one very elegant Surf Scooter -as well as the more typical Redshanks, Spotted Redshanks, Eider Ducks & Oystercatchers... There were also lots of gulls present - including Glaucous & Mediterranean Gull, as well as the more common Herring Gull, Black-Headed Gulls, Little Gulls, Common Gulls and Great & Lesser Black-backed Gulls. 

Slavonian Grebe - for reference

On the downside, the tide was really low, so all the birds were quite far out - so coupled with the horrible light conditions, not much hope for photos of the more unusual birds. Weather conditions being what they were, we really weren't tempted to linger waiting for the tide to rise - but I may pop back at the weekend, depending what we see on some of the other coastal sites we're planning to visit during the course of the week. 

We did get some good views of some of the waders, particularly a mixed flock of Bar-tailed & Black-tailed Godwits feeding along the shoreline,

Godwits 

Today, we were greeted by a lovely sunny morning; ideal conditions for our drive up further North  to visit Louise's parents in Aberdeen. Rather than go the most direct route, we like to drive up through Perthshire & Glenshee, as there are lots of possibilities to see some of Scotland's most iconic species along the way. 

We had a particularily good day today; coming up through Perth, we set a wee challenge to guess how many new species (for the trip) we would see by the time we got to Aberdeen. Lou was conservative & guessed at least 6, while I was more ambitious at 10. How wrong we both were...

Within a couple of miles of starting the count, we'd seen flock of White-fronted Geese and a large herd of around 25 Fallow Deer (sadly on a very sharp bend of the road where we couldn't stop), plus a Roe Deer doe & her half-grown fawn. Entering the main Glenshee pass, we quickly spotted a juvenile Golden Eagle kiting along the  ridge line. We watched it land on an outcrop with a Mountain Hare corpse, before getting harassed by a pair of Kestrels & taking off again. 

Red Grouse - Male

Driving further up into the pass, we soon started seeing lots of Red Grouse - now starting their mating displays in earnest. We parked up by the Ski-lifts & walked back along the road, with some great views of pairs of Grouse on snow along the way. I love their funny whisking calls - and the males bright red eyebrows! I was really pleased to be able to get close to a trio on snow, all clucking & chirping away to each other.

Red Grouse - Male

We did also see a group of 3 Ptarmigan, but they were very high up on the slopes & as the snow was rather soft and rotten, we decided it wasn't a good idea to attempt to climb up to them (this being after I'd already gone knee-deep in a drift creeping up on the Grouse!)

Red Grouse - Female

There was a lot of evidence of Mountain Hares, with lots of tracks in the snow all over the area. However, it did take up a while to track one of the actual beasties down. After spotting a few distant individuals high up on the slopes, we finally spotted one crouched down on the edge of a culvert above the road. Lou also found some rather grisly evidence of what the Golden Eagle's are eating...stumbling upon a collection of four Mountain Hare corpses in one spot. To make matters worse, she insisted on bringing home a couple of the (rather whiffy) skulls, which are now soaking in a bucket of bleach - much to the disgust of her parents, who thought she'd outgrown that sort of thing long ago!

Mountain Hare

Returning to the main carpark, I was really chuffed to get some fantastic views of a very confiding group of around 14 Snow Buntings. These are really stunning little birds, and although we have seen them before, getting such close views was a real first for me - made even better by them being on snow!

Snow Bunting - Pair

Driving down the valley towards Braemar, we saw a couple of groups of Red Deer stags up towards the snowline. More surprisingly, we also spotted a beautiful pair of Roe Deer- just past the Ski centre. We have seen them further down the glen by the treeline, but wouldn't have expected to come across them quite so high up!

Roe Deer - Buck with velvet on antlers

After a quick stop to refuel on Scotch Pies & Irn Bru, we carried on along Deeside - passing a number of Lapwings doing their display flights to ward off the attention of a trio of Buzzards. Just past Braemar Castle, we were surprised to spot a solitary Whooper Swan on the River Dee. The lonesome beastie also seemed rather bemused to be there, as it was honking most mournfully.

Whooper Swan

We turned off towards Bridge of Gairn to visit another Red Grouse moorland - where we had some more good views of the birds including display flying. An added bonus was spotting a first for me; a pair of Dippers on the fast-flowing river through the glen. I didn't manage to get any shots, but it was lovely to see them & hopefully we may stop by again on the way back to Edinburgh later in the week. We also had nice views of a pair of Mistle Thrushes.

Red Grouse - Display flight, male is below the higher female

Back on the main Deeside Road, we also had a good view of a male Goosander just outside Ballater, as well as a flock of Greylag Geese by Cambus o' May.  We also spotted various waterfowl on small ponds & lochs close to the road - including Coot, Tufted Duck, Mute Swans, Mallards, and Grey Heron plus Pied Wagtails, Carrion Crows, Jackdaws and Rooks.

All in all, we added a further 17 species to the trip list during the course of the day - a pretty good total, I'm sure you'll agree!

