ROAMIN’ IN THE GLOAMIN’ WITH HEATHERLEA

Well done to those canny souls who persuaded Heatherlea Birding Hols to do a 2 for 1 deal taster trip, to Nethy Bridge! At £520 for two, for four nights, three days expert guided birding and more food than anyone can decently eat, it was brilliant! Etienne the chef, produced mountains of home cooked breakfasts, cakes, pasties and three course dinners, so I would advise pre booking a gym afterwards, if you consider going……

Basically, the three days consisted of a Scottish speciality day, a country day and a coastal day – the order and content being dictated by the weather.

Day One, a mixture of squalls and sunshine, mixed with high tides, so the coast was the target. My personal count was 56 species although those with ‘scopes, picked out a few more….. Highlights for me were the beautiful sea ducks – Eider, Red Breasted Merganser and Long Tailed Duck. Other ‘spots’ that interested me were the Great Northern Diver, Common Scoter, a flock of Snow Bunting and Razorbill. ^th only in UK. After debating said coot, in driving sleet for half an hour, it lost some of its appeal…. I gained some credibility for Liverpool RSPB, despite my lack of ‘scope or credible camera, by being the first to identify the Slavonian Grebe. A little swotting on the way down proved worthwhile!

American Coot - G Morgan 

Yes, I did see the American Coot  – a first in Scotland and 7^th only in the UK

Fran Carleton

You will just have to take my word for it that the birds in the right photo are an Eider,  Long Tailed Duck and a Black Backed Gull.

Day Two, we headed for the glens, principally the valley of the Findhorn. On the way, my favourite sightings were Crested Tits (Loch Garten RSPB), Red Kite, Dipper and Goosander.  After pursuing the elusive Capercaillie and Crossbills, we stopped for lunch in a partially wooded valley.

Crossbill  G Morgan

Typically, the Crossbills then came to us. A small flock descended on the pines above us – resplendent in red and green – searching for seeds.  Graham Morgan (a keen birder and photographer located on Facebook) who took this photo, was happy to share several photos.  In fact, we were very lucky with the company as a whole. Folk came from varied backgrounds – but all worked together to share fun, information and equipment. Phil Knott and Toby Green, our guides, were more than  generous with their expertise and enthusiasm.  

Peregrine v Eagle  - Fran C

The glen was stunning and we had the great luck to see a Peregrine attacking a juvenile Golden Eagle.  It was so dramatic that for once most cameras remained largely idle.

Findhorn Valley - Fran C

We watched Red Deer on the skyline – including several large antlered males - and a couple of snow hares, crouching in the rocks. The snow covered peaks and the sheer barrenness of the landscape, impressed all.

Day Three, we were lucky enough to see Black Grouse lekking and Red Grouse on the verges of moorland roads. Despite huge efforts we did not manage to track down the furtive Capercaillie, but the trips into the woodland to flush them out rewarded us with amazing carpets of brightly coloured lichen and shy roe deer retreating into the trees.

Finally, up to the Cairngorms, where near blizzard conditions prevailed for some of the time. Snow Bunting battled the wind in search of seeds. Crazy little birds!

Snow Buntings -Fran C

Ptarmigan were seen, but  dived over the ridge, out of the wind, so that we could not get a proper view.  During the trip we also observed several red squirrel,  brown hares hunkered down in a stubble field, wild goats and seals – so that my count for mammals reached 8.  My bird count reached 78

Loch Morich -Fran C

Finally a classic picture of Loch Morich - with the Cairngorms in the background, the crew sheltering behind the ski school, wind driven snow on the slopes and a photo of Capercaillie poo (in lieu of the bird). Eat your heart out Chris Packham!

The Crew

Caper poo -Fran C

Fran Carleton, 1^st to 5^th February, 2014.