Participants met in North Kessock to implement a voluntary car sharing. It turned out to be a necessary exercise in view of the numbers and 5 cars, each with 3 people, set out along the Beauly Firth. It was pleasing to see new faces, including an enthusiastic and knowledgeable young boy, who was well looked after throughout by all the adults.
First stop was the newish car park near the caravan park. There were good numbers of Teal and Wigeon, Grey Heron, and finches; also Blackbirds, Redwings and other thrushes.
Further on we took a walk up a farm track through an avenue of leafless mature deciduous trees. A flock of many Linnets flew back and forth and settled in the canopy. A much smaller flock of Twites was also present. Before we reached Redcastle there was a flock of Curlews resting on the shore.
There then ensued a lengthy sprint in the cars to Udale via Culbokie to bring us up to speed with Sue’s demanding schedule. Udale was its usual charming self but produced nothing out of the ordinary, and Jemimaville showed off its large flock of Scaups and a few Slavonian Grebes.
From whence to beautiful Cromarty; good sightings of Razorbills, Guillemots – including a Black Guillemot – well spotted the man who put us all on to it! Great views of Red-throated Divers.
As darkness started to fall all sorts of manipulations began to increase the day’s species total and in the Rosemarkie car park (yes, the one with the excellent toilets), after a quick walk in the Fairy Glen and almost all in their cars ready to wind their way home, someone spotted a Great Spotted Woodpecker, inspiring Alex to proclaim a 70-species day – hooray!!

​Angus MIller    

A select group of five plus Doug Mainland as leader joined forces at Lochinver carpark at 10am.  Four of us had travelled from Tore and birds seen on the journey were Red kite, whoopers (Glascarnoch 9, and Loch Droma 1 ad 1 juv), chaffinch, meadow pipit, hoodie, starling, jackdaw, mallard, buzzard and stonechat.  It was a blustery day but whilst chatting in the carpark at Lochinver grey wagtail, house sparrow, carrion crow were seen plus GBB, Common, Black headed and Herring gulls feeding in the bay, with grey heron on the shore.  A curlew flew past.    Taking the narrow road down to Achmelvich, Ian Evans and Gwen Richards of the Assynt Field club spotted a flock of passerines in the mixed birch, alder, hazel, rowan etc woodland.  Good views of gold, chaff and bullfinch, plus great, coal and blue tit, robin, dunnock and wood pigeon.   On a wee lochan were mallard and teal.  From a good overlook into Loch Roe common seals with pups were resting on rocks with one splashing frenetically about.
Achmelvich treated us to blue skies, turquoise seas, white sand and many diving gannets,  with kittiwake and gulls whilst close-in were guillemots, razorbills and one black-throated diver .   Clachtoll gave us rock doves and pied wagtails.
The tide was well out as we pulled into Culkein Stoer but greylags were feeding on the grass whilst curlew, oystercatchers, ringed plover and rock pipit were on the sand and weed. Whilst lunching, a red-breasted merganser flew by and a flock of barnacle geese came in off the sea.  A pair of raven were spotted and a dog otter was close-in amongst the surf.
We walked out to the headland where more gannets were passing and diving in.  A flock of 18 barnacles overhead and three red throated divers.  Six duck flew by and landed on the sea – rather surprisingly they were teal.    In the stone wall edging the track, a wren was heard and on the rocks a late wheatear.
Stoer lighthouse area gave us a kestrel but it was too windy to spot anything else of note. Finally a brief stop at the reedy Loch na Claise where a moorhen darted into the reeds.
We departed for home at 4pm.    A good day, good company (Doug Mainland, Angus Miller, Mary Galloway, Ben Warwick, Ian Evans and Gwen Richards),  good weather and 44 species.

​

​The forecast was for showers but the day dawned dry and produced some warm sunny spells. High tide was at 11.30 so was in our favour for a change.
 
We headed straight to Nairn Harbour. There was a roost of Redshanks and Turnstones on the east pier, offshore there were Gannets, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, and a Kittiwake was noted bathing at the mouth of the river. A single seal was seen near the harbour mouth. On the dunes to the east of the harbour, two Grey Plovers were seen, one in summer plumage. One dead Guillemot was seen on the beach near the harbour.
Next we went to Nairn Golf Course to see if the Brent Geese had arrived. Sadly, none were seen although Red-breasted Merganser were noted offshore.
 