Winter waterfowl & some signs of Spring

The forecast for the weekend isn't brilliant, so I thought  I'd better take the chance to get out for a bit today. So after dropping Lou at work, I headed round to Coate Water to see what was around.

On the main lake, there were lots of Canada Geese, 4  Goosanders,  Great Crested Grebes and a large group  of Tufted Ducks, including one that was visibly different - possibly a Scaup hybrid. However, I couldn't get close enough for a decent shot to confirm. Most of the Wigeon have now left, apart from one last straggler.

Moving on to the smaller Nature Reserve lake, I spent a good couple of hours - mainly looking at tits! As well as the usual Blue, Coal and Great Tits, a large flock of Long-tailed Tits kept me amused with their antics, and a Marsh Tit was showing well. This is quite a new thing for this hide, but the bird seems to have been visiting quite a few times recently. 

Blue Tit

Also visiting the feeders were a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, and a couple of Coots & Moorhens. A Wren was rummaging around in the vegetation. A Water Rail was heard calling just behind the hide, & we were hopeful it might visit the feeders, as they occasionally do when it's cold. However, just after we heard its grunting call, a Sparrowhawk flushed all of the small birds.

Great-spotted Woodpecker - Male

There were lots of Teal and a few Gadwall, plus several more Goosanders and Great Crested Grebes. Apparently they were seen showing more courting behaviour this morning, including displaying with waterweed. I didn't observe this myself. However, the Grey Heron's were carrying nesting material back to the heronry so there are definitely a few early signs of Spring in the air.  I also spotted the Great White Egret visiting Coate fairly regularly over the last few months, flying past distantly. The Canada Geese were busy shuttling noisily to and fro between this and the main lake.

Long-tailed Tit

Further round the lake, Hide 2 looks out across a shallow backwater and small island. Generally, there were similar birds to be seen here, but also Pochard and Mute Swans - mainly juveniles.
On the island, over a dozen Snipe were hunkered down on the edges. A second group were flushed by a Heron flying in. The Great White Egret landed on the island, and one of the Kingfishers did a quick fly by, as did a flock of Redwings. Quite a few Cormorants fishing and perched up too.I heard a Green Woodpecker calling, but didn't see it today.

On the walk back to the car, I had Greenfinch, Goldfinch and a Goldcrest. Not a bad tally for a couple of hours of easy birding!

Confused Grebes and waterfowl galore

Finally, a dry day with some actual sunshine! I spent a few hours visiting two of our local Country Parks; Lydiard Park and Coate Water. Both are on the edges of Swindon, and heavily used by families, runners, dog walkers and so on - but that doesn't stop them being home to a good range of wildlife. 

When we first lived in Swindon, the lake at Lydiard was almost completely silted up with a 100 years worth of muck, but after extensive work back in 2007,  the 18th century landscape features have been restored. It's one of my favourite spots for photographing grebes and other waterfowl, as it's easy to get down for a water-level view.

Great Crested Grebe

This morning, there were plenty of Tufted ducks dabbling around, alongside the resident pair of Mutes Swans and their 4 signets from last season, plus Little Grebes, Moorhens & Coots. It's also a good place for woodland birds; this morning the main sightings were a Great Crested Woodpecker, an entertaining flock of Long-tailed Tits,  Mistle Thrush, as well as Blue Tits, Coal Tits & Great Tits.

The main Lake at Coate Water was originally created as a Headwater tank for the Wiltshire & Berkshire Canal in the 1820's. A smaller lake, now a Nature Reserve, was added in the 1970's. Most of the area is now a SSSI, largely due to the wildflower meadows - a real haven for butterflies & bees in the summer. Both lakes attract a wide range of wintering waterfowl, and the park is also home to a wide range of woodland species - so I'm a regular visitor at anytime of year. Today, I was glad of my wellies - everywhere is thick mud & deep puddles!

There's currently a large group of at least 24 Goosanders wintering on the main lake, although they're hard to get a close view of, as they are quite shy & prefer to stick to the inaccessible areas. I managed to get a few shots as one obliged with a fly past! 

Goosander - Male

Lots of other waterfowl around too; Little Grebes, Canada Geese, Tufted Ducks, Gadwalls, Cormorants, Mute Swans & 10 Great Crested Grebes.
One pair of Grebes seemed to have been rather confused by the mild weather & today's sunshine, as they were displaying their courtship head-weaving 'dance'. The earliest I've seen signs of this behaviour in the past has been around the second week of February.

Great Crested  Grebes 'dancing'

A large flock of 100+ Lapwings flew over - presumably they'd been feeding on some of the surrounding fields.

Lapwings

Plenty of woodland bird activity too - Green  and Great Spotted Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, more Long-tailed, Blue & Great Tits, plus a Marsh Tit. A Grey Wagtail & a pair of Pied Wagtails looked to be having a good time flitting about.

All in all, a pleasant way to spend a morning - let's hope we get a decent weekend!