Lochaber Wanderings (1 Viewer)

I recently spent some time in the West Highlands, mainly in Lochaber, during which I visited Ardnamurchan, Arisaig, Mallaig, Glenfinnan and Ballachulish.

The area has so much going for it - excellent accommodation, out-of-this-world scenery, and a variety of birding habitats which it would be hard to equal.

These include..........

Rocky and sandy shorelines, wet and dry moorland, mountains, saltings, sea lochs, open sea, freshwater lochs, upland streams, ancient Scots pine woodland, commercially planted conifers, farmland, including sheep pasture, offshore islands (great for corncrakes, although I was a little early), and one of my favourites, old oak forest, with hazel, alder, rowan and other trees. There are some excellent examples of old oak forest along the road from Strontian to Kilchoan. Carpeted through the seasons with daffodils, primrose, wood sorrel, wood anemone, blaeberry, bluebell and foxglove, they are always beautiful, and sometimes yield wonderful fungi such as apricot-coloured chanterelles.

My sightings from this area have included Black Guillemot, Bullfinch, Siskin, Great Northern, Black-throated and Red-throated Divers, Golden Eagle, Buzzard, Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail, Willow Warbler, Fulmar, Jack Snipe, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Curlew, Canada Goose, plus a host of usual suspects. Still on the wishlist are White-tailed Eagle (recorded from the hide between Strontian and Salen) and Pine Marten, which are seen in Ardnamurchan with relative frequency.

Here's a few of my most recent pictures.......they don't show all that much in the way of rare and unusual birds, but they certainly give some idea of the scenic quality of the area.

The first one was taken a little way north of Glenuig, on the road to Loch Ailort. The divers were out there - there were three of them, but sadly, too far for a reliable identification.
A few days before, we had been in Islay, where a young RSPB staffer showed us the current goose census. It read (more or less) as follows........

Barnacle geese - thousands and thousands and thousands
White-fronted geese - thousands and thousands
Greylag Geese - quite a few
Canada Geese - 1...........

so we were quite proud of our two Canada geese at Ballachulish.

The third picture needs no explanation - just a classic wee robin, doing what robins do best - looking terminally cute. The fourth picture was something of a find. I was out for an early-morning walk in the loch-side oak-woods on the Kilchoan side of Salen when I heard the unmistakeable contact rattle of a Greater Spotted Woodpecker. Sneaking back quietly, I found this lad taking a quick peek outside to see what was going on.
Finally, the fifth picture was taken at the end of the Rhu road, a dead-end road of surpassing beauty leading west out of Arisaig. The distant island with the pointed peak is Eigg, one of the Small Isles comprising Rum, Eigg, Muck and Canna. The Rhu road is a good place to look for seabirds, including small grebes, although they can be tricky to identify in winter plumage.

Don't ever pass up a chance to visit this splendid area.

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

looks and sounds great,quite a few lifers could easily be spotted in places like this

kawwauser said:

looks and sounds great,quite a few lifers could easily be spotted in places like this

Click to expand...

It's superb........one of my favourite places. Nice animals too....otter, red deer, pine marten among others.

Dave

Glenfinnan and Loch Shiel are worth visiting. Just beyond the northern end of Loch Shiel lies the great curve of Glenfinnan Viaduct, now, thanks to the magic of movies, an integral part of the train journey to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You can take your own train journey, should you wish........every day, during the summer season, the steam train "Jacobite" leaves Fort William on a day trip to Mallaig, crossing this spectacular bridge en route.

But now to more important things......

Loch Shiel can be good for Golden Eagle, Raven, Buzzard, various Divers and other water birds, and the best way to see the loch is a cruise on board MV Sileas. When we participated in this cruise we were lucky enough to see the eagles and ravens, along with buzzards, ducks and red-throated divers, as well as red deer and some truly splendid scenery. Enquiries re MV Sileas can be made through Glenfinnan House Hotel, details of which appear below:

e-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.glenfinnanhouse.com

MV Sileas sails from the grounds of the Hotel.

For any history buffs out there.....

In 1745 , at the head of Loch Shiel, Prince Charles Edwards Stuart raised his standard, and thus initiated the third and last Jacobite uprising against the Crown. The monument to this unhappy enterprise stands just across the

The first photograph, taken from MV Sileas, shows the scenery looking up Loch Shiel. Great eagle territory, but bring your best binos...they fly HIGH!

Next, taken on an earlier visit, is a red deer hind, in a flag iris bed close to the shore of Loch Sunart near Glenborrodale. The slopes Ben Hiant, to the left of the road to Kilchoan, can be a great place to see quite large herds of deer.

The obliging buzzard in the third picture was parking off along the Rhu road which runs west from Arisaig. Not only are the birds excellent around here, but the wild flowers in season can be spectacular.

Another photograph from MV Sileas shows one of the few remnants of the ancient Caledonian pine forest growing on the steep slopes of Sgurr Ghuibhsachain on the NE shore of Loch Shiel. This might be good crossbill territory.

And finally, back to the beautiful old oak woods in the Salen area, and a tiny wren bustling about his business. The oak woods at this time (April) were full of primroses, violets, wood sorrel and wood anemone. By the beginning of May, a brilliant display of bluebells and foxgloves would have taken over.

This is truly a place for all seasons, always changing, always beautiful, with a bird and animal population the equal of anywhere in Scotland.

Best wishes.
Dave Kennedy