At Loch Flemington we were greeted by three juvenile Mute Swans on the grassy area next to the passing place. Coot, Moorhen, and Little Grebe were seen on the loch but few ducks were present. An exciting find of a parasol mushroom was made and identified with the naturalist app.
 
A short stop at Ardersier produced Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser and Sandwich Terns. A large roost of Curlews was seen in a bay just west of the burn.
 
At Alturlie Bay the tide was receding and the birds were taking advantage of the exposed inter-tidal area. The light was behind us and it was heaving with birds. Excellent views of Greylags, Wigeons and Lapwings.
 
We walked up to the pools to find good numbers of Teals, as well as Grey Herons. On the raptor front there was a Buzzard and overflying Osprey and Red Kite. A single Magpie appeared briefly.
 
A very enjoyable morning with 52 species.
Thanks to Fiona, Freydis, Nigel and Angus.

​Mary and Dave Galloway were our hosts for this most enjoyable and unusual outing on their land above the village of Fortrose.   It was suggested that we bring a picnic supper, folding chairs and dress for the weather.
 
Upon arrival Mary lead ten SOC members through her mixed woodland which was extensively planted with native trees in the late 80’s and obviously a magnet for nesting birds.  A very vocal Willow Warbler kept us company during our circular walk and we were lucky that it kept fine throughout the evening.  We then chatted and munched our picnics beside the old converted barn on Mary’s spacious piece of land. There were glorious cowslips all around the barn thanks to Dave scattering a packet of cowslip seed around the barn some years ago.  I only wish our seeds had taken to our ground as theirs have!
 
Initially, I imagine that these 50 or so acres were pretty open to the sky, but extensive and mixed native tree planting on the flatter areas has produced a most attractive secluded woodland for native birds. In one area Mary has attracted Treecreepers to nest behind a nattily positioned large piece of bark attached to the trunk of one of the trees! And at one point we spotted a large excavated burrow, fox or badger??
 
There are steep gullies across parts of the land where recent plantings of white hawthorn were in full flower as were some cherries too.  Some years ago I saw my first Redpoll here so I was interested to see what else was attracted to the seed, nut and fatballs – tits, Siskin, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Blackbird were seen.  A thrush had used a stone to smash many snails.
 
Beyond the woodland area are well-worn paths through lush grass and woodrush eventually leading to a seat over-looking one of the very steep-sided ‘dens’.  Not a term I was familiar with but an interesting geological feature first described by Hugh Miller, local geologist and writer in the early 1800’s.  These curious steep-sided gullies are full of vegetation (gorse, broom, saplings etc) and must be perfect for nesting birds, and support badgers, foxes, pine marten, roe deer and red squirrel. Apparently there is always an area of eroding earth pillars in these dens, very curious.
 
A well-positioned seat looks over the dens towards The Fairy Glen RSPB reserve, a wonderful viewpoint and well-pecked fatballs in evidence! We finally returned to the barn and our cars with a red sunset in evidence to the west.
 
Very many thanks to Mary and Dave for a very enjoyable evening. Number of species spotted:  26


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(Mary Galloway)

​Our group of six arrived at Charleston Harbour at 10am where we met up with our local leaders for the day -Tracy McLachlan from Poolewe and Peter Cunningham from Gairloch who kindly agreed to share their local knowledge.  As conditions were excellent for sea-watching – calm blue seas, blue skies and sun behind - our first stop was at the Gairloch Bay overlook.  There were good numbers of distant auks, gulls, Gannets, a few divers, Common and Arctic terns, Bonxie and Arctic Skuas.  Peter said that he had never such numbers of these seabirds at one time which pointed towards a large amount of small fish. With the feeding birds there were good numbers of porpoise all making the most of this bonanza.   We proceeded slowly along the coast road towards Rubha Reidh lighthouse with several stops  getting closer views of the seabirds, plus a nuclear submarine and very close-in Black-throated Diver.  The small patch of woodland near Sands Campsite gave us good views of a singing Song Thrush, Mistle Thrush with food, Willow Warbler and a passing Cuckoo.  A Sedge Warbler sang from the hidden stream.  Passing on to a patch of old oaks we had excellent views of Redpoll, a Stonechat pair with food, and two male Whinchatsw and one female.  Tracy had arranged for us to drive right to Rubha Reidh lighthouse – we felt very privileged and thanked Susan, the owner, for her invitation.   As we parked, Peter said he had seen a distant whale – a minke – which was finally seen by most of the party as it surfaced with its fin glinting in the sunshine.   Close-in a fully summer plumaged Great Northern Diver was spotted.  In the carpark at least 35 Twites were feeding on nyger seed, flying up to the nearby rocks and perching on the wires where we all had good views.  Our late sunny lunch was taken by the old lighthouse slipway with Kittiwake, Rock Doves and Cormorants flying past.

