RSPB Loch Garten
Returning to the highlands of Scotland with its beautiful
mountains and lichen clad trees is always a breath of fresh air, quite
literally. Not long after we passed the sign welcoming us to Scotland, a red
squirrel dashed across the A-road we were driving on, a little ginger harbinger
of the days to come.
A bold little red squirrel also welcomed us to RSPB Loch
Garten, a literal manifestation of the term ‘bright eyed and bushy tailed’. Much
more agile than the chunkier grey squirrels that preside back home, this lithe
individual seemed perfectly at home feasting on the peanuts provided at the
Osprey Centre before taking up the spiral tree trunk chase with another. The
best view I’ve ever had of this species, it gave me time to study his features
and expressions in more detail; the luscious ear tufts, the flecks of ginger,
red, grey, blond, white in his coat, the unspoilt creamy white of his underside,
the slender but strong ‘fingers’ and toes’ for grasping and the long strands of
fur making up a magnificent tail.
Other visitors here included an endless stream of
chaffinches alongside a few siskins and great tits. We followed the ‘Two lochs
trail’ in the hope of seeing crossbills and cresties, but neither decided to
show themselves. A male goldeneye out on Loch Garten showed off its markings
above and below by rolling in the still water to clean.
CairnGorm
The base station at CairGorm has been a brilliant location
for spotting wildlife in the past, and, although we saw fewer species here this
time, the ring ouzels did not disappoint. The male in particular was very
showy, sporting his white bib against ebony feathers, each outlined in white,
giving a scalloped appearance to his plumage.
As we ascended higher, our attention was caught by the motor-sounding
call of a red grouse that landed amongst the heather lower down. The higher we
walked, the more snow appeared under foot. Another ring ouzel appeared, and, as
we were looking at him, we heard tiny footsteps on the snow behind us. As we
turned, we were met with a pair of ptarmigan scurrying across the snow on their
fluffy feet, softly calling to each other. Another pair, slightly closer this time,
were outside the ‘Ptarmigan café’. These two really let us appreciate their
markings. The male, having lost most of his winter plumage, was still white
below with almost-black tortoiseshell feathers above, dappled black and white
head and neck and large red ‘eyebrow’. The female still retained some of her
winter plumage with a few tortoiseshell feathers coming through and a generally
daintier build, especially around the head and beak. This is the first time we
have seen these birds properly, rather than just a far off flying bird.
As the day drew on, and the mountain got busier, the wildlife got less, but the constant sounds to the walk were the calls of meadow pipits at all levels, alighting on the heather or wires of the ski lifts.
