Seeing in ptarmigan outside Caingorm (1 Viewer)

Steve Babbs · Jan 25, 2010

I've got about 5 days in Scotland in late May, with my wife. She's keen to 'bag a few Munros' and not spend all the time watching wildlife. I haven't seen ptarmigan for a long while and I've only seen them in Caingorm so can anyone suggest a good site where we can combine a good walk - preferably a munro with a good view - with a reasonable chance of ptarmigan? We intend to start our trip looking for chequered skipper at Allt Mhuic (Inverness-shire) or Glasdrum Woods (Argyl) before heading to the Avimore area.

We're both reasonably fit and used to clambering up hills/mountains - even if it gets a bit harder each year.

lewis20126 · Jan 25, 2010

Steve

Try Fraoch Bheinn (or something like that!) West of Fort William - it is the only UK site for Diapensia - a brilliant little plant right on the summit and I saw Ptarmigan near the top! I can email you the Diapensia gen if you are interested. I did this at dawn, saw the skipper at 10am and was back in Hampshire before midnight! A superb day.

cheers, alan

The Hairy Highlander · Jan 25, 2010

I'd suggest the shahallion at Loch Rannoch, it's a great walk, you should do it in 2 hours and your bound to get Ptarmigan, I got a handfull last time I was up there...

Big Phil · Jan 25, 2010

Just about anything that goes above 900m has them in the Grampians. One of my favourites is Bynack More near Aviemore as walked from Glenmore Lodge via the beautiful Ryvoan Pass and its amazing green coloured fairy loch. Normally we see Crested Tits in the woods on the way before getting out on the moors and tops which hold the expected mix of species including Ptarmigan. Bynack More itself has interesting Tors called the Barns of Bynack which are worth a look and some of the best views across to the Cairngorms. And its much quieter then the main Cairngorm Plateau....

Andrew Whitehouse · Jan 25, 2010

The walk up Lochnagar from Glen Muick is a good one, and you should Ptarmigan on the tops.

ring ouzel · Jan 26, 2010

Ben Eighe would be good as you could tick off two Munros (Ruadh-stac Mor and Spidean Coire nan Clach) as well as Ptarmigan (and perhaps also raptors, wildcats, pine marten etc etc etc) then check out Loch Maree for divers. A bit nearer, Ben Wyvis has Ptarmigan and Dotterel then pop onto the Black Isle for red squirrel, osprey, red kite and dolphins before heading to the fleshpots of Inverness.

Steve Babbs · Jan 26, 2010

Thnaks for the suggestions I'll have to get my maps out and consider my options, more suggestions welcome!

Thanks for the offer of the Diapensia gen Alan but I've more or less given up on botany; my little brain can only cope with a limited number of species. Good to see you're still at least slightly nuts

lewis20126 · Jan 26, 2010

Steve Babbs said:
Thanks for the offer of the Diapensia gen Alan but I've more or less given up on botany; my little brain can only cope with a limited number of species. Good to see you're still at least slightly nuts

That was years ago - I'm better now! B

a

ring ouzel · Jan 27, 2010

Steve, you may have been asked this before but do the words Lau Gar mean anything to you?

llendorin · Jan 27, 2010

Ben Chonzie is one of the easiest Munros (allegedly the most boring, too... but most hillwalkers don't appreciate the wildlife), and I've seen Ptarmigan up there... it's also one of the best places to see Mountain Hares, if you also happen to have mammalish tendencies

Admittedly, being Perthshire, it's probably a bit out of the way.

Steve Babbs · Jan 27, 2010

ring ouzel said:
Steve, you may have been asked this before but do the words Lau Gar mean anything to you?

No and no

Steve Babbs · Jan 27, 2010

llendorin said:
Ben Chonzie is one of the easiest Munros (allegedly the most boring, too... but most hillwalkers don't appreciate the wildlife), and I've seen Ptarmigan up there... it's also one of the best places to see Mountain Hares, if you also happen to have mammalish tendencies

Admittedly, being Perthshire, it's probably a bit out of the way.

Easy a disadvantage; boring doubly so. Mountain hares definately an advantage as I usually see the introduced ones in the Peak District.

ring ouzel · Jan 27, 2010

Steve Babbs said:
No and no

Ah, rightiho. The Steve Babbs I am thinking of was a legendary kung fu fighter on the scene when I started kung fu many, many years ago.

