Well that's the Christmas and New Year festivities over and we are looking forward to 2014 and some exciting birding. There is usually a good bird to see locally over the festive season and this year's was just down the road at Broomhill. Clearly an Iceland Gull, but those darker wing-tips caused some debate as to whether or not this was a Kumlein's type. Some birders think not and some think it could well be....that's birding, sometimes ID is not all that straight forward....lets not even  mention the word Crossbill. As I write another rarity has just been found by a good friend Simon Eaves on the coast at Loch Flemmington, another wanderer from across the pond an American Coot! A first for Highland and only 8th for the UK mainland. This is currently just down the road from the Lesser Scaup showing at Alturlie, so no shortage of great birds to see as well as the regulars.
I have been busy guiding several field trips for the Grant Arms BWWC over the festive period, with some great sightings. At Burghead we had over 50 Bottle-nosed Dolphins as well as an Otter feeding on the shore below us, with great views of Purple Sandpipers on the rocks feeding with Turnstones. In Strathdearn both Golden and White-tailed Eagles have been showing well, January sees the start of Eagles displaying on clear days, already thinking about nesting. Local Black Grouse have been lekking too on clear calm mornings and this activity should slowly increase as we head on in to the year. With daylight not being until around 8 still it doesn't even require an early start too. We are running regular morning trips to see them from the Grant Arms and Nethybridge, email [email protected] or call on 01479 821357 if you are interested in joining a trip.
In the forest Crested Tit have been showing very well especially at the feeders, there have also been quite a few mobile groups of Crossbill Sp. around lately.
Finally, many people ask about Wildcat and how easy it is to see them.....well the answer is "not very"! It is one animal which really just does require a lot of luck and a chance encounter, which does happen now and again. Just before Xmas I was driving to Grantown as I do most days, it had just got dark and my lights caught something ahead crossing the road......it was a cat, quite bulky, and with a very stealthy gait, looking very good for wild cat with a well marked ringed tailed. It dashed quickly across and through a fence then vanished. I can't say it was one, there are plenty of Tabby's around here but based on experience I'd say this one was a pretty good candidate. 

Well I wish you all a very Happy New Year, and some great birding. For all those I have met in 2013 I hope to see you again and thank you for your custom, it has been a pleasure. I intend to extend the Short Break itinerary at the Grant Arms as well as the day tours with some exciting destinations and boat trips this year so a busy time ahead.

Best Wishes

John Poyner & Family.

The days are getting shorter but there is still plenty of time for birding by making use of all the light that's available.
We started off at first light with a trip to a local Black Grouse lek, and were not disappointed to say the least. No less than 18 Black-cocks were sitting in the grass as the mist rolled back across the Strath, giving excellent views in the scope as some of them began to fan their tails, though rather half-heartedly compared to spring.
Next we moved on to the forest where a feeding freanzy of tits clustered round a feeder, including a very obliging Crestie determined to nudge in on the Coal tits busily pecking at the nuts. Several Red Squirrels also scampered up and down the trunks behind the feeders as we watched until flushed by a rather ignorant dog walker who allowing his animals to run riot all over the woods, no wonder Caper stay well hidden from this locality.
Moving on we went looking for Eagles, an extremely calm day with little on the wing when we arrived made the going difficult. We missed a White-tailed by just a few minutes when we arrived and sadly it did not reappear, however we had plenty of Ravens, Dipper and Goosander along the river before deciding to leave for the coast while there was still plenty of light. Travelling over the moors Red Grouse were everywhere at the road side, just feet away from the vehicle their croaking display filling the air as we sat and watched two males entertaining a lone and rather bored looking female.

On the coast the first stop was North Kessock, a group of Goldeneye fed under the bridge and a raft of Long-tailed Ducks were feeding not far offshore out on the firth. A Red Kite drifted across the water and in the calm we could make out numerous seal heads as we scanned towards Chanonry.
Moving round to Alturlie, conditions for viewing were stunning, with small rafts of duck all over the place. A small group of Scaup with several Slavonian Grebes feeding around them, more Slavonian Grebes everywhere we looked as well as a distant Great Northern Diver. After checking through the wigeon and Teal we headed further along the road to get closer to the diver, it's heavy bill, thick body and neck with patchy brown plumage confirming the original distant ID. 
There was just about time to check through the gulls gathering at the sewage works before heading back as the light faded, a lot of Black-headed, a few Herring and Common but no white-wings as far as we could see!
A perfect winter birding day had by all as we headed back down the A9, the sky turning a soft pink hue over the snowy Cairngorms, skeins of Greylags headed to roost and corvids circled the darkening forests now swathed in whisps of frosty evening mist.

