Wildlife in Scotland

But, before I go any further, I ought to backtrack. We had a little detour to WWT Caerlaverock on our drive northwards, which is worthy of a mention. It’s a fair old way from Sussex to Scotland and I was glad I’d had the foresight to break the journey with a two night stay in Carlisle. It was wonderful to explore the wetland centre for a whole day and be out in the fresh air. Previously, I’d only visited the Arundel and London sites, but this one was my favourite for the simple fact there were no netted enclosures and lots of hides to watch the wildlife from. At this time of year, the entire Svalbard population of Barnacle Geese (≈ 40,000) overwinter at Caerlaverock. We saw a large number of them suddenly take to the skies from a nearby field – the sound was quite deafening.

Notably, a large number of Whooper and Mute Swans gathered on a pond in anticipation of feeding, but it was actually the smaller birds I enjoyed observing the most. Aside from the usual suspects, I was glad to catch a glimpse of some Yellowhammers loitering in the hedgerows, Greenfinches squabbling at the feeders and a little Wren - one of my favourite birds - foraging around the water’s edge. The highlight though was seeing a little Bank Vole periodically appear from beneath a low wooden walkway. It never ventured far from cover and retreated extremely quickly. I’ve got several photos of its back end as it darted under cover.

At the end of the day we drove to the adjacent nature reserve edging the Solway Firth. The last pleasant surprise of the day was the sight of a Barn Owl flying past us, almost at head height and no more than 10m away. It cast us a quick cursory glance and then continued onward in the search of dinner. Magical! Capturing a glimpse of any owl is always thrilling and quickens my heart.

On our first full day up in the Scottish Highlands we’d booked a Red Squirrel hide near Carrbridge with professional photographer Mark Hamblin. He’s built a wooden hide sunken into the ground so we were at eye level with the squirrels when they were foraging. There were also various natural perches that had been baited with nuts that appealed to the local birdlife as well. Coal Tits were the most frequent visitors, swiftly swooping in to collect some food close to us and disappearing just as quickly. A couple of Brown Hares made a few apperances, mostly early morning when the light wasn't its best. It was such a bonus to see them foraging fairly close. Those large ears didn't miss anything!

Within five minutes of being set up, our first squirrels appeared and we started snapping away with our cameras. Aside from a one hour lull in the morning, there was fairly constant activity from 8am to 2pm, which was fabulous. The first arrivals sat and ate for quite a while, posing for us beautifully on the logs. More wary squirrels though came in, grabbed a nut and retreated to the safety of a tree to eat. Later, other visitors ventured really close to the hide, virtually filling my viewfinder. I never dreamed I’d see one so relaxed and at ease that close to me. I've visited Brownsea Island before - the only place I've seen Red Squirrels in England - but the only time they've come within a few metres is when they're dashing past at speed. Having these more intimate moments were such a joy and privilege and something I won’t forget.

One tenacious little character was intent on caching as many nuts as it could in the general vicinity. This gave us perfect practice for the leaping shots. We had to pre-focus on the end of one perch, because its movement was lightening fast and easy to miss if you weren’t ready! Anticipating when it would dart across from one perch to the next, I’d fire off a quick burst in the hopes that one of the frames had captured the squirrel in flight. In poor light it was challenging using a fast enough shutter speed without the background appearing too grainy, but it was fun experimenting!

The following day we enjoyed exploring RSPB Insh Marshes. I loved walking through the moss-covered birch copses and creating some arty images of the trees that resembled an impressionist painting. After having lunch sitting alongside the River Tromie we returned to the hides in the hope of seeing some wildlife. It was a bit quiet and nothing was especially close, however, it was nice to see some Roe Deer and a female Hen Harrier (often referred to as a Ringtail on account of its white rump) being mobbed by a couple of corvids.

We finished the day at Loch Morlich, a much photographed and popular scenic spot on the way up to Cairngorm Mountain. It was so serene. The beautiful tranquil water was calm and serene. The white peaks were perfectly reflected in the stillness, that was until some Mallard Ducks decided to go for a swim. It was the best part of the day.

