Scotland in September

Once again, the woodland birds at the feeders entertained me, but this time there were different visitors dominating the show – the Tree Sparrows, with their lovely rich brown cap. Amongst the crowd, I spotted several fledglings trying to access the feeders. It was great fun trying to photograph them hovering in mid-air. I pre-focused and took lots of shots, hoping I’d get lucky.

The highlight of the day came just before closing time, when I saw a Brown Hare by the path near a hide. It seemed fairly un-phased by me. Nonetheless, I moved very slowly and quietly to take a few low angle photos. Then, I sat down and just watched as it licked its paw, scratched and wiped its ear and hunkered down to rest. I think we were both pretty chilled out. I left it in peace, feeling that warm glow you get on the inside when you have a special wildlife moment like that, only to discover the reserve had closed! Oops! Luckily, I was able to climb over the locked gate!

The Red Squirrels were the main attraction with frequent visits throughout the day. Sometimes, I could hear them approaching as they scampered along the ground towards the hazelnuts that had been put out for them. Other times, they were so stealth-like, I didn’t hear them approach at all. Only the slight movement of the flowers gave them away or a bushy red tail wafting just above the heather. They were as gorgeous as ever and kept me happily entertained the whole day. There was one persistent one that kept coming back well into the afternoon, long past what I was expecting. Frequently, it approached the feeding area from the left side of the hide and stopped to look at me only a metre away. Then spritely, it leapt off in search of food again. There were times it came so close I could’ve touched it (of course I didn’t). It was so bold, one time it startled me by scampering along the ledge of the hide!

DAY 4 - RED GROUSE

It was great to meet up with wildlife photographer Eoghain MacLean again for an enjoyable guided day. I was pleased to see some Red Grouse for the first time and once again the heather made for a picturesque setting. Mostly, they were elusive, but one time a family group crossed the road just ahead of us, so it was lovely to get some close views of them in the grass on the bank.

The majority of the day was spent walking, searching for Mountain Hares. Unfortunately, we weren’t really successful in that regard, which was more worrying than disappointing. The reason was unclear, because we weren’t on an estate that shoots hares. It certainly wasn’t from the lack of trying. We covered a lot of ground and saw a little scat and the remains of one. Eoghain spotted one lone hare in the distance right at the top of the mountain towards the end of the day, which sadly disappeared before I saw it. We had brief glimpses of other wildlife, also near the tops of the peaks: Red Grouse, Mountain Goats and Red Deer. Lower down in the foothills I was content seeing lots of native flora, butterflies, moths and a resting Common Hawker dragonfly. It was a very long, challenging, exhausting day walking up and down, traversing steep slopes and a few narrow ledges and even fording burns (streams) – I felt like I was in training to become a Mountain Goat - and I loved it! I’m often my happiest when I’m out exploring and it was nice to have the company.

I’d been warned about the midges in Scotland during the summer, but thankfully I didn’t experience any massive swarms of them, even in areas where they’re renowned. But, that day was certainly when I noticed them the most. I didn’t trust the Avon Skin So Soft that some people swear by, so applied insect repellent as well. Unfortunately, the midges still managed to find the few tiny spots of skin that had missed out on the repellent.

DAY 6 - LOCH GARTEN

I didn’t have a plan on this day, but instead decided simply to go-with-the-flow, exploring the area. It was full of quite a few lovely little surprises and ended up being one of my favourite days. I started out at the visitor centre, watching the birds frequenting the feeders, but it was a group of Chaffinches that stole the show, bathing in a puddle nearby.

I walked down to the loch and enjoyed capturing some abstract shots of the water that rippled gently on the surface, in a gorgeous monochrome light. It was very peaceful and calm, with few tourists around. The roads were virtually empty too. I stopped at various places to appreciate the view of the pine trees, without actually going for a walk. I wondered if I’d see any deer, but figured I’d need to go deeper into the forest for that. I was wrong! Literally, minutes after having that thought, I saw a young buck Roe Deer grazing near the side of the road.

