Sorry this has taken me so long to prepare. These are the salient points from a longer, more personal report. But if anyone wants to read that I will need an e-mail address as I don't know how to send a Word doc. to BF as a PM.
13th September
Spent the first night at a guest house near Pitlochry, visiting the Hermitage (SNT) for a walk on the way. This was the day of the Highland Games but we were too late to go onto the field.
14th
Instead of driving up the A9 we decided to go via Braemar. Lots of buzzards, linnets, house martins and swallows. 2 red grouse near Glenshee; 2 ravens & 3 buzzards near the Lecht. We scanned for ptarmigan from the big car park but the weather was too mild for them to come low down I suppose. Two red squirrels scurrying across the road in front of the car. It was a lovely drive. When we stopped for a coffee break we had mistle thrushes on a rowan tree.
Called at our friend's house at Tulloch but there was nobody at home so we drove over Tulloch Moor and walked out into the heather for a while. It was a lovely warm afternoon. Then onto Coylumbridge on the 'back road' and up to the funicular carpark where we could see part of the herd of reindeer grazing below us. We missed out on black grouse. That evening we ate in an excellent Indian restaurant in Grantown - the Syltet Brasserie.
15th
Weather forecast was better for the east so we visited the Black Isle. From the hide overlooking Munlochy Bay we had redshank, 'gulls', oystercatchers, curlew, dozens of wigeon, teal, shelduck, jackdaws, and a buzzard perched on a tree. Watched a sparrowhawk working its way down the length of a hedge. Two wildfowlers were sitting by the edge of the water with their dogs. From the carpark in the nearby village we added to our list a robin, blackbird, house-sparrows, starlings and 3 pinkfoot geese. At Udale Bay the tide was just right - dozens of oystercatchers, common gulls, b/h gulls, 6 red-breasted mergansers, teal, mallard, jackdaws, hundreds of wigeon and 2 terns (sandwich?) There were also mute swans, hooded crows, black-tailed godwit, dunlin and knot (one or two with reddish plumage). As the tide receded we watched the 100s of waders taking off and landing.
16th
Raining - as was the forecast for the day - so we donned wellies and macs and walked round Loch an Eilan. Goldcrests were 'hissing' everywhere though we didn't actually see many. Our first coal tits and greenfinch of the week. At the Osprey centre in Abernethy Forest the feeders at the gate were empty and I had hoped to see siskin there. I snook round the building and walked out to the main Centre. Saw the feeders which up until now I had only seen on a webcam. Delighted to see a couple of crested tits so I sat on a bench and watched them for a while.
17th
Drove north to visit our friends from Tod who were staying on a small caravan site just outside Dornoch. We did our birdwatching before seeing them - first to Embo where there were lots of b/h & common gulls along with confiding turnstones, cormorant, shag, common scoter, 2 red-throated divers, curlew & oystercatchers. A big flock of linnet dashed up & down from the telegraph wires.
At Loch Fleet were the usual gulls, mallard, redshank etc... c130 greylag geese were on the water at the far side of the loch - but I was very excited to see 17 whooper swans near them. I liked to think these birds had arrived that very morning - and our friend, who works for a local wildlife company, did say it was quite early for them .........
On the caravan site were oodles of pied wagtails - c20 feeding at once - and half a dozen buzzards circled the nearby copse of trees. It was almost dark when we left Dornoch and on reaching the outskirts of Nethybridge the satnav brought us back via Dulnain Bridge. Soon after driving over the bridge a barn owl swooped down behind a hedge at the side of the road. We reversed to see if we could glimpse it again and a car travelling in the same direction drew up alongside us to ask if we were OK! We explained what we had seen and she said there were a few in this area. On continuing down the lane, we saw another two before we actually reached the bridge in Nethy.
18th
Findhorn Valley today. A peregrine & 2 ravens. We parked at the end of the road and dozens of red deer were on the opposite hillside. At the estate buildings on the way out were half a dozen stags' heads lined up against a wall - presumably newly-killed.
Back at the guest house we had our first siskin of the week on the feeders, together with coal tits and a dunnock.
