Tartan Travels

 My brother and I clearly lack the gift of timing in that the weekend we had booked to visit Scotland was the very same one in which Storm Arwen struck. That we managed to avoid the worst conditions was more down to luck than judgement but was it was a very welcome accident indeed. On our drive up on the 27th we encountered heavy snow near and around Birmingham but little else in the way of inclement weather. After a brief stop at St Helens to drop my wife off at some relatives we forged on to Caerlaverock where we hoped to get in our first birding of the trip.

Barnacle Geese

Caerlaverock is rightly famed for its wintering flocks of Barnacle Geese and today it delivered in full. Thousands of these attractive geese looked splendid in the afternoon sunshine and the sound was incredible. Adding to the interest were a number of Whooper Swans as well as a Great White Egret while two Ravens rather surprisingly turned out to be our only ones of the trip. As the sun began to sink we headed off to our accommodation at nearby Annan Water.

Whooper Swan and Great White Egret.

The next morning was devoted to more wild goose chasing with somewhat mixed results. Having negotiated some more snow we headed along to the area around Slanannan on the trail of Taiga Bean Geese. Our search at Fannyside Loch and in the countryside around the village failed to produce the desired results and so we gave up on the Beans and set off for Loch Lomond. Greenland White-fronted Geese were the object of our search here and it's fair to say that our initial efforts were far from promising. A visit to the RSPB reserve yielded a few sightings of Redpolls and Siskins but no honkers and so we cast our net a little wider. Quite a large flock of Pink-footed Geese near Gartocharn raised our hopes a little but a search through them failed to produce any white-fronts. We were beginning to think that we would fail to get a gander at the Greenlands but Lady Luck played a hand at the last moment. While loading our gear into the car a flock of about 40 geese flew past and a look through the bins revealed that they were Greenland White-fronts - phew! Relieved to avoid the dreaded double dip we began our long journey towards Grantown on Spey for a two night stay. A Barn Owl crossed the road just as we entered the town and provided a nice end to the day.

Greenland White-fronted Geese

The 29th dawned grey and with a little snow but that did not stop us making a short trip to Anagach Wood which has a population of both Crested Tits and Capercaillies. Sadly neither proved to be obliging though it was great to see Red Squirrels again even if they were not in a photographer friendly mood. The next stop was at Nethybridge where a Dipper showed very well at the River Nethy. Next up was a trip to the Dell Woods where a strategically placed feeder has a reputation for attracting Crested Tits. An initial search drew a blank but patience did pay off and I finally managed to see my first UK Crested Tit. One bird showed well but distantly as it made several trips down on to the feeder. Not much else to report from today other than further sightings of equally camera shy Red Squirrels.

Crested Tit and Dipper

Low cloud and drizzle greeted us on the next morning which scuppered our plans to look for Ptarmigan. Plan B was to head south for some sea watching in Fife at the village of Pettycur. This turned out to be a great idea as we were treated to a an interesting and varied selection of birds. Both Red and Black-throated Divers showed well and there were well over a hundred Shags feeding in the turbulent water. Auks were represented by seven Little Auks, a single Puffin and rather more Guillemots while a single juvenile Gannet was noted. Eiders were the commonest of the ducks though Long-tailed Ducks were not too far behind them. A small number of Common Scoters and a single Velvet were added to the list along with a quartet of Red-breasted Mergansers. Not satisfied with this impressive haul we crossed the Forth to Portobello where a first year drake King Eider was eventually found feeding amongst a large flock of its commoner cousins.

Fieldfare and Eiders

After a night in rain soaked Leith we made the short journey to Fisherrow in Musselburgh for some more ducky delights. On the wind whipped and very lively sea we managed to find at least one and possibly both of the drake Surf Scoters that have been favouring this area. We didn't attempt to look for the White-winged Scoter that has also been seen here but were happy to see good quantities of Velvet and a few Common Scoters. Three species of scoter in the same day for the first time was as good a way as any to bring our Scottish sojourn to an end. The familiar combination of weather and distance played havoc with my photography so I'm afraid most of the pics are either recordy or just plain dross!

Redshank and Oystercatcher