Monday, 29 April 2019

Local Search - Curate's Egg

Monday April 29

More of the same in to-day's moth trap  - apart from one new to us. Glaucous Shears, a mountain species. Photo to-morrow as I had a dirty mark on my lens so will take more in the morning. We, luckily, retained the moth. 
We thought we'd better try to see the Highland specialities, without any real confidence in doing so. Enforced birding from the car and wayside does not help sighting Crested Tit, Crossbill, Ptarmigan, Black Grouse - to name a few.
We started in Loch Garten RSPB car park where feeders have been hung for the last couple of years and there is a good chance of Crested Tit. Not to-day. Not a feeder, nor any scattered food, in sight, just large campervans, tethered dogs and sunbathing tourists. We hung our feeder up and saw one Coal Tit.
Taking a back road to Cairngorm, we pass a lochan where a wonky dead tree usually supports a Cormorant and Sand Martins swoop the water.


Pam was interested in seeing a lepidoptera species I'd noticed flying about.  I pointed out the small scrub behind which they kept landing where Pam found the only flower in sight. Pam then moved the car so that I could photograph. I managed the plant  - Cuckoo Flower - the Orange-tip Butterflies were a blur.


Coire na Ciste, well  on the way up the mountain,  has a large parking area from which Black Grouse are advertised as being seen. We never have and we didn't to-day either. A small herd of young Reindeer suddenly appeared, as they do, attracting tourists out of their cars holding hands out for petting. They should know better. These young animals ignored them and trotted off, disappearing as suddenly as they arrived.




What about Cairngorms car park? We knew that the funicular no longer runs but we could give scoping for Ptarmigan from the car park a try. I did a lot of scoping from several different positions without success. Such a beautiful, sunny and warm - 18C - day, one could see for miles and miles. No Snow Bunting either. 
A song from the lower unmade car park alerted us to the presence of Ring Ouzel. There he was, perched on a distant stone down below us. There was also a man with a camera, walking about, stalking the bird, which did not come any nearer, just kept flying elsewhere.
 Damn him. I snatched a shot of the male sitting on a fence, part obscured by roadside vegetation. That was the best I managed.


A fuel stop at Aviemore before driving to Lochindorb, checking for Black Grouse en route. A flock of sheep in the lekking field.......
The Lochindorb drive is always a treat. The first bird sharp-eyed Pam saw was a male Hen Harrier which flew rapidly along the ridge before disappearing over the  top. Excellent. 
A few Red Grouse and a Common Sandpiper kept us amused. 


Many patches of heather have been burnt, as is the practise  in order to encourage young shoots to feed  the Grouse before they are shot.
We shall continue to check the river at Carrbridge every time we pass but will probably never see Goosander there again. We shall still look..........


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