Glens and Moors

Tuesday April 30

The best moth this morning was a Scarce Prominent. Not scarce in this area and a second record for us - we had one last year. Another very lively specimen cooling off in the frig., photos to-morrow I hope. 

Here's one of yesterday's Glaucous Shears.

Findhorn Valley is a much anticipated favourite. Not as warm nor sunny as yesterday but enough to enhance the stunning scenery of this glen. 

Much changed landscape on the link road from the A9. What looks like a sub station has been built on the moorland. Scars on the countryside.....We did see a Rough-legged Buzzard, called and identified by Pam. They once bred in the Findhorn valley.

Our first birding stop is at what is known to us as the Dipper bridge. We once saw an adult feeding its family here. An ArcticTern flew upriver, Grey Wagtail and Common Sandpipers flitted amongst the stony banks, disappearing on landing. Our first Raven, hassled by a Carrion Crow, flew evasively along the high ridge. Their life must be made annoying by the  constant attack by lesser birds. 
A Peregrine was also under attack, showing fairly briefly above the valley.

On to our usual viewing spot, parked on a roadside grassy mound shortly before the official parking place. The biggest surprise to-day has been the lack of Red Deer. None at the farm nor as a frieze on the mountain tops. Odd. One more rabbit - normal brown - not the jet black we saw yesterday at Lochindorb.
Two Sand Martins perched on an overhead wire were too tempting to miss. It's nearly impossible to catch them in flight. Through the windscreen......

 

A lack of traffic on the way down enabled us to stop and photograph the wild flowers clustered along the hillside. Slide film could never manage to re-produce blues and violets naturally - neither can our Digital equipment. 

Violets

Primroses

Wood Anemone

Very little action so we made our way back to the Farr  road junction and the mountain moorland single track road across to Loch Ruthven. One Red Grouse, two Wheatears and a pair of Red-legged Partridges. Even more scarring up here. A long line of giant silvery electricity pylons marched across the moor. The scars of the roads built to deliver the materials jigsawed into the distance. Heaps of felled logs testament to the natural destruction. We wish we'd photographed the attractive information board provided by the Tomintoul Group. It mentioned that most of the world's moorland was in the UK, three quarters of it in Scotland. In order to protect this valuable natural history, heather had to be burnt (fresh shoots for Grouse) and traps and cages were legally placed to control vermin such as Foxes. Interference with the traps would be punished. Wow. Sounded like Natural England.

As we dropped down into the glen, Pam saw two raptors flying a longish way away - I can't see very well beyond a certain distance. Lifting my bins, I could see that one was a Buzzard which was hassling an Osprey carrying a fish in its talons. My photograph is laughably poor - but it shows the fish.

I'd remembered from last year, that Loch Ruthven can be seen from an unofficial layby near a gate on the road. The walk from the official car park is very rough underfoot and I would have needed to carry a seat.  There was room. I set up my scope from the car as light rain was falling. Two pairs of Slavonian Grebes swam into view. Brilliant. Very active little birds. It was difficult enough catching them in the bins let alone trying a photograph for the year folder. I couldn't see them with the naked eye. We both managed indistinct Grebe shaped blobs !

We drove home via Carphone Warehouse on the Inverness Tesco estate, where a young man quickly sorted my IPhone for me. What a relief.