In the latter half of the week we visited the Loch Garten bird feeding station on several occasions, at different times of the day. I’d read online this was a good place to see Crested Tits, which in the UK can mostly only be found in the pine forests of Scotland. Only in the winter are they likely to come down from the tree tops, so it’s your best chance to see them. Sadly, we didn’t see any there, though I was quite enamoured by the numerous numbers of Coal Tits eager for food.

On the evening of my birthday we’d booked onto an Evening Mammal Watch with Speyside Wildlife. They have a hide set up with lights outside and they put out food for wild Badgers and Pine Martens, should they choose to take advantage of what is on offer. Both species are Mustalids, which is the largest family of carnivores. No Pine Marten had been seen for about a week, but the Badgers were regular visitors. I was amazed we saw nine that evening (from two different nearby setts). They poked their noses into every nook and cranny where food had been hidden, one even managed to knock over a log as it could smell something underneath. Like a team of vacuum cleaners, every morsel of food was devoured within about an hour.

One Badger didn’t have food on its mind at all and, within minutes of arriving at the feast, mounted a female trying to eat. She didn’t look best pleased and tried to continue with her foraging with minimal success. The male was persistent and held on to her firmly with its front paws and also bit the female behind the neck. I’ve seen the same biting behaviour in mating kingfishers and swans and have read this occurs with many other animal species.

Suddenly, someone in the group broke the silence, ‘Pine Marten!’ I looked up and saw some branches moving overhead, but the leaves obscured its occupant at first. After a few seconds it appeared, though it’s dark brown fur helped it stay fairly well concealed amidst the tree. Its creamy bib on the front eventually gave the Pine Marten away as it surveyed its surroundings, constantly alert and wary. Eventually, it nimbly navigated the branches down to the platform in front of us. With a big smile across my face, in awe and wonder, I enjoyed watching it feeding for a glorious 15 minutes. This would possibly be my only chance to see a Pine Marten in the wild and I savoured every moment.

One of the main focuses on this trip was to try and see Mountain Hares in their white winter pelage. Luckily, despite low numbers, we had success seeing them on two days with an experienced guide who knew the area very well. Despite the cold, 40mph winds and a snow shower, it was great fun and the highlight of my trip. Whilst we were lucky we didn’t have the difficult job of trying to navigate through a heavy blanket of snow looking for a white mammal known to hide well in plain sight, it was nonetheless extremely tricky. There was still patchy snow cover over the mountains and lots of white rocks that looked suspiciously mammalian! I was fooled several times, but I did successfully spot one! I was well chuffed! Read separate blog to find out more.

I’ve discovered there is an animal more cute than a lamb - a kid! As an added bonus on our days searching for Mountain Hares we also saw Long-Horned Mountain Goats and quite a few kids. What was quite remarkable was that we saw two pairs of twins. Although it’s not unheard of, it’s not common and certainly our guide had never seen it before.

On our final visit to Loch Garten – and still no joy seeing any Crested Tits – I enjoyed watching the other birds. A Great Spotted Woodpecker visited the large bird feeder and, a first for me that week, I saw a pair of Siskins. The male is a striking yellow colour and the female more dull in colour (right).

Within seconds of outstretching my hand I felt the delicate feet of a Coal Tit on it, and in a flash it was gone. But as the minutes passed, others did the same, or maybe it was the same one coming back for more. I’ll never know. They were unbelievably light and the feet didn’t scratch my skin. It was such a simple act and yet, I have to admit, it was incredibly uplifting and a wonderful experience and probably the highlight of my day.

I kept peering through my binoculars. Eventually, I saw that unmistakeable crest. I held my breath! Even though I was hoping to see it, I was still surprised! Excitedly, I turned to my friend and silently gestured that we had success. For about 15 minutes we got to watch one flying about and then feeding. Unlike the other birds, it wasn’t so flighty at the feeders, and it took its time pecking at the peanuts. The light was so poor and when they flew off, they were extremely quick. The few photos I got were not great. I witnessed one perfect moment, when a Crested Tit landed on a sunlit branch higher up, beautifully covered in a bit of moss. But, by the time I raised the camera, it had flown off. Opportunity missed! However, I was just thrilled to FINALLY see one!