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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Hotspur" data-source="post: 1221981" data-attributes="member: 11053">As Marcus appears to have retired I feel it is my duty to continue on (and in ) the same thread.Day 7 - Where Eagles FlyWe decided to have a trek up to the Findhorn valley as the local grapevine was telling of 5 Golden Eagles (or geagles as they became in our wonderful slang that developed across the week). The journey up the valley produced Redstarts from every tree and large numbers of Mistle Thrush. We arrived at the pull in prescribed by other people (apparently I had previously parked half a mile too far up the valley). It felt like a good spot with the choice of 5 valleys to look up plus the side of scree cliff that Gordon Hamnett recommends. Just as we were about to get tucked into pork based produce and washing up liquid flavoured coffee i spotted a couiple of raptors up in one of the valleys. Marcus quickly gets on to them and I assemble the scope (we had only just pulled up). He shouts 'Golden Eagle' and we both get quick and distant views before the accompanying Buzzard leaves it be and it drops below the horizon. A good score so early. Time pressure (shopping time for presents for the WAGs to bribe them for our birding) ensured that we quickly moved on. Heard only Redstart and Ring Ouzel accompany us as we move up the valley. It was  agood day for raptors with the sun shinig and the sky blue. Until we left the car. We did get drizzled on from then on and bar a few Ravens and Buzzards it had all gone very quiet. We quickly gave in and scuttled back to speyside. A final buzzard count of 15 left us with a trip sub total of 78. On the journey back down the valley we cleared a trip blocker in the form of a juvenile Dipper. Our trips to the shops produced 2 pairs of pink socks with Scots flags on and two porridge spurtles. Essential gifts we felt. More importantly we had taken out one of the target birds from Mull reducing the time pressure greatly.</blockquote>

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