Later, I enjoyed a short walk to one of the smaller ponds near Loch Garten. The sun was shining and there was a lot of dragonfly and damselfly activity. I saw my first Black Darters, including a mating pair, and a different female flicking her eggs into the water. Once again, I saw a Common Hawker, this time patrolling his territory. There was even a toad right by the wooden platform, with only its eyes peering out of the water. An hour of my day was spent standing on the boardwalk lapping it all up, appreciating everything around me.

Finally, I tore myself away and ambled along the forest path, unsure really where I was headed. I was simply enjoying being in the forest, smelling the scent of the pine trees and noticing the fungi on the ground. I wondered if I might be lucky enough to see any Crested Tits that late in the afternoon. I'd only ever seen one before, on the very last morning of my previous trip. The answer was, ‘Yes!’ Barely five minutes had passed by, when a mixed flock of birds started to work their way along the trees beside the road. Suddenly, I was virtually face to face with a Crested Tit, in the tree right next to me, perched on a low branch. It was ever so brief, but I had my camera ready. I was thrilled. It made my day!

DAY 7 - PATTACK FALLS

I tried to dodge the rain that was forecast for that day and was successful late morning, when I drove south to Pattack Falls. It’s an impressive canyon with a few low falls along the river. It’s possible to admire it from several vantage points on one side, but photographically speaking, it was hard to do the place any justice. But then again, I’m not a landscape specialist!

I headed west to Loch Ness and stopped at Dores, located on the east side of the loch. On a good day you can see all the way down the loch to Fort Augustus. Unsurprisingly, I heard more foreign accents there than anywhere else the whole holiday. A few people got in the water for a ‘refreshing’ dip, probably just so they could tell family and friends they’d been swimming in Loch Ness. I walked along the beach to Tor Point and relished the quiet of the forest. The distant calls of birds high up in the canopy above welcomed me. Only a Wren made an appearance in the bushes down low. At the edge of the forest, in a lovely secluded spot, I found a bench overlooking the loch. It was the perfect place to sit, eat and relax.

From Dores, I drove south along the lakeside road to Falls of Foyers, catching brief glimpses of the loch along the way. The return walk down to the waterfall and back was a bit of an effort and the lack of water gushing over the 42m drop didn’t make it hugely worthwhile. I’m sure it’s quite spectacular in late winter or early spring. But, it was another pleasant diversion. To be honest, I really quite enjoyed driving around and seeing all the varied scenery, taking the less obvious roads. That’s the beauty of being away from home, when so much is new and interesting.

DAY 9 - GLEN AFFRIC

I’d read it’s the most picturesque place to visit where you can still be surrounded by ancient native woodland and it certainly didn’t disappoint. Plus, there was the added bonus of gorgeous warm sunny weather. It was worth the early start and long drive to get there. Along the way I even got a stunning view of Urqhuart Castle, at the edge of Loch Ness, all aglow in the early morning light.

I walked for hours that day, in lots of different directions – not because I was lost, but so I could appreciate as much of it as possible in the one day. I started with a short circular walk encompassing a lovely stretch of the river, where it cascaded over some rocks and I even saw a Dipper. Next, I followed the Affric Kintail Way for an hour before doubling back. It wasn’t so easy to see the loch on the stretch I walked, but I did enjoy my forest companions: a family of Long Tailed Tits and many dragonflies. Some type of Hawker even landed on me! I’ve no idea what species it was. All I could see were its mouth and big lime green eyes staring up at me.

The best view of the valley and loch was from the top of the short memorial lookout walk near the main car park. It was fabulous, and a great place to eat my lunch. Afterwards, I enjoyed a longer walk along the northern edge of the loch where it was far more open – good for appreciating my surroundings. I wanted to get far enough along the trail to see the end of Loch Affric, at the foot of the mountains. At just the right time, I came across a large rock beside the footpath. I sat down and leant against it, enjoying the peace and quiet, feeling really positive. I even felt inspired to write a little. It felt good to take some time to relax and really enjoy the moment. That was my most memorable moment.

