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Message: <blockquote data-quote="tom mckinney" data-source="post: 1795027" data-attributes="member: 2161">Just got back from Highlands: Aviemore then across to Skye for some red hot mountain action, and I mean red hot, we've both been sunburnt the weather has been so good! Weather in Aviemore was fine. Snow had all gone from the town/forests by the time we got there. Still thick snow up on the tops though and plenty of people still skiing. Crested Tits very hard work, only single birds at Loch Mallachie and Loch an Eilein (walking clockwise around the loch by the sign for the Lairig Ghru - I've never failed to see them here). From my own visits I think there's a long term decline of Crested Tit going on (certainly at Abernethy and Rothiemurcus) and this freak cold blast a few weeks ago has probably given then another good kicking. None around Forest Lodge.We also had all the other Speyside specials, though crossbill sp were only fly overs, also a fantastic pair of displaying Red-throated Divers on Loch Morlich and a group of 6 Whooper Swans on the extensive floods between Broomhill Station and Dulnain Bridge. There have been recent sightings of Wildcat in the grounds of Tigh na Sgiath hotel near Grantown, though you may need to sell a kidney or two to stay there.After Aviemore we took a quick trip up to Burghead Bay (dipped King Eiders, but plenty of other good seaduck, grebes and divers), then up and across to Lochinver. Found a couple of pairs of breeding Greenshanks and lots of Black- and Red-throated Divers on the lochs. Twite all over the place, big numbers of Wheatears around the headland at Point of Stoer (Greenland migrants?) and good numbers of moulting Great Northern Divers in pretty much every bay we stopped at. But the big highlight was an amazing passage of Pinkfeet going on over three days. No idea how many thousands we saw, but we must have watched a substantial proportion of the British wintering population come over us - absolutely spectacular.I also had four pies in two days at the Lochinver Larder - best pies in the world.After Lochinver we worked our way down the coast via Ullapool, Gruinard Island and Loch Maree - not a single eagle anywhere. Lots of divers though, and with a bit more time you'd almost certainly pull a White-billed out of the bag.The summit above Applecross had 2 Ptarmigan on a short walk up to the radio mast.On Skye we had 6 soaring eagles (five White-tailed [!] and one Golden) at the same time at Portree viewable from the clifftops at Torvaig. Also Goldies elsewhere on the island. Camped two nights at Glenbrittle for easy access up to the Cuillins - Ptarmigan, tons of Twite, Greenshank, divers, Tysties etc...Must find a way of moving to Scotland!</blockquote>

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