Farnboro John
Well-known member
Saturday 4 April
When I decided the weather would be OK for an Easter trip to Scotland it was too late for Marion to get the time off, so it looked like a solo trip until I asked Ben for some gen and he asked if I had space. Two heads are better than one so I invited him, he rocked up for a midnight start and away we went to Aberdeen. Red Fox and Rabbit were on the trip list before we reached Scotland, and Roe Deer was added with daylight.Overnight it was an easy run once we got past showers and fog in Southern England, and we reached the granite city at about 0900.
Happy birders leaving Seaton Park told us the Harlequin was showing point blank, and we had the same news from the last one to leave as we walked briskly along a slightly slippery river bank. As we reached the spot the bird was swimming towards the far bank, and there it remained, occasionally hassled by a drake Mallard defending his duck.
We took some pictures and settled down to wait for it to come back to us. It teased occasionally with ventures into mid-stream. Then, suddenly, it flew upstream. Armed with locals' information on its likely destination we followed and refound it up at Papermill Drive, where it was happily splashing about in the rapids. We took more pictures and enjoyed a pair of Dippers hopping about on boulders at both edges of the river, as well as a few Goosanders and Goldeneye.
Eventually we moved on to Portsoy, a traditional Scottish fishing village with a maze of narrow streets to get lost in, a cold North-East wind and a heavy chop concealing any White-billed Divers that might have been knocking about. Yellowhammers, Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks were our only reward.
From there we zipped along the coast to Spey Bay where a King Eider had been reported earlier in the afternoon. It too had made off before we arrived, though a few Common Scoter loafed just offshore. Finally for our brief survey of the East coast we had a browse around Burghead (the King Eider had been there even earlier and I thought it just might have gone back: it hadn't) for more Long-tailed Ducks, Eiders and a rather scabby hybrid Carrion X Hooded Crow.
At last it was time to turn inland and make for the traditional Easter haunt of birders: Speyside beckoned.
We took the road over the moors to Lochindorb, where Red Grouse had already realised the flak batteries had been redeployed elsewhere and were happily strutting about near the road posing for passing wildlife photographers. We had an odd encounter with a bunch of birders who had been scoping something but when quizzed said it was just Sparrowhawks (over a wide-open grouse moor known to have a wintering Rough-legged Buzzard. It was difficult to escape the notion that for some bizarre reason they had decided to suppress it from us. What made it even more odd was that one then recognised me, but I guess by then it was too late to recant.)
A male Red Grouse flew in close to us, so we parked and tumbled out of the car with our cameras. It then, to my surprise, started limping across the heather dragging a wing. I'd just seen it fly in! Pull the other one, it's got bells on... then I saw a female sneaking along like an ambulatory sprig of heather. I didn't know Red Grouse do a distraction display: learn something new every day....
We made our way to the Carrbridge Hotel, which I was confident would have space and had plenty. Dinner was OK, we had a beer and turned in. Tomorrow we start work!
John
Harlequin X 4
Red Grouse male
When I decided the weather would be OK for an Easter trip to Scotland it was too late for Marion to get the time off, so it looked like a solo trip until I asked Ben for some gen and he asked if I had space. Two heads are better than one so I invited him, he rocked up for a midnight start and away we went to Aberdeen. Red Fox and Rabbit were on the trip list before we reached Scotland, and Roe Deer was added with daylight.Overnight it was an easy run once we got past showers and fog in Southern England, and we reached the granite city at about 0900.
Happy birders leaving Seaton Park told us the Harlequin was showing point blank, and we had the same news from the last one to leave as we walked briskly along a slightly slippery river bank. As we reached the spot the bird was swimming towards the far bank, and there it remained, occasionally hassled by a drake Mallard defending his duck.
We took some pictures and settled down to wait for it to come back to us. It teased occasionally with ventures into mid-stream. Then, suddenly, it flew upstream. Armed with locals' information on its likely destination we followed and refound it up at Papermill Drive, where it was happily splashing about in the rapids. We took more pictures and enjoyed a pair of Dippers hopping about on boulders at both edges of the river, as well as a few Goosanders and Goldeneye.
Eventually we moved on to Portsoy, a traditional Scottish fishing village with a maze of narrow streets to get lost in, a cold North-East wind and a heavy chop concealing any White-billed Divers that might have been knocking about. Yellowhammers, Eiders and Long-tailed Ducks were our only reward.
From there we zipped along the coast to Spey Bay where a King Eider had been reported earlier in the afternoon. It too had made off before we arrived, though a few Common Scoter loafed just offshore. Finally for our brief survey of the East coast we had a browse around Burghead (the King Eider had been there even earlier and I thought it just might have gone back: it hadn't) for more Long-tailed Ducks, Eiders and a rather scabby hybrid Carrion X Hooded Crow.
At last it was time to turn inland and make for the traditional Easter haunt of birders: Speyside beckoned.
We took the road over the moors to Lochindorb, where Red Grouse had already realised the flak batteries had been redeployed elsewhere and were happily strutting about near the road posing for passing wildlife photographers. We had an odd encounter with a bunch of birders who had been scoping something but when quizzed said it was just Sparrowhawks (over a wide-open grouse moor known to have a wintering Rough-legged Buzzard. It was difficult to escape the notion that for some bizarre reason they had decided to suppress it from us. What made it even more odd was that one then recognised me, but I guess by then it was too late to recant.)
A male Red Grouse flew in close to us, so we parked and tumbled out of the car with our cameras. It then, to my surprise, started limping across the heather dragging a wing. I'd just seen it fly in! Pull the other one, it's got bells on... then I saw a female sneaking along like an ambulatory sprig of heather. I didn't know Red Grouse do a distraction display: learn something new every day....
We made our way to the Carrbridge Hotel, which I was confident would have space and had plenty. Dinner was OK, we had a beer and turned in. Tomorrow we start work!
John
Harlequin X 4
Red Grouse male
Attachments
-
2015_04_04 (1)_Harlequin (800x533).jpg280.3 KB · Views: 58
-
2015_04_04 (8)_Harlequin (800x533).jpg170.5 KB · Views: 61
-
2015_04_04 (18)_Harlequin (800x533).jpg235.1 KB · Views: 83
-
2015_04_04 (21)_Harlequin (800x533).jpg264.2 KB · Views: 66
-
2015_04_04 (32)_Red_Grouse (800x533).jpg163.6 KB · Views: 81