Tuesday 9 June 2015

One perfect day in the Cairngorms

Ptarmigan
It was a great day birding here in the highlands of Scotland under blue skies where the temperature threatened twenty degrees Celsius. It was this day that we had planned to go on a wee hike up the hills in the Cairngorms. We had packed a lunch and waterproofs and coats in case the unpredictable mountain weather turned nasty however, while the lunch certainly proved useful, the need for cold weather clothes or raincoats never eventuated.

The first target species showed itself well close to the ski fields car park – Ring Ouzel. This thrush is like a Blackbird with a bold white sash across its chest; a mountain version of the Blackbird if you will. And when it finally decided to show itself it lost inhibitions and displayed nicely.
Ring Ouzel

The next target was definitely an upland species the Rock Ptarmigan. A species that almost everyone knows about. Famous for camouflage as it turns completely white in winter and in Summer the bird moults into plumage designed to keep it invisible. Despite its camouflage the bird was [luckily] easy to find. A pair were discovered relatively low on the hill and close to the path and they shuffled around slowly and confidently allowing long looks. The male still had a proud white belly but its upper parts blended with the lichen covered granite on the hillsides while the female had a more intricate pattern that rendered it impossible to see among the vegetation; a useful strategy for a ground nesting bird.
Female Ptarmigan
Male Ptarmigan
Female Ptarmigan

Climbing even further to the top we lucked upon four Dotterals. These are Arctic or alpine specialists who return to these high hills to breed after wintering in the southern Mediterranean or northern Africa. We had seen a flock of about 12 on ploughed fields on the Spanish Steppes and  those birds could have, in all possibility, been aiming for the highlands of Scotland. We can claim luck to have seen these well coloured birds on their breeding grounds.
Cairngorms
View from the Cairngorms

Scanning  a nearby Loch after the long climb down we discovered yet another Scottish trip bird; an adult Red-throated Diver.

Our day ended with a visit to an Osprey nest where the birds were busy returning to their chicks with fish while the surrounding forests were rich in song of a variety of warblers and other songbirds.
Treecreeper at nest
the view of the Cairngorms the day before

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