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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JWN Andrewes" data-source="post: 3704911" data-attributes="member: 7131">5th April: part IVWe spent the afternoon pottering round Aviemore, with a nice sighting from the High Street of an Osprey circling the Inverdruie Fish Farm for a year tick before preparing ourselves for the evening’s entertainment. Arriving at the meeting point as it started to get dark, via some distant Roe Deer, we were treated to a few nice flight views of Woodcocks before heading down to the Rothiemurchus Hide. After the chat from the guide we settled down to wait, and after a nervous few minutes of hearing “I wonder where they are, they’re usually here by now” sort of comments the first Badger arrived. For the next hour and a half or so we had them as constant companions, hoovering up the peanuts and raisins, up to four of them including one (named Bertie) who climbed the tree to raid the nuts left for the Pine Marten. Unfortunately of Pine Martens there was no sign tonight. It’s a little early in the season for reliable sightings it seems, but the visit was well worth it for the boys to get good and up close to Badgers, as well as seeing the little Wood Mice scampering about. The boys assure me that this is the first time they’ve seen these mice well, and checking back I can’t find record of any sightings for them, so that’s quite an odd one to clock in at past 30 on their UK mammals list (particularly as Harvest Mouse sits at number 4 for Arch, the one species that currently seperates them). Fingers crossed for Martens next time, by which time hopefully I’ll have figured out how best to focus my camera in low light! But for now it’s back to High Grange, tired but satisfied, with the prospect of a long drive home tomorrow.</blockquote>

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