Wednesday
Red squirrel on the garden fence.
Drove part way up Findhorn Valley then took the Farr Road. It was raining in the valley which turned to sleet when we hit the high ground. Two mistle thrushes right at the top before we began descending again. A pair of red grouse in the heather; wheatear; meadow pipits. Then we joined the road to Inverness and did some shopping. Saw house sparrow. It had stopped raining now and the sun came out. Drove onto the Black Isle where we soon saw a buzzard. At Udale bay were redshank, pinkfoot geese, mute swan, b/h gull, g/b/b/ gull. Cromarty was good with longtailed duck, mergansers, eider and guillemot.
At Chanonry Point we had 3 dolphins, house sparrow, oystercatcher. Two kites came down in a field but we couldn't stop on that part of the road. Cars were tooting as us and we'd only slowed down!
For the first time ever, we saw nothing in Munlochy Bay.
Thursday
Drove to Forest Lodge first, hoping for something by the side of the road, but nothing seen.
Then drove north via Lochindorb. Lots of red grouse on the way but nothing to be seen on the loch itself. We had hoped for a raptor too, but none seen.
At Lossiemouth West we scoped out to sea and were rewarded with mergansers, eider, longtailed ducks. A turnstone was with several purple sandpipers on a group of rocks , and a rock pipit near the shore line.
At Hopeman we watched the sea from the harbour. Saw 2 razorbills, guillemot, redshank, a tern sp. and dunnock in the grass.
At Roseisle we had a picnic. No crested tits or crossbills near the carpark which we had hoped for. There were robin, dunnock and a red squirrel. Walked out of the forest to the dunes and out at sea we had common scoter, velvet scoter, long tailed ducks, mergansers, tern (?) and 3 gannets.
In the woodland we had goldfinch. Lots of sounds coming from the trees but couldn't see anything.
As we left the area, we had carrion crows and hooded crows together in a field.
cont/.........
Some nice birds there. Speyside is a place I'd love to go.
I'll look forward to the next part.
J
Glad you enjoyed your visit to Speyside , Sandra.