I was pretty tired by the time I got back to the car, but had just about enough energy for two more short walks. The first, was a little exploration of Dog Falls and then I drove to another area nearby to visit Plodda Falls (photo). The latter was particularly impressive as you can stand on the platform that juts out above the 46m drop. It was a little nerve wracking taking a photo over the edge with my mobile phone.



The whole day was excellent and I’d definitely go back again to spend more time there.

DAY 10 - WEST HIGHLANDS

I had an even longer drive the following day, as I headed to the West Highlands for my second guided day, once again with Eoghain. The aim was to see Red Deer on the mountains. It was a bit early for the rutting season, so the stags were roaming wild near the base. They’ll venture higher when it’s time to mate. However, I was pleased to see half a dozen hinds and youngsters higher up, wandering around the barren bleak rocky peaks. I also managed to see a Mountain Hare briefly running away, taking cover in between the rocks.

The highlight was spotting six Ptarmigan on the mountain over the course of the day. They’re another species of Grouse and I’d never seen these before either. The wind was circling around the peaks where they were hiding amongst the rocks, so it was challenging getting close enough to photograph them without scaring them off. In summer, the male has the red comb above the eye, like the Red Grouse, and both sexes are rock grey in colour. They blend in very well to their environment. It would be lovely to see these beautiful birds in their winter white plumage.

The bonus of the day was seeing several Highland Cows in the lowland areas. I’d seen some in other places, but they either weren’t accessible or the area wasn’t very photogenic. There were several cows with calves, and all very docile – more interested in sleeping and eating than minding me taking photos of them. There’s something endearing about how their long hair covers their face, though if it were me, I think I’d find it really annoying!

DAY 11 - LOCH AN EILEIN

After three consecutive days of long drives, I enjoyed a lazy start to the day and didn’t head out for a walk until later in the afternoon. The advantage of doing this was the sun was shining perfectly on the castle, plus there were fewer people around. I finally got my walk all the way around the loch, plus the smaller Loch Gamhna on the far side. Sometimes, it’s lovely just walking alone in silence. I can more fully enjoy everything around me, rather than chatting and being distracted. There were quite a few fungi to see near the footpath and I even saw my first Cauliflower Mushroom.

I inadvertently managed to spook an adult Roe Deer, a doe that was hiding in the heather. She leapt away barking, startling me too with her sudden appearance. There was also a young buck ambling along the footpath heading towards me, but instinctively he too ran off. At least this time I’d managed to get a photo before it scarpered.

There was a lovely little red boathouse on the far side of Loch Vaa. I enjoyed gradually walking around the edge of the lake, seeing which vantage point gave the best view of it. Whilst evergreens were the most prominent, I noticed the first signs of autumn in the Birch trees scattered around the lake. I loved how the trees looked as if the tips of their branches had been dipped in yellow paint.

I followed a quiet track back through the forest (top photo) and noticed lots of spiderwebs backlit by the sun. Unfortunately, I managed to walk right into one web that wasn’t so easily visible, leaving the poor spider clinging on to one remaining thread. I felt guilty after all its work creating it.

Overall, it was such a lovely relaxing day. The only thing that ruined it was finding a tick on my leg later that evening.

DAY 13 - RED SQUIRREL POOL hide

My last day was spent back in a Red Squirrel hide, but this time overlooking a pool of water. Only one squirrel appeared all day and that was quite early on. Thankfully, it returned frequently – about a dozen times – to cache away the hazelnuts it had found, so that gave me enough time to get some lovely reflection shots, which was what I was after.

Even though the squirrel activity was minimal, I enjoyed the return of the woodland birds – the same species as on my first visit, but with the addition of a Treecreeper. It was most entertaining watching some of the Coal Tits, Chaffinches and Blue Tits having a little bathe in the water too. The unexpected fly-by that day was seeing two fighter jets flying fairly low above the forest, directly overhead. It was pretty damn loud and scared off all the birds for a spell.