Aside from my trip to Scotland, mostly I've been pottering around local sites of late, paying several visits to Marsh Lane NR. After a drop-off run to the airport nearby one snowy Sunday, I found that I had the site to myself. Hardly surprising given the state of the side roads and the weather at the time.
Down in the Oak Hide I was pleased to see a number of common snipe taking advantage of the open water (everything else seemed to be frozen over) to probe for food, and they were very close to the hide too.
Then a head poking up above the snow in front of the hide caught my attention. Another snipe, presumably feeding in a small trench in the snow beside the lake, but made for a different shot with snow in front and behind.
Despite looking and hoping, none of the common snipe would transform into a jack, so I turned my attention to the feeders nearby. The flock of chaffinches increased in numbers and eventually a brambling appeared amongst them, though she wouldn't pose anywhere with an uncluttered view, so I grabbed a shot anyway.
Back up by the car park, more snipe were feeding deep in the snow and I added more of this type of shot to my collection before dusting the snow from my car and heading back.
On another snowy day I tried my luck for the common scoter over at Shustoke Reservoir, but reports placed it at one end, and as it turned out, the report was entirely wrong with the bird favouring the other end. Walking in deep snow carrying the camera gear isn't much fun, so I wasn't overly pleased to find that out. Still, I did see huge flocks of pochards and tufties on the smaller fishing pool at the back, and when wandering back I bumped into Dave Hutton, and we both then had a look for the scoter.
He spotted it, but whichever way we walked to see it, it headed the other way and I didn't even bother with a record shot, as it was so distant.
Dave suggested trying for the chiffchaffs and possible firecrest over at Hams Hall, so in convoy we relocated, and wandered down to the edge of the outflow and settled down in the snow to watch. I wished I'd put on my Stealth Gear trousers as they're more water resistant than my fleece-lined combats, and Dave had wisely brought along something waterproof to sit on. He hadn't remembered to put on both socks when donning his boots, which was amusing later when he was wondering why one foot was freezing cold!
No sign of the firecrest but we did get some very close views of chiffchaffs, though I missed one of the Siberian ones, which Dave had a clear view of.
.
Still a good spot and a large flock of long-tailed tits fluttered by too, adding more interest.
Later on when returning to the car Dave spotted a pair of firecrests amongst the trees between the river and a warehouse. I failed miserably to get a shot, but he faired a little better, although the bird wasn't out in the open alas.
Another local spot which has caught my attention of late has been Grimley. The flooded meadows attracted a great white egret last summer, and I spent many an hour down there photographing a hobby, and while that wasn't active, some of the numerous dragonflies around the wild flowers.
This time it was a short-eared owl that had been seen that brought me over, but it wasn't to be a good day. I waited for a good 2 hours in the morning and failed to see anything of note. I did finally meet Brian Stretch who runs Birding Today, after email exchanges over the years. But with nothing interesting going on, I headed off. Only to get a text off Brian minutes later to report that the owl had broken cover and was sat on a grass bank. ARGH!!!
Back to Grimley, and I hurried to the field where I'd stood all morning to discover the owl had walked up the bank and was now sat in deep grass, with one eye occasionally visible. And so it remained for the rest of the day, refusing to move even when a dog walker went by, at the foot of the bank with 3 dogs!
I did catch the pair of whoopers flying off though, so not a total waste of time.
And so we reach the last weekend where I had a choice. Head off with Stu, Ken and John in search of barn and short-eared owls, or go see the great northern diver down in Cheltenham. The diver was closer and I've only a few pics of one in winter colours, so with this in almost breeding plumage I headed down south, to meet up with Dave and Steve. Parking up I recognised the car in front of me as Carl's, and after a short wander along the bank of the lake in the park I clocked him crouched on the other side.
While the light where he'd chosen to set up wasn't as good as from the other side, the backdrop was better, with an island of trees casting shadow over the water and hence giving a dark background.
I quickly worked out that the 1.4TC wasn't needed, and reverted back to the straight 500 which gave the bird a bit more room in the frame.
Slightly concerning though, was the diver was heading down the lake, and trying to take off. It didn't, thankfully as Steve and Dave hadn't even arrived yet.
The diver generally paddled about, preening and occasionally diving, though I didn't see it catch a fish. We moved around the edge of the lake to get better backgrounds or as low as possible (wet knees!).
Lovely markings and such details on the feathers. Would be great to see one in full colours in the summer.
Later, we were joined by Vince (on his way to watch a thrilling 1-1 draw between Cheltenham and Aldershot), his son, plus Bob and Julie. And we all found ourselves chasing the diver up and down the lake, much to the amusement of the other park visitors.
After surviving the marshy land of the Highland moors, the ice, snow and hurricane-force winds on the mountains and the hidden dangers of a wood covered by deep snow, I managed to roll my ankle over a small tree stump beside the lake. Dangerous places these public parks!