Oh and the mountain hares in the Peak are not introduced, they are natural. Brown hares are the introduced ones, albeit a very long time ago.

Steve Babbs · Jan 27, 2010

ring ouzel said:
Ah, rightiho. The Steve Babbs I am thinking of was a legendary kung fu fighter on the scene when I started kung fu many, many years ago.

Oh and the mountain hares in the Peak are not introduced, they are natural. Brown hares are the introduced ones, albeit a very long time ago.

Not me, not sure I count as legendary.

The Peak district Mountain hare population is introduced - in about 1870 see e.g. http://derbyshiremammalgroup.com/species_status/mountain_hare.html

Farnboro John · Jan 28, 2010

A short and boring walk from the Glenshee ski area car park will nail the Cairnwell, which is a Munro, has Ptarmigan and is absolutely stuffed with Mountain Hares. The views are pretty spectacular in all directions. I'm not sure if the ridge to the north staggers over 3000 feet but it (and the saddle between) are also red-hot for both species.

Do it on the way up and you can then accompany your spouse on her Munro bagging without listing stress of your own.

I watched Nicholas Crane's brilliant programme on Munros yesterday - loads of fantastic Scottish scenery and a few places I am never going to geto to with my vertigo... I counted my own score afterwards - six!

John

delia todd · Jan 28, 2010

Farnboro John said:
I watched Nicholas Crane's brilliant programme on Munros yesterday - loads of fantastic Scottish scenery and a few places I am never going to geto to with my vertigo... I counted my own score afterwards - six!

John

Great programme wasn't it... I've done 1 (Glas Maol on the other side of the road)! Hoping for Dotterel, but no sign.

D

Steve Babbs · Jan 28, 2010

Farnboro John said:
A short and boring walk from the Glenshee ski area car park will nail the Cairnwell, which is a Munro, has Ptarmigan and is absolutely stuffed with Mountain Hares. The views are pretty spectacular in all directions. I'm not sure if the ridge to the north staggers over 3000 feet but it (and the saddle between) are also red-hot for both species.

Do it on the way up and you can then accompany your spouse on her Munro bagging without listing stress of your own.

I watched Nicholas Crane's brilliant programme on Munros yesterday - loads of fantastic Scottish scenery and a few places I am never going to geto to with my vertigo... I counted my own score afterwards - six!

John

Not sure how many I've done, probably only about 6, as much of my walking has been in the Lakes or Wales. I suffer from vertigo as well - as you will see when we go to Spain, my fear of heights makes me crap at flying despite usually taking between 6 and 10 flights a year - I remember being half way up a scree slope and the whole world zooming in and out, just like in a film.

Farnboro John · Feb 1, 2010

Steve Babbs said:
Not sure how many I've done, probably only about 6, as much of my walking has been in the Lakes or Wales. I suffer from vertigo as well - as you will see when we go to Spain, my fear of heights makes me crap at flying despite usually taking between 6 and 10 flights a year - I remember being half way up a scree slope and the whole world zooming in and out, just like in a film.

Oh dearie me... who's going to drive then? I got hooted at like mad in California for crawling round a cliff at about eight mph in total terror while everyone else (quite rightly) wanted to treat it just like a normal road - which apart from the exposure, it was....

For the record, Cairn Gorm, Ben Macdui, Ben Nevis, Cairnwell, An Teallach, Carn Ban Mor (now there's a long boring walk....)

John

Steve Babbs · Feb 1, 2010

Farnboro John said:
Oh dearie me... who's going to drive then? I got hooted at like mad in California for crawling round a cliff at about eight mph in total terror while everyone else (quite rightly) wanted to treat it just like a normal road - which apart from the exposure, it was....

For the record, Cairn Gorm, Ben Macdui, Ben Nevis, Cairnwell, An Teallach, Carn Ban Mor (now there's a long boring walk....)

John

It's alright John, having faced the 'World's most dangerous road' as featured on Top Gear recently Spanish ones seem pretty safe.

Farnboro John · Feb 2, 2010

Steve Babbs said:
It's alright John, having faced the 'World's most dangerous road' as featured on Top Gear recently Spanish ones seem pretty safe.

Phew!

John

Seeing in ptarmigan outside Caingorm (1 Viewer)

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