Birdwatcher’s Diary No.97

Published on: 14 Nov, 2015
Updated on: 16 Nov, 2015

By Malcolm Fincham

With daylight hours drawing in, inclement weather with fog and rain greeted us during the first week of November.

And with Autumn Watch being (at the time of writing this) one of just a few programmes taking my interest on TV, I decided it was time to reflect on a few ventures I made and didn’t find time to report on earlier in the year.

With good pal and top birdwatcher Dougal pushing me all the way to viewing a respectable (for me) 208 different species of bird so far this year, I decided it was a good time to add what I thought (when starting to write this) would be a short synopsis. And to share a few pictures I managed to take of some of birds and wildlife that are rarely, if ever, seen in Surrey.

Please click on all  images to enlarge in a new window.

Scottish Highlands. Click on the images to enlarge in a new window.

This was on a trip to the Highlands of Scotland, visiting another old friend, who having moved up to Aviemore, now heads his own wildlife safaris.

It was with much help from his local knowledge of the wildlife in the area, we were able to add a good number of species including a few, exclusive to the Cairngorm National Park.

Up in the clouds.

Walking at well over 3,000 feet above sea level on some of the highest slopes of the Cairngorms was quite a challenge. And finding ourselves with heads literally in the clouds, shrouded by fog, was at times a quite disorientating.

Braving the elements with Bob and Dougal on the Cairngorms. I’m on the right.

It was easy to imagine as we walked through the patches of snow that still remained there from the previous winter, what a foreboding place it can be and how the mountains have taken so many. Taking good advice and not deviating from the main track, we were still rewarded by sighting a few species quite adapted to living in such a bleak climate.

Snow bunting (male) on Cairngorms.

Although the viability was poor at times, I was able to get a few close-up shots of some very obliging male and female snow buntings.

Snow bunting (female) on Cairngorms.

Rarely encountering human life at such altitudes, they seemed to find us of little threat.

Ptarmigan on the Cairngorms.

Ptarmigan could also be seen near by, managing to camouflage themselves well in their surrounding landscape.

Dotterel on the Cairngorms.

While a dotterel could also be seen near by.

Mountain hare no longer in its white winter coat.

Among the mammals, a mountain hare took fright as we came into its sight.

There are currently around 150 reindeer in the herd, mostly ranging on the Cairngorm Mountains with the remainder on the Glenlivet Estate, the locations being some 30 miles apart.

We were also able to pick out a small herd of reindeer as they ambled across a track below us.

Juvenile white-tailed eagle has a larger wingspan than a golden eagle.

Also up in the Highland Glens we not only got a distant view of a golden eagle, but were taken by surprise to see a juvenile white tailed eagle as it flew through.

Black water vole: a rare sight for me seen on the Cairngorms.

On the lower slopes in one of the many fast running burns, I was able to catch my first ever sight of a black water vole. Even getting some photos as well as making a short video.

Scottish water voles have a completely different ancestry from their English and Welsh cousins.

Scottish water voles have a completely different ancestry from their English and Welsh cousins. Voles south of the border originate from water voles from south east Europe who recolonised Britain following the last Ice Age, whereas Scottish voles are descended from migrants from the Iberian peninsula.

Adut male ring ouzel.

Young ring ouzel.

Adding to our list of birds that day, were two adult ring ouzels as well as several young ones.

Early morning visits to some of the moorland areas gave us the opportunity to see black grouse lekking.

Female red grouse.

As well as sightings of some of those ‘famous’ red ones of course!

Three red grouse chicks.

Some now with chicks near by.

Black-throated divers on a loch near Aviemore.

On some of the Highland lochs, breeding pairs of both black-throated.

As well red-throated divers could be seen.

Siavonian grebe on loch near Aviemore.

And we even saw a Slavonian grebe.

Osprey with fish.

We were also fortunate enough to have several sightings of ospreys as they hunted over the lochs for fish.

Red squirrel.

Woodland areas also came up trumps for avian species as well as numerous sightings of red squirrels feeding on pine cones.

Crested tit.

In pine forests, crested tits could be found, recognised by their chuckling calls.

Wood warbler.

While in the deciduous woodlands, wood warblers sang their ‘spinning coin on a plate song’.

Spotted Flycatcher.

As well as seeing spotted flycatchers also at the same location.

Male pied flycatcher.

We were even more privileged when we stumbled upon a pair of pied flycatchers.

Female pied flycatcher.

A rare sight for me these days, we soon noticed they were returning to one of the nest boxes set up nearby. Keeping a suitable distance, I snapped a few shots as they continued their quest to feed their young, unaffected by our presence.

Topping that was an even rarer sighting at a wooded location near by.

Icterine warbler (this picture taken by Bob Smith).

Icterine warblers are very rarely known to breed in the UK. They breed in mainland Europe except the south west, where it is replaced by its western counterpart, the melodious warbler.

This one was certainly singing to try to attract a partner!

Thrift in flower on Handa Island.

A trip to Handa Island, off the North West coast of Scotland, added a good few sea birds to my year list.

Taking the short boat trip from Tarbet, we were able to get some good views of black guillemots (known locally in Scotland as tysties) .

Arctic tern with fish.

As well kittiwakes and even a small colony of Arctic terns.

Great skua (Bonxie) on Handa Island.

Handa is a home for breeding great skuas. Great skuas are always known in Orkney as the bonxie.

This great pirate of the skies is infamous for terrorising anyone who goes near its nest during the breeding season – as we witnessed first hand while on the island.

Great skua (Bonxie) in flight.

The bonxie will harass other birds to steal their food, and even kill smaller birds.

Great skua drowns a gull.

This we also witnessed, as we watched in shock and surprise as one took a gull in mid flight, down into the sea and after a long struggle, drowned it.

Arctic skua, dark colour morph.

Similar behaviour can also be expected from their cousins, the Arctic skua, of which both types we were able to see on the island.

‘Light-morph’ Arctic skuas are characterised by a brown back and creamy-white underparts.

‘Light-morph’ Arctic skuas are characterised by a brown back and creamy-white underparts.

Razorbills.

Guillemots and razorbills could be picked out with our binoculars, lined up along the ledges of the cliffs.

Bridled Guillemot on Handa Island.

On scanning closer, as we breathed in the sweet smell of ammonia from the guano (bird droppings) wafting up from the thousands of birds lining the cliff ledges, we were able to pick out a bridled guillemot.

Razorbills and guillemots line the cliff face but not so sure I wanted to get so close.

The bridled guillemot is of the same species but a mutant, which apparently depends on a single gene difference. It is distinguished by a white circle around the eye continuing backwards as a line towards the region of the nape, looking rather like it is wearing spectacles.

Puffins are always a treat to see and with over 250 pairs presently breed there, although most could only be at a distance on ‘The Stack’ just off  the island.

A puffin surrounded by thrift.

There were a few pairs on the mainland and it wasn’t long before what are many people’s favourite (and certainly among mine) popped out from one of many holes between the purple thrift, around the cliff face.

Dolphins at Chanonry Point.

Ending our stay on the same high as we began, it was a trip to the Moray Firth to see the dolphins.

Close views dolphins at Chanonry Point.

This was at Chanonry point, just north of Inverness, and probably the best place to see bottle-nosed dolphins in the UK.

Certainly the closest I have ever viewed them from on land.

Share This Post