Just back from a week in FREEZING Speyside with Mrs D....
This was the corrie beneath the Cairn Gorm plateau, where Snow Buntings trilled past, Red Grouse toughed it out in appalling conditions, and Ptarmigan called like distant little motorbikes on the snow covered scree slopes above us...what a place!
As you can see it was a tad nippy...with shedloads of snow, and although the woods were mainly quiet there were a few birds to look at, like these stunning waxwings, part of a flock of 14 hanging out in the front garden of a house in The Causer, Nethy Bridge.
Ain't he purty?
I'm sure you're all relieved to see my digiscoping hasn't improved while freezing my bits off up north.
There were plenty of Crested Tits in the pines around Abernethy Forest, with smaller parties of crossbills _ but none calling like the Parrot Crossbills that are meant to breed in this vast woodland.
Far down the Lairig Ghru trail beyond the tourist mecca of Rothiemurchus, a female Capercaillie burst out of the juniper scrub _ the first Mrs D has seen, but I just heard it, before it crashed off through the branches on rattling wings.
And no, we didn't leave the path...I like Capers to thrive as much as the next person, so if you're heading north, go to Loch Garten for the pre-dawn lek, which should be kicking off in a week or two.
The Capers are much easier to see there _ we'd walked nearly 30 glacial miles through the woods, communing with nature in a deep and frosty way before we came across this single bird.
"Scotbills" were in the pines around Loch Mallacie, but I leave them up to your conscience.....
That rather esoteric shot is from Loch An Eileen, which was dead apart from the usual Coal Tits, Siskins and Goldcrests....but nearby we were treated to the highlight of the trip in the form of four Badgers and two Pine Martens coming to feed in front of a floodlit hide in the depths of an icy March night (yes, they charge you, but it's worth it).
These pics are crap (hey come on, it was the middle of the night) compared to the pin sharp video footage I now have of both beasties, which I'll post on here when I work out how to...
Is it true that Pine Martens like crunchy peanut butter?
You better believe it.....oh boy!!!
Now I'm back, it's time to chase a few Spring migrants in the balmy Merseyside temperatures _ I believe a few Wheatears, Sandwich Terns and a Little Ringed Plover have been through already, so I've a bit of catching up to do.....
Eyes to the skies everyone, eyes to the skies....
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