Cairngorms 2019

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. 

A trip to the Cairngorms: Day 3 Wildlife Safari

To try to spot as many Cairngorm specialities as possible, we decided to book a full day with Highland Wildlife Safaris, and it was well worth it! By the end of an 11 hour day, we had seen at least 50 bird and 8 mammal species. We visited a variety of habitats, so many that I couldn’t even begin to describe where we were, nor would I be able to as, quite rightly, our guide didn’t wish to publicise the locations to protect the landscape and wildlife from too many visitors.

We had an early start, 5:00 am, to visit a black grouse lek up on a misty moor side. We watched as four male birds displayed their white bloomers to each other and inflated their red eye crests in aggression. Red grouse joined the scene, calling and landing all around. The eerie sound of a curlew calling across the landscape was accompanied by the ghostly shape of a short eared owl gliding over us.

Red and roe deer, rabbits and brown hares watched our vehicle from neighbouring fields. Woodcock took flight from the verges, white forms in the headlights disappearing into the gloom. Our next stop was a large loch looking for divers, but on the mirror-like loch were goldeneye and mallard iridescent in the morning light.

Moving on to Cairngorm, a pair of whooper swan on another loch caught our eye, their reflections perfect in the placid water. A red grouse greeted us in Cairngorm car park astride a picnic bench. Here, we listened and looked for ring ouzel and it didn’t take long for them to find us. The males were calling and tussling from the Cairngorm welcome sign. They had a song thrush and many meadow pipits for company, all giving their best at a little after dawn.

Our next stop was a very close view of the nest of a beautiful pair of osprey, and, as luck would have it, the male was present for a few minutes before heading off for his breakfast at a local fishery. As he left, a grey heron glided in on huge dark wings and we noticed a pair of great tits nesting in a signal post.

From one loch to another, we went in search of a newly arrived Slavonian grebe. A species I have never seen before, it’s glowing golden eyebrows were amazing above a startling blood red eye. Defending its food source, it chased away a pair of little grebes and continually dived under the surface to fish.

Driving from this loch to an upland glen, we encountered a small herd of sika deer and an unusually brazen woodcock sitting in the sunshine in a driveway. As we stopped, it slowly moved, bobbing its way into the long grass. A grey wagtail wagged on rocks in the river and a dipper nesting under a bridge foraged, dipping on rocks and diving in the river. There were so many birds of prey in this glen, buzzards and kestrels came into view and the impressively hefty form of a goshawk, another first for us. Well camouflaged against the lichen and moss encrusted boulders, male wheatears lined the road that we had to try to and avoid more migrating toads on. Reaching our destination, we soon spotted a number of patchy mountain hares chasing each other up and down the slopes, their disproportionately long and strong back legs giving them a great deal of speed.

On our journey to our next stop we came across a whole herd of red deer stags, the first time we had seen impressive antlered males. They stared us out as we approached and a couple decided to put on a show and have a short boxing match. An upland moor was where we heading where we had lovely views of red grouse, their beautiful colours standing out in the afternoon sunlight in the crispy heather. Unsuccessfully we searched for divers in the loch, but we were not disappointed by the huge variety of species we had already seen. Instead, a confident red shank dabbled at the edge or the loch right next to us. For a final flourish on our way back to our accommodation, we happened across a group of ravens mobbing a red kite and a buzzard. Ravens were another first for us and I was impressed by their size and heavy duty beaks.

We had an amazing time and saw so much, I would thoroughly recommend this for anyone visiting the area and wanting to see as much wildlife as possible in a diverse range of habitats.

A trip to the Cairngorms: Day 2 Abernethy

Today started out with patchy cloud and sunshine, but by the afternoon it was constant drizzle. We began at RSPB Loch Garten and the Osprey Centre. The ospreys weren’t showing, but there were dozens of chaffinches and siskins battling for pole position on the feeders.

We walked from the Osprey Centre to Loch Garten and Loch Mallachie; chaffinches and coal tits were everywhere in the surrounding forests. Like our walk through Rothiemurchus, again there were common toads everywhere. Some alone, some mating and some groups a mixture of the two. Greylags flew in noisily to the small island on Loch Mallachie, but the loch was otherwise quiet, calm and clear.

Walking through the beautiful pine forests, I noticed the diverse understorey flora, so different to the forests and woods I’m used to exploring. They were full of fluffy and bouncy looking mosses, among other things and, of course, the wispy lichens hugging the trees. We could hear many goldcrests but only caught one glimpse of this tiny and quick little bird on a small trail towards Boat of Garten. It was at this point there was a sudden aggregation of birds; great tits, goldcrest, a tree creeper and more chaffinches.

Returning to the Osprey Centre through the drizzle, it was very quiet. All woodland birds seemed to have gone into hiding as we made our way back through the forest. However, the feeding station at the Osprey Centre was even more active than earlier in the day; bolshie siskins trying to push the chaffinches from the feeders, determined despite their smaller stature. A brambling brightening the sea of chaffinches with his stripes, a woodpecker feasting on peanuts and many fast moving coal tits; no ospreys today, but we held our hopes out for our wildlife safari the next day.

A trip to the Cairngorms: Day 1 Rothiemurchus

This is our second trip to the Cairngorms, we enjoyed it so much last year, we decided to come back in search of more wildlife, fresh air and great walks.

The most amazing thing about walking in this general area is the sheer abundance of lichen dripping from almost every tree – spiky, filamentous, hairy; the diversity and volume of this green fuzz is phenomenal. That, and being surrounded by almost constant bird song shows what an incredible place this is. Great, blue and coal tits, the latter a less shy and retiring and seemingly much more abundant bird than in Norfolk. Chaffinches pairing up, fighting and chasing each other; white flashes of wings and tails as they zip between trees in hot pursuit of each other. Unseen goldcrests trilled from somewhere and great spotted woodpeckers drummed, their percussions resounding from another unknown location, successfully remaining unseen.

Following one of the footpaths to Loch Eilein, we took a sidepath to Lochan Mor. This little loch was writhing with common toads by the bridge on which we stood, some just coming to the surface to sunbathe. Tearing our eyes away from the toads, drawn by a number of loud little grebes, and up to the stunning view (there were a lot of those!), it was evident there were other residents to this loch. Piebald ducks with a shocking yellow iris, a few male goldeneyes skimmed the surface and dived. A sleepy pair of goosander drifted with the slight current, occasional awoken by the grebes.

Back tracking to the main path, we had to watch our feet. Common frogs, toads and even a newt were sitting on the path. A few of which we tried to move to prevent their early demise from unwary walkers and cyclists.

On reaching Loch Eilein and making a quick visit to the shop for supplies, I almost missed our first red squirrel of our visit. Luckily, my husband was quick on the uptake with my camera for evidence. I just caught the flash of auburn moving through the silver birch and pines, with a flash of blonde gracing the end of tip of its luxurious tail. Despite the number of visitors and dogs, to which it seemed oblivious, it returned and foraged lower to the ground. A good omen for the next few days of wildlife watching.