SCOTLAND
29th April – 7th May 2005
Nottinghamshire Birdwatchers’ Trip Report by Neil Glenn
Photos by Lynne Demaine©
People must have been mad keen to get up to Scotland, as everyone arrived at my house at least half an hour early, leaving us to surprise the Hucknall contingent by turning up at their house well ahead of schedule too.
The overnight drive was enlivened by the sighting of a couple of Barn Owls and a Tawny Owl. We arrived at the Black Grouse lek site in the Abernethy Forest just as dawn was breaking over the mountains: perfect timing.
All sleepiness was blown away by the biting wind as soon as we stepped out of the minibus, and it was a shivering group of Notts birders who watched a couple of Blackcocks displaying in the distance. As well as the sound of the grouse, Curlew, Cuckoo and Tree Pipits added to the evocative soundtrack.
The shelter of the minibus was much welcomed, though the journey was a short one to the RSPB Capercaillie hide nearby. We all joined the queue, eager to see this much sought after, but skulking speciality of the Scots Pine woods. A sizeable group had gathered by the time the gate opened at 5.30am.
On reaching the hide, it was obvious that this was a perfect morning for Caper-watching. The last time I was here, the forest floor was covered by a thick mist: very atmospheric but hopeless for watching floor-dwelling birds!
It wasn’t long before a Capercaillie was seen flying, but it was an anxious wait before we were called to the forward hide to get a better view. I made sure that people who had never seen this species were the first to go to the hide.
By the end of the morning, the tally of Capercaillies seen was three males and two females. One particularly obliging male posed beautifully under the Osprey nest tree for all to see: magnificent!
What a start to the trip, but it was now time to head for Aviemore and a hearty breakfast. After a quick look for the local Aviemore Peregrines, we went to a nearby lochan for Slavonian Grebe. One stunning individual obliged us by swimming in to a small bay near the van and falling asleep in front of us! One of the Aviemore Peregrines flew over as well.
Next stop was an extensive tract of moorland that I knew was a reliable site for Short-eared Owl. No sign of them but we saw Red Grouse. The nearby loch held a fishing Osprey and a Red-throated Diver.
After checking into the Guest House in Carrbridge, and a quick wash and brush up, the group were eager to explore the local woods to stretch their legs. On the way, an obliging Dipper performed for us around the famous bridge. The wood produced the first of many sightings of Crested Tit.
A great first day, rounded off with a superb meal at the Guest House. Some of the group were treated to an after dinner performance by the Dipper, which sang its heart out for its admirers!
After a leisurely breakfast on Sunday morning, we again drove to the Abernethy Forest. I knew a reliable spot for crossbills and today was no different to the last three years: they were in exactly the same trees! The problem now was to identify the various birds present. A female and juvenile at the top of a pine seemed to have sturdier bills than Common Crossbill, but not thick enough for Parrot: Scottish (if they even exist any more)? A fine male turned up, its huge bill leaving no doubt that it was a Parrot Crossbill.
We studied the group of crossbill species for well over an hour, also seeing Crested Tit, Redstart, Tree Pipit and a Woodcock. Lunch was taken whilst watching a pair of Slavonian Grebes building a nest on a nearby flood pool.
The rain was beginning to set in, so I decided to head out of the area to try and lose it. Driving south, we stopped at a site I knew where we could view an Osprey’s nest. As expected, one bird was sat on the nest whilst the other was sat in a dead tree huddled up against the rain. After a short wait, one Osprey caught a fish and took it to the bird on the nest. Worth us getting wet for!
Loch Insh RSPB reserve is equipped with hides, so I headed there for shelter. As usual at this site, the birds remained elusive so we decided to call it a day and return to Carrbridge.
Stuffed full of food, and relaxing in the lounge, I noticed the sun had come out so I urged the group to drag themselves out of the comfy chairs for an evening drive on the moors. This time, the Short-eared Owls were out in force, four birds showing superbly well, including one flying alongside the van at 35mph!! A ring-tailed Hen Harrier floating across the moor at dusk completed a fantastic evening’s birding.
Monday‘s forecast was reasonable so I decided today would be the day to walk up Cairngorm for Ptarmigan. On the relatively easy hike up, the clouds closed in and by the time we were at my Ptarmigan site it was raining. So much for the forecast. Just as we saw our first Ptarmigan, it started to hail! Somehow, the weather went with the surroundings and the group didn’t mind getting wet looking at the stunning male grouse before us.
Several people walked back to the van whilst a hardy few continued into the coire to search for more Ptarmigan. The hail had begun to sting my bald pate by now, so I too decided to return down the mountain. On the way, a female Ptarmigan virtually ran across my foot! I quickly sat down on a rock to watch it and waved the others over. All four of us watched the female, suddenly joined by a male, as they scuttled about ten yards from their sopping admirers. It just made one realise how hard an existence this grouse has!
