After braving the 10-hour marathon drive up to Loch Garten, I arrived in time for an induction at the centre and saw EJ for the first time, perched up next to the nest. I’d already seen an osprey en route but it was nice to see her through the scopes, and I managed a decent Digi scope shot. Unfortunately, the eggs have failed this year. Useless George, the young inexperienced male hadn’t fed her whilst she was on the nest and after a week of not eating she had to come off to fend for herself.
After fish and chips in the Happy Haggis in Aviemore I settled into the no. 2 Chalet with Pete and Vic. In the morning, I headed out to Lochindorb, and stopped nearby to look at the common gulls on the moor with their chicks.
It was nice to see the common gull living up to its name in Scotland. A couple of weasels were also lurking in the area and I took some snaps of them as they ran up and down the road. No doubt they were taking advantage of the young chicks in the area, both grouse and perhaps gull.
As I crested the hill I could see Lochindorb and the castle in the middle of the loch. I pulled over to get some pics and immediately saw a common sandpiper on the shoreline, followed by a red legged partridge which I wasn’t expecting. I couldn’t see any divers so I headed along the loch in the car and used the car as a hide several times, taking pictures of grouse and lapwing chicks.
Near the Lodge, I pulled up and there were some other birders already on the black-throated divers. I quickly got my scope out and got some long-ranged views of them across the loch, with two young. It was great to see my first summer plumaged divers, albeit it at a distance with a surprising amount of heat haze for how much the temperature had come down on the day before.
I continued along the fencing of the Lodge and took a photo of a red squirrel through a chain link fence which came out quite nicely. On my return, I got a good few pictures of a sandpiper which I took from the car with the window wound down.
Before work I headed down and did the Two Loch Cicular walk at Loch Garten on the lookout for the crested tit. I saw goldeneye, tree pipit, spotted flycatcher, loads of chaffinch and siskin, and crossbill, but no cresties.
After work, I headed to a known location for Slavonian grebe, and was rewarded with some great pictures.
I headed back up to Lochindorb, but the divers weren’t in sight and there was no sign of the nearby Red throats which I’d been tipped off about. I did however see a peregrine en route.
On the third day, I got lucky on the way into work as I pulled into a layby near the centre and after initially hearing and seeing goldcrest and a coal pipit, I clocked two crested tits, though I wasn’t able to get a good picture.
I headed off to Findhorn valley after work on the lookout for golden eagles. I had a couple of false starts, but didn’t get lucky, though more buzzards, a peregrine and a kestrel were present, along with the constant companions in the form of lapwings, oystercatcher and curlew.
The next day was my day off, and I headed up Cairngorm after a quick stop at Loch Morlich for red throated diver, though still none to be seen. On the way up I had amazing views of ring ouzel and even found a nest. They seemed very tame in comparison to the ones I’ve seen in Wales, and the male was even confiding enough to enter its nest with me present.
At the top the wind was blowing and I got lucky with a male and female snow bunting, though at separate times and they didn’t appear to be closely associating, though they were in roughly the same area.
I headed off to look for dotterel, but didn’t get any luck, though I then came across a female ptarmigan with chicks, and later a male ptarmigan from a distance. I came down sharpish as the weather started turning for the worse.
Storm Hector put a dampener on birding on the Thursday, but on the Friday evening I went to see some badgers in a local hide.