​Time was marching on so we hastened to Poolewe river for a short walk and an informative talk from Peter (a biologist with Wester Ross Fisheries Trust) on the different life cycles of salmon and seatrout which use the river to and from Loch Maree.  Common Sandpiper, Grey Wagtail, Sand Martin,Red-breasted Merganser and Greenfinch were added to our list.  Finally we parked at Inverewe Gardens carpark for a walk to the hide – Ringed Plover, Mallard and Grey Heron – before doing the circular pinewood walk.   Blackcap, Coal and Great Tit, Siskin, Wren, Goldfinch rounded up the day with a total of 65 species.  It was nearly 6pm by the time we headed homewards and we all agreed it had been a memorable outing made extra special with the local knowledge and information from Tracy and particularly Peter.   Our sincere thanks go to them for sparing their time.

Nine enthusiastic Highland birders met Alex Joss, our leader for the day, only to be told by him that we won’t see much, probably only gulls and crows! Undaunted, we set off in 3 cars for the Loch District above Inverness to the south. The weather was fine at the start, but blustery showers were forecast.
Up to Essich and on to Bunachton for a short walk along the road. Curlews were back on breeding sites on the grassy moor and Goldcrests could only just be heard above the sound of the bitter wind. Distant Buzzards were spotted along with a pair of Magpies and a Red Kite.
Down to Dunlichity Church, a sheltered spot where we saw and heard 2 Treecreepers, Blue, and Great Tits, Pied Wagtails, Goldfinch, 4 Buzzards in territorial dispute and a pair of Mandarin Ducks skulking in undergrowth by the river. We hoped to spot a returning Osprey over the fish-stocked ponds near here, but we were out of luck. Lesser Redpolls were heard, along with Crossbill and 2 Mistle Thrushes.

Lochan na Curra (Sue Seright)

Down to Dunlichity Church, a sheltered spot where we saw and heard 2 Treecreepers, Blue, and Great Tits, Pied Wagtails, Goldfinch, 4 Buzzards in territorial dispute and a pair of Mandarin Ducks skulking in undergrowth by the river. We hoped to spot a returning Osprey over the fish-stocked ponds near here, but we were out of luck. Lesser Redpolla were heard, along with Crossbill and 2 Mistle Thrushes.
Unfortunately the weather deteriorated when we got to the north shore of Loch Duntelchaig, but we managed to see a large flock of Pinkfooted Geese and a Brown Hare, before retreating to cars for lunch.
Loch Ashie was home to several pairs of Goosanders, along with a Slavonian Grebe in winter plumage, Common Gulls and Cormorants. A walk to Lochan na Curra revealed several Teals, a Little Grebe and a distant Kestrel. On to near Torness to look out for raptors, but the weather was against us.
A last hopeful look for early returned Wheatear was fruitless, but we did see about 30 Oystercatchers on the SW shore of Loch Ruthven along with Tufted Ducks, Common Gulls and Cormorants.
Despite the unhelpful weather, we managed to see 53 species on a very enjoyable, rainbow-filled, day out birding with friends – a bit more than “just gulls and crows.”
it.

Loch Ashie (Carol Miller)

At the end of the day the cry went up ‘No heron!’.    But our group of nine notched up 71 species including several rarities!  Starting at Nairn, a very distant King Eider was located plus three Purple Sandpipers on the rocks that were then disturbed by dog walkers.  At Burghead a close-in Great Northern Diver was identified, a few Common Scoters plus the usual Eiders, Long-tailed Ducks, Guillemots and a single Gannet.