We've been seeing a lot of Bullfinches around lately, it's possible these birds are migrants from Scandinavia, looking slightly bigger and the call perhaps a little louder and sharper than resident birds.
This morning however, a Bullfinch was calling from trees here in Nethybridge with a very different call, rather like a childs toy trumpet is the best description.
These "trumpeting" birds are thought to come from much further east, possibly even Siberian Russia, though ID is not that simple. There was an influx in 2004 in Northern Europe including the UK, which is the last time I heard these in the Strath.
Will keep an eye out and try and get a photo or even a recording if it appears again.
Waxings are also starting to be reported from Highland, so far none in Nethybridge but with plenty of berries about it surely won't be long.

If you ever wonder what on earth that bird is calling as it flys over, we will be running some Fieldcraft Days, aimed at concentrating on calls and bird ID. 


There is no better place than to learn calls in the field and on an average day we will probably encounter 30-40 species at least, using a variety of habitats from the forests to the coast....if you are interested check our calendar for dates, the first one is on Mon 11th November.

On a frosty morning walk in Anagach Woods with guests from the BWWC at the Grant Arms Hotel, we came across this quite amazing sight. No this isn't a fungus or cotton wool, it's ICE ! Hundreds of tiny fragile strands of it protruding from a piece of dead wood like silk threads. It's called Hair Ice, and only forms when conditions are just right, the water in the wood slowly freezing and as it does being forced through the pores. It is so fragile the slightest touch will destroy it from the heat of your hand.
The forest is always full of surprises, even when you think you've seen everything.

A great day out with Keith and his group, which started early pre-breakfast in search of autumn lekking Black Grouse. We headed to a secluded site at the edge of the Cairngorms where several males were already showing, one only yards away peering at us from behind a wire fence was a stunner! Several other birds were interacting on the lek though as always in autumn they never seem to quite get going as in spring, though still giving wonderful views.
Redwing and Fieldfare were streaming in straight off the coast and probably making their first landfall in clumps of trees on the edge of the moor, looking rather hungry and tired. 
After re-fueling with the Grant Arm's cooked breakfast we headed off attempting to beat some rather ominous looking rain clouds in search of Eagles. As we drove in to the glen a shout went up of "what are those up there?"....screeching to a halt we jumped out to catch two adult White-tailed Eagles soaring towards us. They drifted right overhead, only to be then joined by an imm Golden Eagle which proceeded to talon grapple with one of the rather annoyed looking WTEs. What a stunning view. I never claim to be a wildlife photographer as you can see here....yep that's a Goldie, in the bottom right, I'm usually too busy trying to find the birds than photograph them....I leave that up to the clients with the big lenses.
As we headed back down the glen we stopped off at hidden spot beneath some birches where if you look hard enough you will see one of nature's most amazing spectacles....spawning salmon. Having swum thousands of miles in open sea before returning to a secluded spot in a Highland Glen to spawn, we watched several huge fish as they flicked the gravel with their tails and splashed in the slack water. 
Well we beat the rain and headed off towards the coast, where we took lunch at North Kessock, scoping a huge raft of Long-tailed Ducks as they bobbed out in the Moray Firth and enjoying the sight of endless streams of Redwings and Fieldfares heading off over the Kessock bridge. We got more views of Long-tailed Ducks as they flew past Chanonry point, where several Turnstones also fed amongst the seaweed and pebbles close by. Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Slavonian Grebe and Red Kite were all added to the list as we explored the inner Moray Firth from the south side also, where one of the most unusual sights of the day was hundreds of golf balls washed along the beach at Alturlie?! A great day spent in habitats ranging from highland moors, glens to the coast and shoreline.....we headed back as the light faded for the drop of at the Grant Arms Hotel where a few more species were added to the guest sightings board for Wednesday!

With the weather turning distinctly more autumnal in the Highlands, though still relatively mild the first major influx of Redwings and Fieldfares occured this week in the Strath. On a walk out with BWWC and Gordon Hamlett yesterday morning the air was filled with the chattering of Fielfares and seeping of Redwings as we enjoyed Crested Tits and Red Squirrels on the feeders.

Later in the afternoon, the BWWC fieldtrip to Insh Marshes was treated to one of the great spectacles of bird migration with a constant stream of thrushes moving through, often just feet above our heads as we stood at the "Lookout". What a fantastic sight as they headed south, funneled at this narrow point of the Strath after feeding on the rich crop of berries further north. We picked out several small er birds in with them and the light was good enough to make out the distinct white rumps of Bramblings, as well as a few Chaffinches.

