2015 Birding Round up!

2015 turned out to be a stonker of a year, with a number of fantastic birds not seen for decades successfully unblocked while several others that were only previously recorded on distant and far away islands finally made it to the mainland. It was also a year that included the inevitable misses, with the one day first for Britain Acadian Flycatcher a particular stinger, while the out of the way Isle of Lewis Wilson’s Warbler, the Scilly Great Blue Heron and the Orkney Chestnut Bunting all proved to be just a touch too far to travel. 

Both the Harlequin Duck and Hudsonian Godwit in the first half of the year were the first truly twitchable birds for 19 and 32 years respectively, both fantastic birds to see and with hopefully a nice healthy gap between the next records! 

Harlequin Duck on the River Don, Aberdeenshire (11th January 2015)

Hudsonian Godwit at Meare Heath, Somerset (25th April 2015)

I also managed to see several notoriously hard to get birds during the course of the year, achieving great views of Serin, Penduline Tit, Blyth’s Reed Warbler and Red-throated Pipit. The latter in particular was a stunning male demonstrating the beautiful ‘red throated’ plumage, and while even though Blyth’s Reed can appear to be a dull brown job at the best of times, the excellent if brief views we got after working so hard to get just a glimpse of this elusive warbler over the course of two days in Norfolk transformed it in to something wonderful, proving that effort really does pay off.

Serin at Gunners Park, Essex (7th March 2015)

Penduline Tit at Darts Farm RSPB, Devon (21st March 2015)

Red-throated Pipit at Ludworth Moor in Derbyshire (3rd May 2015)

Not quite making it in to the top ten either were several species that showed amazingly well and exceptionally closely, with the Little Bunting and Ptarmigan especially coming to mind. The masses of Storm Petrels congregating around the boat at close quarters during the Scilly pelagics was also something not to be forgotten!

And so to the ten best birds of 2015….

Scottish Highlands - Day 3 (10th April 2015)

With our last day dawning as sunny as ever, we decided to get up early and head back to the location where we saw the male Capercaillie the day before in the hope of getting further sightings of this magnificent Scottish speciality. We were in luck - down the path just in front of us we spotted a female Capercaillie flying up to the top of one of the towering pines lining the trail! We enjoyed great views of her beautiful chestnut coloured plumage and richly patterned feathers before she became completely invisible and out of sight at the top of the tree.

Interestingly we encountered masses of Capercaillie poo in the area mainly along the sides of ridges and trails, indicating that the birds may choose to follow these indents in the substrate as natural pathways.

Caper poo!

It’s amazing to think of these huge birds roaming through the landscape and it’s especially sad that they are now becoming a rare sight in their last stronghold of the Scottish forests, mainly due to disturbance, habitat fragmentation and habitat loss. It was great to have seen both a male and female on our trip, and it was a perfect end to our visit to these ancient Scottish forests.

The squirrel from the previous day was still about!

Still relatively early in the day and our target species achieved, we decided to head north to Lochindorb to see if we could locate the divers that breed on the huge expanse of water. Driving down to the loch, the surrounding heather next to the road was full of Red Grouse, the birds allowing a fantastically close approach using the car as a hide. Normally used to distant individuals flying away in the Derbyshire peak of the Goyt Valley, I made the most of this excellent photographic opportunity to get some pictures.

Arriving at the loch, we scanned the choppy waters for any signs of the divers, and eventually Alex managed to pick out the pair distantly on the other side of the bank. Assuming they were Black-throated, we had second thoughts as the pair approached closer, the sides of the head looking just too solidly grey, more similar to the markings of Red-throated Divers.

We moved round for a better angle, and eventually as they drifted closer I could make out the red tint to the throat underneath and the smooth pale grey sides to the head and neck – two cracking summer plumaged Red-throated Divers.

Enjoying a nice lunch by the side of the loch, we headed further north to try and catch up with any Hooded Crows, not having seen any on our journey so far. Approaching Inverness, we encountered various hybrid Hooded x Carrion Crows, slightly too dark and blotchy to be considered pure. Hooded Crows can usually be found North and West of the line splitting Inverness, so we travelled westward to visit the famous Loch Ness, with hopes of finding more than a Hoodie at the back of my mind.

One of the hybrid Hooded x Carrion crows

Thankfully after stopping next to one of the ploughed fields which held an absolute abundance of corvids, we tracked down two pure birds, easily identifiable by their light grey shawls and darker heads. Quite underrated, these birds are subtly beautiful, and it was great to see them just on the very outskirts of their natural range.

Unfortunately Loch Ness drew a blank in the search for any lurking mythical sea creatures….

With time pressing on we made our way back down to the fantastic B&B in Cumbernauld from a couple of nights earlier as a stopover point before our trip back to the North West the next day, and we enjoyed our second meal at the delicious Beefeater nearby – a fantastic end to what was a truly brilliant and memorable minibreak.