Having filled 2 cards on the diver I decided to head down to Aust Warth for a look for owls, but none showed when I was there, and the light faded rapidly. Sunday was spent locally as again I couldn't face the long drive to see some owls - after all, I have a lot of shots already, as Dave pointed out!
Upton Warren provided some entertainment when a water rail broke cover, but in general it was a quiet day.
And that brings me right up to date. Oh, and the diver left the following day, so my suspicions about its actions that day proved to be on the money!
After encountering a nesting pair near Loch Garten in 2010, I have been wanting to photograph crested tits ever since. Such quirky characters with their spiky crests and intricate markings, but confined to the woodlands around the Scottish Highland, which meant a planned trip would be required... so late last year I booked a week off work this year and started to make the necessary arrangements.
Initially I had only thought to go for a couple of days, and had contacted a professional photographer (Neil McIntyre) who I'd met before a couple of times, to use his facilities for the crested tits and also red squirrels; it seemed a shame not to do them as well! But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to stay a tad longer, so in the end I had booked the Saturday night in a B&B, and then the next four in a cabin.
And so, at 4am on the Saturday morning, I woke, packed the car and by just after lunchtime, I'd arrived in the Aviemore area. Initially I tried a spot near Boat Of Garten, where I hoped I'd see crested tits, but with the snow around, I thought I'd head up for the red grouse at Lochindorb, a favourite spot of mine. The road up there was a tad slippery, but I got up there safely, and on turning off the engine, heard the first calls of the grouse.
With the snow amongst the grasses, gorse and heather, the grouse were a bit easier to spot than usual, and it didn't take me long to get close to one for some shots.
Sat on a clump of snow, it stood out well, but the light was a bit behind. Still, made for some reasonable images. Heading down towards the loch, I found some more mooching around in the vegetation, and unlike those I've seen at locations like Long Mynd, these don't seem to be bothered about vehicles.
After a while, with the weather seeming to be getting better, I thought it'd be a shame to let it go to waste, and headed to a site on the north coast where Chris Packham (on Winterwatch) had enthused over long-tailed ducks. From what I could tell, it would be possible to park on the harbour and view the birds from the car. And within seconds of turning on to the harbour, I saw my first ever pair of long-tailed ducks. Fantastic!
Chris was right - they are fabulous ducks, and they were so close! With the clear water in the harbour, you could even see them diving down to feed at the bottom.
The vibrantly painted boats and buildings behind the harbour made for some colourful reflections on the water, which really set off the photos.
Also around were the females, plus eider ducks. I've seen the females of these close up before (Shetland), but only ever seen the males in collections like Slimbridge. This was a real treat to see them in the wild, and still so very close.
As the light began to fade late afternoon I spotted a pair of common scoter out in the entrance of the harbour, and waited hoping they'd come closer.
The female ventured in closer, but he didn't alas, and as I'd promised to be at the B&B for a certain time, thought I'd best head back down to check in. A great first day, and well worth the early start.
Amusingly, as I chatted to the B&B owner, I realised a friend from Hereford was staying at the same place, and we ended up down the local pub having a laugh and a few ales, with me realising driving for over 500 miles doesn't do wonders for my eye sight, as I played very badly at pool!
After a most welcome breakfast, I watched the local red squirrels in the garden of the B&B (was way too gloomy for pics) before heading back up to Lochindorb again. As before, it took only a few moments to locate a grouse close by, and this time it posed atop a mound, where it plucked at the heather.
The weather was very gloomy, so I headed back to Burghead, to watch the ducks again. The light was flat but seeing these fine ducks brightened my mood considerably, and I again prayed the common scoter might come in closer. The seas were rather stormy though, and even in the sheltered harbour, the water was rather choppy.
While the scoter again remained distant, I did see a guillemot venture into the harbour and provided a few minutes entertainment as it paddled around, diving occasionally, appearing metres from where it disappeared.
On the walls of the harbour were small flocks of turnstones and redshanks, and one of the latter, when separated from the main group looked worth a shot or two...
Neil had arranged for me to be in the cabin during the evening, so there was no rush back, but with sleet falling, I drove to the area nearby and chilled out, before meeting up with him at the cabin on the site. What a fantastic spot. Surrounded by woodland and mountains, in a spacious estate, the cabin looked great, and the interior was so welcoming. Canvas prints of Neil's photos adorned the walls, and I smiled when I read Paula's (Shetland) comments in the Guest Book. She'd been there for the black grouse lek last year.
A comfortable evening with TV and internet available, and I was ready and waiting for Neil to collect me at 9am. I wasn't ready for the snow though, and wasn't sure (after comments from the lads on Sat night) that I wanted it. Over to the squirrels first, Neil put out the hazelnuts and we waited for a few moments for the squirrels to approach.