By 4 O'Clock the passage had largely stopped with only a few straglers passing when our attention was then drawn to a rather smart rusty looking juv Hen Harrier hunting the marshes below us. It was in view for the best of half an hour as it scattered Snipe and Teal with many unsuccessful grabs at them before climbing high and flying off still hungry!

Looking further ahead to next year we are busy adding more short breaks to our itinerary, keep an eye on the website for details. If you have a group wishing to visit we can offer a bespoke all in package for you or just guide hire only for the day. We use the Grant Arms "wildlife" Hotel for our accommodation where you have full use of all the facilities of the Birdwatching & Wildlife Club (BWWC) including a superb natural history library and club room.
With their being little risk of disturbance in the winter months, chances of finding a Capercaillie are much better than in spring. We know the best places to go!

What a spectacular day out guiding last Friday, as we went in search of some of the local Scottish specials.

The day started early at first light, heading for a local Black Grouse lek, where we arrived as the sun rose over the distant Cairngorms, Red Grouse called from the heather behind us and arriving Redwings "seeped" overhead. It wasn't long before our quarry appeared with 8 males flying in from their roost in the nearby long grass, we had been worried at first none were going to show! It wasn't long before they were strutting, tails spread and we could just about hear their wonderful bubbling in the clear morning air. Lekking is traditionally associated with spring but actually occurs in autumn and winter as well on fine mornings, though perhaps not quite as intensive as the spring performance it's still worth seeing.

We moved on, could we get a Capercaillie too before breakfast?..... the challenge was on. Heading in to the Pinewoods, we drove carefully along a minor road as the first rays of sunlight reached in through the foliage.......there he was, a male Capercaillie, strutting through the billberry, tail fanned and even "clip-clopping"......hence the name from derived from Gaelic "Horse of the Woods".
What a sight, just yards away, plenty of chances for photos using the vehicle as a hide, his freshly moulted plumage stunning in the crisp morning light. Three Grouse before breakfast not a bad start at all.

After breakfast we headed for a local glen, greeted by Stags roaring from the hillsides with their hinds in tow as the river Findhorn glistened an indigo blue on a stunning autumn morning perfect for watching for Eagles. Setting up camp we watched and waited as a Peregrine dashed overhead and a few Ravens honked above the crags. Soon we were on to a bird, high in the sky, certainly an Eagle and very large. It's white tail caught the sunlight, and that's exactly what it was, a White-tailed Eagle, soaring high with a second bird. They drifted closer, super views of these powerful Eagles as they drifted effortless through the blue sky and along the ridge behind us. It wasn't long before we spotted a couple of Golden Eagles too, hunting Grouse or Mountain Hare on the heather clad slopes beyond us. As we headed back down the glen Dipper and Red Kite were also added to the day list.

Heading back to the forest we cut across some of the Strath's farmland to check out any goose flocks, finding a few Greylags and Pink-feet with a surprise amongst them, a single Barnacle Goose. While watching the geese a lone and largish looking Redpoll dropped down in to a tree beside us, giving brief views enough to confirm it was a Common (mealy) rather than a local Lesser Redpoll.

Back in the pine forest we were soon watching several Crested Tits feeding near Loch Garten,  which made a fantastic end to a species packed day!

Our trip last week had superb sightings of Golden Eagles in Strathdearn, with three birds seen at good range in the air together. Two of them talon grappling and tumbling as they were joined by a Peregrine and Sparrowhawk. On the moors above the Strath another Peregrine was seen chasing Red Grouse at high speed across the moorland, a fantastic sight. 
Nearby a lone Black-throated Diver still sat on a tranquil loch, the summer breeding season now at an end, either one of the pair or perhaps a wanderer, looking to check out a potential site for next year.
A few Slavonian Grebes remain too, their colourful summer head-dress now fading to the rather drab winter plumage, young chicks still not quite fully grown followed an adult fishing, soon to be heading for the open seas.
In the forest Crested Tits are showing very well around the feeders, along with other tits now gathering in their winter flocks. Red Squirrel too are stocking up for the winter providing great photo opportunities.
A walk up Cairngorm didn't take long to find a brood of 8 Ptarmigan, quite low for this time of year and not too far a walk from the ski area car park, there was a Red Grouse seen higher up the hill than they were, all a bit topsy turvey.
Five Dippers together on the river was a great sight, probably a family group as were a group of six Grey Wagtails.



Strathdearn