19th
Lovely bright sunny morning. No black grouse visible from the usual look-out point. Spent an hour there. Then on the back road to the car park at the Osprey centre where we walked down to Loch Mallachie. Two red squirrels played in the trees. Bob walked back to the car the way we had come and I did the circular route. There were numerous species of fungi and a huge wood ant nest which was fenced round, as apparently other nests in the vicinity had been 'disturbed' as the information board said. Saw more crested tits, coal tits and goldcrest.
To be cont...............
Eagerly awaiting next episode.
Part II
20th September
Changeover day. Drove to Fort William via Newtonmore & Loch Laggan. 'Glenbogle' castle looked stunning in the sunlight. Onto the Corran ferry and once on Ardnamurchan the drizzle stopped and the sun came out. On landing at Fishnish from Lochaline we drove straight to Loch na Kael. 10 red-breasted mergansers floated by on the water's edge and meadow pipits flitted about on the grass.
Garden Cottage on the Gruline estate has all we could possibly need - including a well-stocked woodshed at the bottom of the garden.
21st
Away by 9.00am and drove the length of the loch this time. Yellowhammer, 9 red-breasted mergansers, kestrel, buzzard, and 2 peregrines near Grubin. Slow drive as we stopped constantly to scan the loch. In Kilfinichen Bay we saw greylag geese, curlew, oystercatchers and the mergansers again. Then onto Carsaig on a narrow single track road. The jetty there is now almost destroyed. Bob spotted an otter straight out from us in the open water. On the way back to the main road from Carsaig we had a big flock of chaffinch, linnet & greenfinch then some twite on the rough land at the side of the road. Greylag geese in the field, and a stonechat on a fence post. Buzzards seemed to be every few yards.
Back at Gruline we took the Ulva ferry road, past the campsite towards the tall stand of pines. The water was low and Bob picked out two white-tailed eagles standing on the raised bit of sand. One had a very pale head and mantle with the yellow bill showing really well. The other was smaller with a yellow wing tag 'E'. What a wonderful sight - and this is our first day!
22nd
Two roe deer were grazing underneath the big oak tree in the garden as I looked out of the kitchen window. Loch Ba was just visible between the trees.
To Lochdon today - as we approached the mussel farm we saw an otter in the loch, then another one nearer to the farm. We turned off to Grass Point and came across two birders in a lay-by. They were watching a golden eagle which was perched at the top of a tree just above us on our side of the road. They looked through our scope - the man had a huge pair of binoculars which he would have had to use on a tripod to keep them steady. No wonder he was impressed with ours! c40 twite at Grasspoint and lots of pied wagtails. Carried on towards Lochbuie but before we reached there we had to turn round as the road was closed for re-surfacing.
Late that afternoon, sitting with sundowners in the cottage garden, we noticed a ram in the field opposite being bullied by another one. We saw that one of his horns was caught in the cable support of the telegraph pole. The farmer came from the house a quarter of a mile away when I went to fetch him and he reelased the beast. Then I strolled up the drive to Gruline house to take some photographs - it looks like a castle. I believe the first WTEs that found their way to Mull made their home on this estate. The man & lady at the big house were very enthusiastic about the birds.
23rd
My birthday - and I wouldn't want to be anywhere else in the world than here. Off early again, driving to the loch first, where my birthday present was waiting: 3 WTEs on the spit of sand in the loch. The flotilla of red-breasted mergansers were patrolling the water's edge, and buzzards and a kestrel were above us. We reluctantly left the eagles
and the Isle of Ulva came into view. We drove onwards & upwards to Calgary where we sat in the sun for half an hour - oystercatchers and gulls were in the field.
Then we drove the scenic route to Salen, through Glen Aros. Saw otters again from the lay-by near the wrecked boats. Whilst we were showing two ladies the otters through our scope a friendly black cat strolled across the road and came to talk to us. It only had one eye and this prompted one of the ladies to remember seeing a 'Lost' sign in a shop in Tobermory which was miles away. Anyway, knowing how some of you reading this feel about cats I won't go into details - suffice it to say that the cat was reunited with its owner, and she was delighted. This entailed a good bit of teamwork and some phonecalls between we two, the two ladies, the lady at the Post Office in Salen and a man in the Co-op in Tobermory!
We enjoyed a lovely meal this evening at the Pier Restaurant in the Craignure Inn.
To be cont.........