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| The early morning mist over Loch Garten. Photo by Adam Archer |
After the rigours of the previous day, it was quite a struggle to roll out of bed this morning, especially as the temperature outdoors was way below zero. To make matters even worse, a quick glance of the early morning news confirmed my worst fears. We were to suffer another five years of tory rule and this time they had even managed a clear majority. I was determined not to let the election result get me down too much and after scraping a thick layer of ice off my windscreen, we carefully made our way south to Loch Garten RSPB.
From a bitterly cold visitor centre we soon picked up a couple of Osprey perched up near the famous high security nest site, silhouetted against the rising sun. Unfortunately there was no sign of any Capercaillie during our brief visit but we did see an alpha male via the CCTV set up. In order to help thaw out our toes, we decided to take a hike around the woodland adjacent to the loch.
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| Nadia freezes in the forest! Photo by Adam Archer |
Despite our best efforts we failed in our quest to find any Crested Tits but it was great to see and hear a couple of Cuckoo around the forest. Unfortunately it is becoming a species we are now very lucky to connect with back home in the west midlands of England. Other species included a few Greylag Geese out on the loch, male and female Great Spotted Woodpecker, a Treecreeper and a displaying Tree Pipit. There were also plenty of Willow Warbler in song and Siskin calling as they flew overhead. Having now worked up a healthy appetite it was now time to head back to our accommodation in Grantown, warm ourselves up a little and tuck into some rather special Highland smoked kippers for breakfast.
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| Nadia taking a quick breather on the way up. Photo by Adam Archer |
After a hearty feast we were ready for action once more. We decided we would take advantage of the beautiful, clear weather conditions and take a hike around the Cairngorm mountain range. A good proportion of birders tend to cheat a little and take the train up the mountainside from the ski centre. We like to do things the traditional way however, and after making sure we were well wrapped up, commenced our trek up towards the Cairn Lochan area. There were plenty of Northern Wheatear and Meadow Pipit as we made our way along the track together with a few pairs of Red Grouse.
Finally, after about ninety minutes of hard toil, the slopes that were once dominated by the growth of heather further down gave way to a more barren, rock strewn terrain. We had now entered the habitat of our target species. A few moments later whilst pausing for a rest, Nadia frantically waved at me, then pointed to an area just to my left. As I lifted my binoculars I immediately picked up a pair of Rock Ptarmigan slowly picking their way amongst the boulders right next to the hiking trail.
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| Rock Ptarmigan (male) Cairngorm National Park, Highland. Photo by Adam Archer |
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| Rock Ptarmigan (female) Cairngorm National Park, Highland. Photo by Adam Archer |
No matter how many times I see these birds it is always a huge thrill just to sit quietly for a while and admire them going about their business, usually at very close range. This a species that seems to ignore any birder or curious walker invading their territory for a short while. They just slowly strut around their bleak surroundings with a certain degree of confidence. They have every right to appear so self assured too as this remarkable animal can withstand weather conditions in winter that would cause the average ill-equipped human to perish within a matter of hours.
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Rock Ptarmigan (male)
Cairngorm National Park, Highland.
Photo by Adam Archer
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Despite their confiding nature it is always important not to cause any undue disturbance to these birds. I find that if you just position yourself nearby, keep quiet and very still they may even come over towards you, given a little time and patience. There is no other experience quiet like it in British birding just to soak up the sights of such wild scenery and a Rock Ptarmigan or two combined with the sound of the wind, the cronk of a Raven and the croak of this hardy, little grouse.
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| Pointing out another pair of Rock Ptarmigan! Photo by Nadia Shaikh |
The name ptarmigan originates from the Scottish Gaelic word tarmachan, which actually means croaker. The silent 'p' was added in 1694 by Sir Robert Sibbald, a professor of medicine at the University of Edinburgh through his influence of the Greek language. The first part of its scientific name Lagopus is derived from the Ancient Greek meaning 'hare' (lagos) and 'foot' (pous) in reference to its mammal like legs and feet. The second part muta comes from the modern latin word mute in reference again to croaking song of the male Rock Ptarmigan.
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Rock Ptarmigan (male)
Cairngorm National Park, Highland.
Photo by Adam Archer
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In all we managed to see at least six different birds, including four males. I am sure we could have found many more but unfortunately the icy conditions became pretty dangerous the higher we ascended into the snow. With the breeze picking up slightly and the effects of breakfast starting to fade we decided to slowly edge back down to the ski centre. Once again, we managed to see several Red Grouse at lower altitudes and we were also lucky to chance upon a pair of Ring Ouzel as we approached the car park.
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| Nadia with Loch Morlich in the distance. Photo by Adam Archer |
Before embarking on a late afternoon session of woodland birding we made our way to our favourite eating place in the area, The Mountain Cafe in Aviemore. The food there is absolutely amazing and is just what you need after a hard day of Highland birding. We thoroughly recommend it.
Afterwards we made our way over towards Loch Garten and took the long, bumpy track down to Forest Lodge. A long, slow walk around the pristine Caledonian pine forest there finally produced a pair of Crested Tit showing well and constantly calling. Other highlights included a calling Capercaillie (not seen), a handsome male Common Redstart and singing Tree Pipit. Other species included a couple of Cuckoo, several Siskin and over a dozen Willow Warblers.
It was then back to our wonderful home from home, Kinross House in Grantown to enjoy a hot shower, put our feet up and toast the day with a dram of single malt whisky or two.
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