With Brian, Graham and Harvey
In and around John o' Groats
This year's tour was centred on a rented cottage in John o' Groats - a surprising choice but one that proved to be a winner with perhaps our best ever birding experience. The weather conditions were OK with lots of sunshine but it was cold and windy early on and cold and wet for a few days in the middle. Thankfully I was indisposed for the latter and only missed out on a few new birds.
Travelling up to Scotland
We saw an impressive 61 species as we made the 400 mile journey by minibus from Workington to John o' Groats. None of them were particularly rare but they provided a good basis for our trip species count.
Loch Garten was both a surprise and a disappointment. Not only did we not get a hint of any Crested Tits but we were gobsmacked to learn there were no Ospreys on site at all!
Duncansby (Sunday)
We visited this site immediately after breakfast.
- Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags, Fulmars and Kittiwakes provided a vibrant start.
- Bonxies were very evident and dominated the scene.
- One of my favourite species, Eider, was present in huge numbers.
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
Loch Watten and Scrabster Harbour (Sunday)
- On the way to Scrabster Harbour we saw a lovely Black-throated Diver on Loch Wotten.
- Scrabster Harbour was quite superb with outstanding close views of Black Guillemots (the first of over 100 seen during the week!) and an amazing Iceland Gull - a real bonus bird! We also saw a Great Northern Diver.
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
Forsinard and the Flow Country (Sunday)
- We finished off this second day in the valley leading to RSPB Forsinard where we enjoyed a real Hen Harrier fest with at least 6 (and probably as many as 8) birds seen including several stunning males. We even had a male fly by the cottage while we were waiting to eat in the evening!
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
Dunnet Head RSPB Reserve (Monday)
- As we neared Dunnet Head we saw a couple of Red-throated Divers in the loch off to our left and close to the road - ideal!
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
- It was very windy on the head but we still managed to get good views of Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Fulmars etc - similar to the views we had at Duncansby.
- Of course we came to see the Puffins and they did not disappoint with good numbers on view near the bottom of the cliffs and in the water nearby.
St John's Pool and Loch (Monday)
- The main point of interest here, apart from seeking shelter from the cold and wind, were the terns with both Arctic Terns and Common Terns present, to complement the Sandwich Terns that we had seen previously at other sites.
Orkney (Tuesday)
The weather forecast put Tuesday as the best day so we booked the first ferry out from Gills Bay at 9.30 am and returned on the last ferry leaving St Margaret's Hope at 5 pm. Despite the relatively short time slot we were able to get round most of the mainland and saw some super birds.
Most of the birds seen were not new to us on this trip, they were just closer and more numerous.
- The big exception were the many Long-tailed Ducks we saw as we moved around.
- Red-breasted Mergansers clearly flourish on Orkney.
- We were fortunate to find some breeding Little Terns on Water Sound as we headed back to the ferry in the afternoon.
- There were at least 2 more Hen Harrier sightings.
Wednesday and Thursday
This saw me housebound with an infection. The weather was much wetter on these days and the boys struggled at the Loch of Mey and in the Helmsdale area. I missed out on Crossbill, Yellowhammer, Spotted Flycatcher, Velvet Scoter, Barnacle Goose and Pink-footed Goose.
Friday
This was very much a mopping-up day. The boys revisited some of the sites from the last couple of days allowing me to catch up with some of the species I had missed.
Dunnet Bay
We finished up in Dunnet Bay where we enjoyed a terrific finale. Nothing new but a rich birding experience.
- We saw at least 100 Puffins on the water.
- Great Northern Divers were a feature with at least 4 seen.
Travelling back to Workington
Faced with a 400 mile return leg to Workington we planned out a route that would allow us to see some spectacular new birds on the way. Our plan worked perfectly!
Loch Ruthven
The highlight of the trip was a visit to Loch Ruthven to see Slavonian Grebes in full summer plumage. This was Graham's choice. I had been here before some 10 years ago and could hardly wait to see these lovely creatures again.- Bang on cue the grebes showed up with 2 pairs showing well. Brian's picture captures the moment really well.
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
Findhorn Valley
Next stop was the Findhorn valley to look for Eagles. Once again we struck lucky.
As we approached the bottom of the valley we could see 4 Golden Eagles in the sky ahead of us. When we stopped and investigated further we realised there were at least 6 and probably 8 altogether.
Cairngorms
Brian's choice was to visit the car park at the visitors centre near the now defunct funicular railway on the Cairngorms. He was hoping to see Snow Buntings.
- Just as earlier, everything turned up trumps and he had great views. There were 6 showing really well on the roof of the centre. Alas I was on the loo at the time and missed them and as we were on a tight schedule I had no chance to wait for them to return.
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| courtesy of Brian Collis |
- There was some compensation however when a male Ring Ouzel flew into the bushes close to where I was standing.
A cracking trip - my last with these lads, although I will visit them if and when they are in my area.
Nearly 125 species seen with many in superb summer plumage.
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