As with yesterday, I decided to head out of the area to out run the rain. Unlike yesterday, this ploy worked. By the time we reached the end of the Findhorn Valley the sun was shining, beckoning the eagles out to play.
Several scans of the sky revealed only Buzzards, Ravens and Kestrels but we were kept busy trying to find the singing Redstart and Ring Ouzel. Eventually, we obtained excellent views of both species.
Just as I thought it time to move on, an immature Golden Eagle soared into view over one of the hills, giving good ‘scope views. When this large bird banked, the white wing patches and tail band were very obvious. The Goldie performed well for about five minutes before drifting away leaving a happy band of birders behind.
After another gut-busting dinner at the Guest House, we ventured into the Abernethy Forest once more. On Loch Garten, Goosanders and Red-breasted Mergansers could be compared, while a couple of Black Grouse were seen on the local moorland to round off another bird-filled day.
Tuesday proved to be a relaxing day. We had picked off most of the species we had come for, so it was time to chill out! Our first stop was a stroll around the Inverdruie Fish Farm, adding Sedge Warbler, Reed Bunting and Whitethroat to the trip list along with a couple of Ospreys.
We, then, had very close views of a singing Wood Warbler (showing at eye-level down to twelve feet!) before making a gentle circuit of Loch an Eilean (Crested Tit and Redstart). Just as we returned to the van, the rain poured down once more.
It was time to head north again but this time we didn’t lose the wet weather. Loch Ruthven provided us with five Slavonian Grebes and a Peregrine. Some of us were lucky enough to see a Hen Harrier zip across the moor in front of the van along the Farr Road.
Most of the group opted for a leisurely evening watching Liverpool play Chelsea on the telly in preparation for the long day ahead tomorrow.
We were away by 6.30am on Wednesday morning, heading north-west to Handa Island. Unusually, hardly any birds were seen on the way, (the Black-throated Divers letting me down for the first time ever, but we did glimpse a Red Kite from the A9) so we arrived just in time to catch the 9.30am boat across to the island from Tarbet.
A few Black Guillemots paddled away from the boat but the people at the front were more concerned with staying dry! After landing and listening to the obligatory introductory talk by a warden, the group mainly split up to wander at their own pace. The few deluded fools who stuck with me first ‘scoped a summer-plumaged Great Northern Diver before gaining a quick glimpse of a male Merlin chasing Meadow Pipits. And this was before we had gone three hundred yards!
Many Bonxies were displaying on and over the moor but only two Arctic Skuas were seen (one pale phase, one dark phase). The impressive cliffs held many Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars plus one or two Puffins. Four hours later, as the group was walking to catch the return boat, concentrating on not allowing two French girls to push in the queue, a couple of pure Rock Doves zipped past. One or two people managed a lucky glimpse of this now sought-after species but by the time we alerted the rest, they were gone.
After another birdless journey back to Carrbridge, it was time for another dinner before a stroll down to the bridge to listen to the singing Dipper (fast becoming the star bird of the trip!).
Thursday brought more rain (this is the worst weather I have ever had up here but at least the birds were coming thick and fast). Our first stop was Loch Lochindorb, where all had superb views of a stunning pair of Black-throated Divers.
By the time we reached Spey Bay, it was persisting it down again. From the shelter of the van, we managed to see a large flock of Common Scoters, a few Velvet Scoters, rafts of Long-tailed Ducks and at least ten moulting Red-throated Divers. The rain eased, allowing us to get out of the vehicle and scan the sea with ‘scopes.
Newly-arrived Arctic Terns mingled with Sandwich and Commons, and better views were obtained of the ducks and divers. A heavy-looking skua caught my eye as it flew past, my first reaction being a Bonxie. I quickly realised I was mistaken and it was actually a Pom!! Most of the group saw the bird, followed by a much more delicate-looking Arctic, which entertained us by viciously harassing the terns. What a bonus!
Whilst on a roll, we decided to move along the coast to Burghead, where a White-billed Diver had been present for the last two afternoons. Details were sketchy and we couldn’t find the exact spot where it had been seen but we did manage to find a place to scan the whole bay. Several hearts jumped when we located a couple of Great Northern Divers but the White-billed was nowhere to be seen.
After dinner, we convened at a place near Loch an Eilean where we were escorted to a plush hide. Waiting for us was a Pine Marten, no doubt wondering where its peanut butter supper was!
During the course of the evening, we were treated to eyeball to eyeball views of three different Martens and three different Badgers. A Tawny Owl also put in a brief appearance. It was a very excited bunch of people who returned to Carrbridge at 11.30pm. However, it was a very annoyed tour leader who discovered that the White-billed Diver had been seen at 2.00pm just a mile from our vantage point, but the information had not come on his pager until 10.30pm (what sort of person sits and watches a mega bird in the afternoon but doesn’t phone in details until late at night?!!!). HARRUMPH!
