April 24-25

 

Monday April 24

The day started as yesterday finished – a wintry shower as I walked out to the car. We had several during the day, but it was mostly dry with some sun in the afternoon.

Our first destination was Spey Bay, a Scottish Dolphin Association Centre. From the car park here one can view the Spey river where it enters the sea. There are sand banks and islands where birds like to loaf about after washing in the river water. We usually see many Goosander here, their island resting places had been taken over by Lesser Black-backed and Black-headed Gulls. The far shore and water held about seven Red-breasted Mergansers, difficult to count as they kept diving. About to leave, a group of birders appeared from the dunes, their  leader bringing up the rear. The party made straight for the café, the leader packed away belongings in the van. Pam asked him what they had seen. The very affable and helpful man came over to us, repeating what we had seen. Pam asked about Goosanders and he said that he’d seen a male further upstream. Pam moved the car so that I could scope at a better angle, and I was able to locate and point out two male Goosander drifting fast downstream on the racing outgoing tide and river current.

The next stop was Cullen, of Cullen Skink fame (fish soup – smoked haddock, potatoes and onions), east of Nairn. Another sea side parking area below an enormous viaduct, under the arches of which one drives to reach the park. The sea was tumultuous. I thought that it was rough yesterday, these waves were even more towering and relentless in their drive to the shore. I scoped. What an optimist. I always enjoy watching Gannets, there were many, dipping in and out of sight above the waves.

A sudden braking by Pam, was in response to seeing a flock of her much loved Pink-footed Geese in a roadside field. A pause on their way north.

 

Burghead has always been a favourite birding place, it was also another chance to see a White-billed Diver, one had been reported here yesterday. Another scoping of impossibly rough seas, this time, the western end – which was less rough – had Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Shags, and Cormorants to entertain us. Pam saw a Sandwich Tern fly around the corner of the cliff into the shelter of the harbour. We followed the road around the head and onto another parking area overlooking the sea. In the distance, a melee of feeding birds included both Sandwich and Common Terns, our first of the year.

Sainsbury’s at Nairn provided the fuel for the car and the week’s meal needs for us. I completed to-day’s Wordle in 3, read some short stories by Pate Dunne an American birder, and started a Codeword before trojan Pam returned, My contribution was a Blue Badge enabling us to park outside the entry.

Our route home took us past the road to Lochindorb. It was nearly 6 o’clock, late, but the temptation was too great. The evening sun lit the pairs of Common Gulls on their nests.

 

A black rabbit and a normal coloured one, fed side by side on the loch verge

 

We stopped at the lekking site where I called a Golden Eagle passing over. Almost immediately, Pam, out of her side window, called five Black Grouse flying into nearby woods. They must have been spooked by the eagle. Despite waiting for ten minutes, they did not re-appear. Hard luck me.

Late in and very tired we had a make-do supper, before seeing to daily chores.

 

Tuesday April 25

Determined to have an easier day, we didn’t set off until late morning. A single male Goldeneye, preening on a rock, seen from Boat of Garten Bridge on the way to the shop for to-day’s papers, started the day list. The drive to Dornoch was pretty sterile too. Not as windy as yesterday but very cold with frequent wintry showers. Mostly a mixture of hail and snow.The squirrel feeding station had a few Chaffinches, Coal and great Tits feeding on fat balls The squirrel feeders were empty, probably why there were none around. We stopped in the area outside the gates to the private, deer hunting estate, where I ate my first meal of the day, muesli. Whilst Pam was out of the car getting it for me, a Merlin sped through overhead.  Not just desserts at all.

The trees in the small plantation past which we used to see a Black Grouse lek, have now grown too tall. The  horses were still present too, it was very unlikely that the lek continues. Passing the feeding station once more, a male Great Spotted Woodpecker was demolishing fat balls, the Pheasants on the ground below, gratefully gobbling up the confetti remains of the fat which dropped to the ground.

I’d left one box of my pills at home, we visited the Grantown Health Centre, who sent us to the pharmacy. The pharmacy didn’t open again until two o’clock so we went to Dulnain Bridge. There’s a convenient layby from which to view the rocky river. Pam soon found a Dipper, which I could see by squinting through my bins with one eye through the gap  between the wing mirror and my door. It was lovely to watch it step off a stone, disappear below the water, then re-appear on a different stone.

Time to return to the pharmacy – who sent us back to the Health Centre  to register as a temporary patient. They will then phone my doctor and let me know when the prescription will be ready for pick-up. They agreed that it would be better done here than on Uist so I hope the call comes before Friday.

On to Lochindorb for some birds we hope. It was even better than we’d hoped for. There were six male Black Grouse, strutting their stuff on the grassy mound at least a quarter of a mile from the road. We spent a most enjoyable twenty minutes watching and photographing. The views through my scope were excellent, my photos, taken in a hail/snow shower much better than I could have hoped for - considering the distance. Well done Canon. I can see the snow flecks in the background.

 

And , it continued. As soon as we stopped at the south end of Lochindorb, I saw two Black-throated Divers in the middle of the loch. One soon disappeared, the other continued to fish, eventually appearing nearer to the shore.  Shame that the light was so bad.

 

As it also was for our first Common Sandpiper of the year.

 

The Red Grouse are few and far between this year. Avian flu? We did see two fly away.

Time to drive home. This drive back towards Carrbridge gives us stupendous views of the Cairgorm Range. Yesterday’s white dusting was thicker today, extending much further down the slopes and corries. 

 

Far fewer miles than yesterday and a slightly shorter time out. More than enough for us.