With the falling snow, just starting to settle and cover the various perches, I soon worked out that the snow was a real blessing, as it added something a bit magical to the scene.
I have shots of red squirrels (from here before) in the summer, so having wintery images was a bit special. If anything, the 500mm lens was a tad much on the cropped body of the 7D. Perhaps a 400 or 300mm lens would have been better, but careful positioning allowed me to get many full frame shots before the squirrels decided they'd had their fill, and scuttled off into the woods again.
Not to miss an opportunity, when a treecreeper chose to creep up one of the trees next to me, I grabbed a shot of that too!
Next stop, crested tits. Excellent. A short drive to a private site, and we hiked out across the rather sodden, snow-covered ground to the feeding station. An unusual set up I have to say, but logical I guess and it works a treat. Neil was using peanut feeders to attract the birds, and attract them it did; never seen so many coal tits!
Didn't take long to see the first crested tit arrive, but it was harder to get one to perch where we wanted, especially when the coal, blue and great tits seemed to be everywhere.
I got a few shots of empty branches before bagging the first crestie shot, but soon got into the swing of things, and with some second guessing, started to get keepers of these punk rocker birds.
Moving the feeders around allowed for chances of different perches, though the windy conditions really weren't helping. Neil admitted that the day before in calmer weather, the birds had been providing so many more photo chances than when I was trying.
Even so, I managed a shed load of shots, and wanted more when Neil called time on it. With a second day of the same planned, I considered spending the remainder of the day in the cabin relaxing and reviewing pics, but I didn't!
Back to Lochindorb in even more treacherous weather, but definitely worth it. Deep snow covered the moors, and showers of it passed over frequently.
With the snow showers and occasional glimpses of sunshine, I scanned the moors for other birds and found a pair on the top of a small embankment. The male was watching over a nearby female, and provided a great shot in a blizzard, which I duly took advantage of.
Further up the road was a lone bird, on the road itself. It seemed reluctant to move for the car, so I bagged a few images for its portfolio of whisky auditions, before it moved to the edge of the road, and into the deeper snow.
I actually drove alongside it, and even when I said "Hello" to it, as you do when you're sane like me, it simply looked up at me. Parking up a few metres further away (to get a focusing distance), I grabbed some portrait shots of the accommodating individual.
Same plan as before, a 9am pick up from the cabin only this time the blizzards were back with a vengeance. By the time we'd reached the squirrels it was pretty deep and after only a short while, the squirrels seemed to be spooked by something and vanished.
I'd still bagged a few dozen shots mind, and Neil suggested we look for the capercaillie instead. I was happy to do this, as I've never seen one.
Despite an extensive walk through the woods where it lives, conversations with Marcus Conway and his group of adventurers, we never laid eyes on the capercaillie, so that remains one to get.
So it was back to the cresties, only this time, Neil had allowed me to drive up, to spend as much time on site as I wanted.
Which I duly did.
The snow had eased and with it the gales had dropped. Low light again, but with the snow to provide ambient reflections of what light there was, decent conditions.
Moving the feeders around, I chose a wide array of perches and had great success at most.
It was cold though, and with frequent sleet showers, I was glad of the warm clothing and handwarmer to keep me going.
Eventually, the rain came again and didn't look like leaving, so I did instead. Back to the warmth and shelter of the cabin, for a review of the hundreds of images taken that day.
After a wild night (weather!) it was an early start to meet up with Andy (a friend from Twitter) to go in search of ptarmigan over on the west coast. Despite living in Scotland, neither he nor his friend accompanying us had winter tyres on their cars, so it fell to me to pilot the Yeti over there. Took a bit longer than usual (for Andy) as the roads were covered with snow, but we eventually parked up on the top of the mountains overlooking Applecross. A hotspot for ptarmigan apparently and we had some fantastic light too.
Unfortunately we also had some hurricane-force gusts of wind too, and I found it a real struggle to walk only a few hundred metres to the summit. The wind literally blew you off your feet at times, and with solid ice underfoot, it was a miracle I didn't fall over.
Sadly the ptarmigan failed to show - we found some tracks and also saw a pair of golden eagles, which were probably hunting the same birds as we were, but when a blizzard rolled in and we found ourselves clutching at rocks being battered by ice, snow and freezing temperatures, we thought it was wise to call it a day. Another one for next time...
We stopped on the way back to grab some shots of deer beside the road. So it wasn't a complete failure on the photo front...
Have to say though, the Paramo jacket and Stealth Gear trousers combo, in such conditions were amazing. I didn't feel cold (apart from my hands) at all - I was actually slightly too hot! Worth the money for sure!
I had planned to leave on Thursday to avoid late week traffic, but had been considering hanging round if the weather was decent, but raising the blinds revealed snow falling softly, and was my cue to leave for home.
A well planned trip which yielded some excellent results and as usual with Scotland, left me wanting so much more.
.