I had two pieces of bad news to break to the group at Friday’s breakfast: war criminal Blair was back in power and we had missed the diver by a smidgeon yesterday. It was readily agreed by all to alter today’s plan (dolphins and kites on the Black Isle) to try for the rare diver once more.
Ray (“Bad Light: Bin It”) decided to try and get photos of a fishing Osprey, so I dropped him at the local fish farm and wished him good luck. We arrived in Burghead at 11.15am just in time to see Heatherlea‘s two minibuses packing away: no sign of the diver. This wasn't looking good at all.
We set up our ’scopes and the shout of “I‘ve got it” immediately rang out! Sharp-eyed Lynne had glimpsed the White-billed just as it dived. Panic broke out as we, and Heatherlea‘s lot, tried to see the bird. Ian was next to see it but the bird was diving for a couple of minutes before surfacing for a few seconds. This could be a long morning!
Eventually, everyone managed to see this impressive bird before it drifted further out to sea, sun shining on its ivory-coloured bill as it went. What an impressive bird!
After a few sandwiches to calm ourselves down, we dropped in to Lossiemouth, further along the coast, and added a few waders to the trip list. Four Knot, three Sanderlings and a small Curlew (that refused to turn into a Whimbrel, no matter how hard we tried. If this were Minsmere, some may have even tried to turn it into something rarer) showed in the muddy bay but no white-winged gulls could be found. Brief stops were made at Findhorn Bay and Loch Spynie before we headed back south.
Having seen White-billed (now renamed Yellow-billed on the Official British List), Great Northern and Red-throated Divers already today, I decided to make it a unique foursome by popping along to Loch Lochindorb to add Black-throated. Fortunately, the pair was still present close inshore completing all four diver species in the World in one day: truly amazing!
After dinner (could we really have eaten so much in one week?!) a vote was taken to establish the bird of the trip. Slavonian Grebe and White-billed Diver came equal first with Ptarmigan second. An honorary mention went to the Carrbridge Dipper, which entertained us each evening.
The following day, we waved farewell to our attentive hosts, Christine and Michael, and headed south. With so many good birds under our belts, I felt it was a fair bet to push our luck and try for the King Eider near Troon on the way home.
We arrived at Barassie at lunchtime and immediately located a few Eiders on the rough sea. Confidence was high but by three o'clock it was time for “The A Team” to admit defeat and we trudged back to the van cursing the Kingie. It was a disappointing end to a fantastic trip where we virtually ‘cleaned up’ on the Scottish specialities. The group had been so successful that in the end we were reduced to trying to see a Moorhen on any small pool we passed to fill in an embarrassing gap on the trip list. We never did manage to see one!
| SPECIES POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED | |
|---|---|
| Mute Swan | A few |
| Greylag Goose | Several |
| Canada Goose | 1, on pool during homeward journey |
| Shelduck | Several, Findhorn Bay |
| Wigeon | One or two, Loch Garten |
| Teal | One or two, Loch Garten |
| Mallard | Common |
| Shoveler | 1M, Loch Spynie |
| Tufted Duck | A few, Inverdruie |
| Eider | Several, Spey Bay & Barassie |
| Long-tailed Duck | Hundreds, Spey Bay; several, Burghead |
| Common Scoter | Hundreds, Spey Bay; several, Burghead |
| Velvet Scoter | One or two, Spey Bay |
| Goldeneye | Relatively common |
| Red-breasted Merganser | Several |
| Goosander | Several |
| Red Grouse | Excellent views of several |
| Ptarmigan | 3 or 4, Cairngorm |
| Black Grouse | Males lekking |
| Capercaillie | 3M, 2F Loch Garten |
| Pheasant | Common |
| Red-throated Diver | Several |
| Black-throated Diver | 1 pair, Loch Lochindorb |
| Great Northern Diver | 1, Handa; 2, Burghead |
| Yellow-billed Diver | 1, summer-plumage, Burghead |
| Little Grebe | A few |
