The reserve staff were very welcoming and helpful, and good company which helps on a long stakeout!
The reserve was quiet - perhaps 20 or 30 visitors max all day, and some of those were clearly patchers. I had a really good time and there was always something to look at even though I was tied to the centre all day rather than roving around the reserve.
I recommend a visit to anyone.
I left at dusk and drove to Aviemore where I entered the Old Bridge Inn to partake not only of well kept real ale but also of a celebratory dinner.
The Old Bridge has been my regular haunt when passing through Speyside for many years and I unreservedly recommend its ales to all, and its menu to carnivores. The range of food choices for prey species is not wide. I began with smoked haunch of venison with a leaf salad and blueberries, and proceeded from that to the tastiest and most tender meat I have eaten in a long time: braised Mountain Hare finished off with a herb crust. The sticky toffee pudding that followed was perhaps less controversial but not less appetising.
It was only later that I realised I had combined Bambi and Thumper in a single meal.
I overnighted in the car again, this time outside the cafe next to the Glen More campsite. I put chunks of Snickers out but they were still there in the morning, when I awoke having slept for seven hours straight.
I roamed various possible Wildcat sites in the dawn, then hunted about the Carrbridge area for Crested Tits (no sign). I transferred to the Loch Mallachie track at Loch Garten and quickly found a couple of Crested Tits in a feeding tit flock. Finding them was one thing, photographing them was something else, but I did manage a couple of frames. The one with the eyes open didn't show the crest and the one with the crest had its eyes shut. Heigh ho.
The notice board at the reserve main car park reminded me, as it does before April every year, that its no good thinking "I'll just try the Garten feeders then" so I continued to Nethy Bridge, possibly the best Dipper site... in the world. I had three and got a few pix, then decided it was time to head back to Glenshee for a bash at big white bunnies in full white winter camo.
On the way, in addition to the survivors of the grouse blitz, twitchy with PTSD, I found three Whoopers lounging at their ease on the Dee between Balmoral and Braemar.
Unfortunately when I arrived at the head of the glen, the fine spring like weather that had permitted shirtsleeve order on a walk along the river hunting Dippers and trying not to be one, had utterly vanished, the cloud was down and drizzle falling from it persistently. The BWBs were settled in forms at a great distance lower on the slopes, but the cloud was too thick to see any close ones near the ski centre.
Endex so far as I was concerned: I had a bacon, egg and black pudding roll in the cafe (three of my five a day) and headed home, arriving at 2030 Sunday evening.
John
