Speyside weekend Day 2

Me, Mark and Mike were up before breakfast and out to a woodland site near the Boat of Garten where we had got some information that it may be good for Caepercaillie, we hoped it might have been be a rogue bird but unfortunately not and although Mark had brief views of a female flying away the highlights were a couple of Crested Tits, a male Redstart and a Red Squirrel. After breakfast we joined the rest of the group and headed out to Lochindorb for the summer plumaged Black Throated Divers, one was found but as usual it was distant scope views also the usual Common Sandpipers and Red Grouse were present plus an Osprey flew over. It was to be the Findhorn Valley next but we made a little detour back towards Aviemore first to a little site called Avie Lochan where a pair of Slavonian Grebes were breeding, just one bird was showing, I dare say the other was on a nest somewhere, it showed well and came reasonably close although the light wasn’t particularly good for photography, the Findhorn Valley was excellent as usual and we were rewarded with views of Raven, Peregrine and Golden Eagle at the head of the valley and Wheatear, Dipper and Red Deer along the way. With not particularly needing to go to Loch Ruthven for the Slavs we were wondering what to do next when someone suggested heading north to the Black Isle and Chanonry Point in particular for the Dolphins, we all thought this was a good idea so off we went, upon arrival we joined a small crowd awaiting the spectacle and were entertained by several Terns flying around and quite a few seabirds flying in and out of the Firth including Red Throated and Black Throated Divers then the shout went up, four Bottlenose Dolphins were seen approaching the Point, as the tide came in opposing currents were churning the sea just offshore and the Dolphins started feeding there, we couldn’t believe how close they were and although they didn’t jump out of the water as they sometimes do they came up for air often enough to give us really good views. Me and Mike had a walk around Grantown Forest when we got back but it proved rather quiet in the early evening, once again several Buzzards and one or two Hooded Crows were seen as we travelled around.

still plenty of snow on the tops

Crested Tit country

and Red Squirrels

the remote Lochindorb

Slavonian Grebe on Avie Lochan

the old Packhorse Bridge at Carrbridge

Findhorn Valley where Eagles dare

Peregrine hunting along the ridge

Red Deer were lower down than usual

Sandwich Tern off Chanonry Point

Black Throated Diver flying up the Firth

and the stars, four or five Bottlenose Dolhins

although difficult to predict where they would surface
they would be going back under before you could get the shot