With such Scottish treasures as Capercaille, Ptarmigan, Crested Tit, Pine Marten and summer plumaged Red-throated Divers under our belt, and all our targets for the trip achieved, I’m now looking forward to our next journey north of the border to track down Scottish Crossbills and hopefully to take a trip on the boat at Portsoy to get views of the regular White-billed Divers that frequent those waters. Massive thanks to Alex for doing all the driving - a fantastic trip and most definitely well worth the effort! 

The bridge Carrbridge is named after!

Scottish Highlands - Day 2 (9th April 2015)

Awakening to a hearty breakfast at the B&B, we were glad we made the decision not to go for the Loch Garten Caper Watch for dawn as one of our fellow guests had spent a frustrating morning there with no sightings of these stunning Scottish birds apart from on the remote cameras!

With absolutely beautiful weather forecast, we decided to make a quick stop looking for Crested Tits again. With plenty of suitable habitat, we walked through the forest, listening out for that distinctive call and raising our bins to any small birds flitting around the tree tops. 

Our second Red Squirrel of the trip!

The ‘chip chip’ call of a Crossbill flying overhead was the only sign of bird life, the small feeder at the side of the path deserted from any avian visitors!

Then suddenly “Caper!” Alex pointed straight ahead and we both watched in awe as a male Capercaille came flying right past us and away in to the trees!

Absolutely amazing and completely unexpected!

Even though the encounter lasted no more than 30 seconds, we both enjoyed incredible views as this turkey-like Scottish speciality noisily crashed through the forest, the white on the tail clear to see against the jet black feathers. What an experience! Completely elated, we had anticipated Capercaillie to be the hardest of the 3 to track down, but we had completely jammed in on one without even trying!

With no sign of the Crested Tits we decided to head off for bird number two of my targets – Ptarmigan. Stopping off at a roadside site for Capercaillie on route drew a blank, so we headed up the slopes to the Cairngorm ski centre car park. The views even from here were absolutely stunning, with the snow covered mountain tops shining in the sun, the glorious lochs below glistening in the light.

Taking the small tram up to the summit, we were met with a biting cold air and absolutely fierce winds! Battling through, we gingerly made our way up the slope, careful not to slip on any of the treacherous sheets of ice covering the rock. With Alex’s previous 3 visits up the mountain resulting in Ptarmigans straight away, we were slightly concerned as to how long it was taking us to track them down.

Large numbers of white and speckled Ptarmigan feathers scattered across the mountainside reassured us that they were here, it was just a matter of finding them!

Several Snow Buntings joined us for company, then just as we had reached the top – Ptarmigan! A pair were sheepishly dodging through the rocks just below us, the male’s beautiful red eye crest shining out in the sun. We followed them down the rocks and watched as they darted out of sight, eventually heading back up the mountain slope and battling against the winds! I was struck by just how fluffy their little feet were, and it was amazing to see them at such close quarters!

Battling the fierce winds on the slope!

Heading carefully back down the mountain, it was a complete surprise to stumble across a second male and female! Where had they been during our hours search! These two seemed much more settled, happily pecking at the green shoots peeking out from under the snow and allowed a much closer approach. 

Eyes streaming from the harsh winds, we enjoyed excellent views as the two went about their business, happy for us to get as many photos as we desired! The female in particular was especially smart, still retaining most of her winter plumage with fantastic speckles of olive and gold dappled within.

Eventually tearing ourselves away from our white wonders, we headed down the rest of the slope – no way near as hardcore as the guy that passed us by wearing knee-length shorts!

After a quick lunch in the aptly named Ptarmigan café, we headed back down, enjoying views of the beautiful loch overlooking the mountain and wondering whether any snowy owls were lurking in the distant peaks….

With Crested Tits still yet to find, we drove back to Loch Garten again, this time parking in the Loch Garten Nature Reserve Car Park and following the trail round to the small Loch Mallachie. Plenty of tits were chattering in the trees above, with Great and Coal Tits all dashing about, then Alex suddenly exclaimed “I can hear a Crestie!”. Pricking my ears and listening to the sounds of the forest, sure enough we could hear that distinctive call – coming from right above our heads!

For a few panicky moments I just couldn’t get on the bird, Alex trying his best to give better directions than “It’s on that branch” – there were lots of branches! Eventually I locked on to it, perching flat against the trunk and perfectly still, hence why I had such trouble locating it. Eventually tilting its head from side to side, the beautiful little crest was wonderful to see, and we watched as the bird proceeded to fly around the tree tops for several minutes, its call betraying its location.

I’ve seen Crested Tits in both France and Spain before, so it was great to finally catch up with these delightful little birds in the UK!

A walk to the loch revealed several Goldeneye nest boxes, but with no sign of any divers we headed back to Aviemore for a delicious tea at the Pizzeria for our final night.