| Slavonian Grebe | A total of 9 summer-plumaged birds |
| Fulmar | Handa Island |
| Gannet | Several, Spey Bay, Barassie & Handa |
| Cormorant | Loch Lochindorb |
| Shag | Handa Island |
| Grey Heron | A few |
| Red Kite | 1, from the A9, Black Isle |
| Hen Harrier | single ring-tails on Farr Road & Carrbridge moors |
| Sparrowhawk | 1, Aviemore |
| Common Buzzard | Common |
| Golden Eagle | 1, immature, Findhorn Valley |
| Osprey | Several |
| Kestrel | Several |
| Merlin | 1 M, Handa Island |
| Peregrine | 1, Aviemore; 1, Loch Ruthven |
| Coot | Common |
| Oystercatcher | Common |
| Ringed Plover | Relatively common |
| Golden Plover | Spey Bay |
| Lapwing | Common |
| Knot | 4, Lossiemouth |
| Sanderling | 3, Lossiemouth |
| Dunlin | A few, Lossiemouth; 1, Handa Island |
| Snipe | 1 or 2 |
| Woodcock | Relatively common at dusk |
| Curlew | Common |
| Redshank | Common |
| Greenshank | 1, road to Tarbet |
| Common Sandpiper | Common |
| Turnstone | One small flock, Spey Bay |
| Pomarine Skua | 1, Spey Bay |
| Arctic Skua | 2, Handa Island; 2, Spey Bay; 1, Burghead |
| Great Skua | Several, Handa Island |
| Black-headed Gull | Common |
| Common Gull | Relatively common |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | 1 or 2 |
| Herring Gull | Common |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Relatively common |
| Kittiwake | Handa Island |
| Sandwich Tern | Several, Spey Bay |
| Common Tern | Several, Spey Bay |
| Arctic Tern | Several, Spey Bay |
| Guillemot | Handa Island + a few on other coastal watches |
| Razorbill | Handa Island + a few on other coastal watches |
| Black Guillemot | A handful, around Tarbet harbour |
| Puffin | A few, Handa Island |
| Rock Dove | 2, Handa Island |
| (Feral Pigeon | Common) |
| Stock Dove | A few |
| Wood Pigeon | Common |
| Collared Dove | Several |
| Cuckoo | Lots heard, several seen |
| Barn Owl | 2, on the A1 |
| Tawny Owl | 1, A1; 1, Rothiemurchus Estate |
| Short-eared Owl | 4, Carrbridge area |
| Swift | 2, Loch Spynie |
| Great Spotted Woodpecker | 1, Loch Garten |
| Skylark | Common |
| Sand Martin | Several |
| Swallow | Several |
| House Martin | Several |
| Tree Pipit | Relatively common |
| Meadow Pipit | Common |
| Grey Wagtail | 1 or 2 |
| Pied Wagtail | Common |
| Dipper | 1, Carrbridge; 1, Findhorn Valley |
| Wren | Several |
| Dunnock | 1 or 2 |
| Robin | Common |
| Redstart | Relatively common |
| Stonechat | A few |
| Wheatear | Relatively common |
| Ring Ouzel | 1M, Findhorn Valley |
| Blackbird | Common |
| Song Thrush | 1 or 2 |
| Mistle Thrush | Several |
| Sedge Warbler | 1, Inverdruie |
| Blackcap | A few |
| Whitethroat | 1, Inverdruie |
| Wood Warbler | 3 or 4, Rothiemurchus Estate |
| Willow Warbler | Common |
| Goldcrest | Several |
| Long-tailed Tit | A few |
| Crested Tit | Several |
| Coal Tit | Several |
| Blue Tit | Several |
| Great Tit | Several |
| Treecreeper | Loch Garten |
| Magpie | Several |
| Jackdaw | Common |
| Rook | Common |
| Carrion Crow | Common |
| Hooded Crow | Several on west coast |
| Raven | Several |
| Starling | Common |
| House Sparrow | Several |
| Chaffinch | Common |
| Greenfinch | A few |
| Goldfinch | A few |
| Siskin | A few |
| Linnet | 1 or 2 |
| Twite | 1, Handa Island |
| Lesser Redpoll | Heard, Loch Insh |
| Parrot Crossbill | 1 or 2, Abernethy Forest |
| Scottish/Common Crossbill | 1 or 2, Abernethy Forest |
| Bullfinch | 1 or 2, Carrbridge |
| Yellowhammer | A few |
| Reed Bunting | 1, Inverdruie |
| Corn Bunting | 1 or 2, Spey Bay |
| Mammals | |
|---|---|
| Pine Marten | 3, Rothiemurchus Estate |
| Badger | 3, Rothiemurchus Estate |
| Red Squirrel | 1 or 2 |
| Short-tailed Field Vole | 1, ran across the road, Carrbridge moor |
| Brown Hare | A few |
| Daubenton's Bat | A few, Carrbridge |
| Pipistrelle Bat | A few, Carrbridge |
| Red Deer | Common |
| Roe Deer | A few |
| Rabbit | Common |
| Other Species | |
|---|---|
| Green Hairstreak | 1, Carrbridge |
| Orange Tip | Loch Spynie |
| Speckled Wood | Loch Spynie |
| Common Lizard | 1 on road, Carrbridge moor |
| Common Toad | 1, Loch Ruthven |