​A couple of birders from Grant Arms Hotel showed us their mobile phone with a Birdtrack picture of a Surf Scoter – where was Roseisle they asked?  Needless to say we back-tracked and had good views of the said Surf Scoter and several Velvets.  Onto the Elgin-Lossie road – a quick pull-in to view three Snow Geese with Pinks.  The flock was shortly spooked by walkers but we all had excellent views of flying Snow Geese before they disappeared towards Loch Spynie.  How lucky that we arrived when we did!
At Lossie East Beach the tide was very high but it was an ideal place for a sunny lunch whilst scoping the gulls – one of which was a Lesser Black-backed.  Onto Spey Bay where Shelduck, Mute Swan and Goosanders were added to our list plus a very welcome open toilet at the visitor centre.
Next stop – a well hidden, small flooded gravel pit with Moorhen, Coot, Goosander, Little Grebe, Tufted Ducks and Goldeneye whilst in the surrounding trees Long-tailed and Great Tit, Siskin and Goldfinch and Greenfinch.  Finally, to Loch Oire to complete the day with a handsome Ring-necked Duck.  It was then homeward … and still no heron!

 

This week's theme of appalling weather and associated lack of birds continued with this ramble from Croy, past Holme Rose, along the River Nairn and back adjacent to Kilravock Castle. The more sensible folk had seen the forecast and decided to give it a miss but for the four folk and dog whose sanity had taken a leave of absence we met in a blustery and icy car park at 0930 and unsurprisingly wanted to get moving as soon as possible just to keep warm!

With heads down we battled into the oncoming gale for the first kilometre or so but on dropping down towards the river we were pleased to find it a little more sheltered. We stopped only to admire a pair of Goldcrests busy flitting about, a fly over  Crossbill and to scan a flock of Herring Gulls. Along the river a Treecreeper put in a brief appearance working up some adjacent trees. Amazingly not a single Dipper could be found although the high water levels had probably something to do with this with many of the rocks now submerged. We did however stop to admire a huge badger set which was intersected at one stage by the path.

Just as we approached Holme Bridge two ducks flew off the river ahead of us and away downstream never to be seen again despite the subsequent search. It may have been a brief view for us all but it was enough to confirm them as a pair of Mandarins. Also here a small flock of Redwings were enjoyed clinging on tightly in the tree tops.
​
On the way back the rain began to intensify and we all picked up the pace in order to rush back to some shelter and dry off. Despite the atrocious weather and lack of birds a good time was had by all and as is often the case it was the good company which was the highlight of the day. 

Jonathan Clarke

Waiting for good Weather in Strathspey    
 
Given the dire weather forecast, it was not surprising that only seven of the ten on the original attendance list made their way to the Loch Garten reserve for 9 o’clock, to be led by Pete Gordon, a last-minute substitute for John Poyner. Amazingly, the carpark was almost an oasis of slightly brighter skies and only light, intermittent showers. Pete made several valiant attempts to get a sighting of Crested Tits. They were heard at several places but always moving into the distance. Crossbills were less occasionally heard but too flighty to get a focus on. Within the woods the air was calm, but the exposed loch-sides were very inhospitable and the only birds seen at Loch Mallachie were two hardy Lesser Redpolls, pecking on the ground between the thrashing bushes. Back at the reserve, among the tits and Chaffinches, a solitary Treecreeper was a nice sighting. All the time, the light rain persisted, gradually dampening the bodies and spirits, so through the morning, some of the party, in ones and twos, jumped ship.

​By 11 o’clock the rain was in full flow, with regular, sizeable puddles on the road along to Coylumbridge and Loch Morlich, where lunch was had, peering through the lashing rain and mists on the far side of the loch to try to count the Goldeneyes bobbing in the waves. Eventually, just as the last two of the  party were setting off after finishing lunch, the blue skies arrived, so they treated themselves to a 20 minute survey of the Aviemore rubbish dump. Assorted corvids and gulls were present, but none with white wings. And that was the sunny weather interlude, as the driving rain, and sleet, quickly recommenced. To summarise, lots of birds were seen, Coal Tits and Chaffinches at the reserve, Mallards at Loch Morlich and Herring Gulls at the dump, but few species, although 21 was a better total than could be expected in the circumstances.
 
Alex Joss