Birding South Africa, International Birding, Photo Pick, The World around Us

My Photo Pick for 2023

January 1, 2024 Don Reid 8 Comments

Moving home from Pretoria to Mossel Bay during the year took a lot of our energy and meant we travelled less than usual – so much so that we didn’t even manage to fit in a trip to one of our national parks, the first time this has happened in many years!

Nevertheless my photo library increased by some 1500 images, and for this retrospective I have selected 50 images which appeal to me for various reasons.

An unexpected mid-year trip to Scotland for a week was a wonderful opportunity to boost my photo library and try out my new mirrorless camera to its full extent – my verdict is it met all my expectations once I had mastered the myriad settings available.

The brief comments tell a bit of the story of each image. So to start with ….

The Places

Starting at home – one of the pleasures of living on a golf estate is having the golf course to yourself after the last golfers have left – it’s ideal for long walks and an added bonus is the small herd of Springboks that also enjoy the peace and quiet without golf balls flying about

Hoekwil Forest near Wilderness, also known as Big Tree Forest, is one of my favourite spots for forest walks and birding, presenting scenes like this along the trail

A trip to Fransmanshoek (“Frenchman’s Corner”) just a half hour’s drive from Mossel Bay is always worth it – the rugged coastline and big waves make for spectacular coastal scenery on a windy day

It’s impossible to go through a year without taking photos at The Point in Mossel Bay on a day of high seas, capturing (hopefully) the drama of the sand, sea and sky that such days produce

Back in March, Gerda’s relative Anlia sent us this photo taken early morning on their farm near Vryheid in Kwazulu Natal – I was immediately blown away by the colours and texture of the scene – almost akin to a Monet Impressionist painting, don’t you think?

A short breakaway trip to Plettenberg Bay (Plett for short) was an opportunity to explore another part of the beautiful Garden Route and stop at scenes like this

While in Pretoria for our final packing I went out atlasing with friend Koos (the lone figure in the photo) – this was taken as the sun rose on a cold winter morning over the grassland east of Pretoria

And then came the Scotland trip where I was spoilt for choice when it came to striking scenery – here is a selection of the places I visited or simply stopped to admire

The Birds

I spend a lot of my photographic energies on capturing images of birds, often with mixed results. These are some of the better ones

Speckled Mousebird Colius striatus Gevlekte muisvoël, Mossel Bay Golf Estate

Yellow Canary Crithagra flaviventris Geelkanarie (race flaviventris), Gouritzmond

African Stonechat Saxicola torquatus Gewone bontrokkie (race torquatus), Great Brak Inland

Levaillant’s Cisticola Cisticola tinniens Vleitinktinkie (race brookei), Great Brak Inland

Common Tern Sterna hirundo Gewone sterretjie, Hartenbos River mouth

Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Groenpootruiter, Hartenbos River mouth

Red-necked Spurfowl Pternistis afer Rooikeelfisant (race castaneiventer) (Juvenile), Robinson Pass

Malachite Kingfisher Alcedo cristata Kuifkopvisvanger, Great Brak inland

Spotted Flycatcher Muscicapa striata Europese vlieëvanger, Friemersheim area

Agulhas Long-billed Lark Certhilauda brevirostris Overberglangbeklewerik, Vleesbaai area

Cape Teal Anas capensis Teeleend, Great Brak

Kittlitz’s Plover Charadrius pecuarius Geelborsstrandkiewiet, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

Have a closer look at what this Little Egret has caught

Little Egret Egretta garzetta Kleinwitreier, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

On one of my last atlasing outings for the year I came across this delightful pair of protective Blue Cranes looking after junior

My trip to Scotland was a great opportunity for some birding in a different environment and I grabbed the chance with both hands

Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Loch of the Lowes

This is a sight we don’t get to see in southern Africa – a juvenile Osprey at the nest, waiting to be fed

Osprey (Juvenile) Pandion haliaetus Loch of the Lowes

This cheeky Robin hopped onto the table at a roadside service centre where I stopped for coffee

European Robin Erithacus rubecula Lunch stop on A9

Common Goldeneye Bucephala clangula Avielochan

Little Egret Egretta gazetta River Eden Estuary

Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata River Eden Estuary

It was a special treat to see Common Redshanks by the hundred at River Eden Estuary – this is a bird rarely seen in southern Africa

Common Redshank Tringa totanus River Eden Estuary

The Mossel Bay area attracted a few rare vagrants during the year and I was happy to be able to see them and get some reasonable photos

Lesser Sand Plover Charadrius mongolus Mongoolse strandkiewiet, Klein Brak vlei

Buff-breasted Sandpiper Tryngites subruficollis Taanborsstrandloper, Voelvlei near Vleesbaai

Birds in Flight

Birds in flight – or BIF as it’s known – is the most challenging aspect of bird photography, with a success rate of about 1 usable image for every 30 taken, based on my experience. In the same way as golfers seek the perfect shot and surfers the perfect wave, so are bird photographers always on the look out for a better photo.

Here are some of the year’s BIF images that worked

Hartlaub’s Gull Chroicocephalus hartlaubii Hartlaubse meeu, Hartenbos River mouth

Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus River Eden Estuary

Black-headed Gull Chroicocephalus ridibundus River Eden Estuary

Pied Kingfisher Ceryle rudis Bontvisvanger, Gouritzmond

A different view of a Sacred Ibis – it was soaring like an eagle

African Sacred Ibis Threskiornis aethiopicus Heilige ibis, Arniston-Bredasdorp

Black Harrier Circus maurus Witkruisvleivalk, Vleesbaai area

The Wildlife

As I mentioned we did not get to visit a single national park during the year so I had to be content with some not-so-wildlife ….

Red Sqirrel Sciurus vulgaris Loch of the Lowes

The Other Stuff

South Africa’s infamous load shedding (electricity cuts) got worse this past year – I took this photo in our local supermarket just after the main lights went off, before the generators kicked in

This unusual image was taken in a local nature reserve after a heavy rainstorm, which swept a variety of debris down the stream that runs through the reserve ….

And finally, a quirky decorative topping to the post box in a Scottish village

I can’t imagine a life without photography .. or birding of course

Land of Beauty

A Beach Sunset

December 6, 2023 Don Reid 3 Comments

Firstly, I hope to get back to more regular posts – other matters have taken priority the last while and have meant I haven’t been able to spend nearly as much time on blogging as I would like, so hopefully I can change that going into the holiday season.

Secondly this may or may not be the start of a new series of posts – my last one featured a Fynbos sunset and here I go again with a Beach sunset – we’ll just have to see where this goes…..

We decided to take a short break and chose Arniston, a small coastal town about 260 kms from our home in Mossel Bay. We had only been there once before for lunch at the Arniston Hotel and have always wanted to experience the charming spot more thoroughly so booked for three nights in a seafront room.

As usual I went for my late afternoon walks during the stay and was drawn towards the beach right in front of the hotel for a stroll along the sand and a clamber over the low rocks that are exposed by the low tide.

The scenes were stunning, the sand, sea and sky lightly brushed with colour from the sun setting behind my back on the land side.

Once I had a few shots taken of the beach I looked around for interesting patterns and colour combinations amongst the exposed rocks and didn’t have to go far to find these

The harbour slipway had a few fishing boats standing out of the water and this colourful one demanded a photo

Back on the sand I was fascinated by the variety of pebbles large and small, swept into random patterns by the incoming and outgoing tide

Oh, and I met a dog on the beach…..just gazing out to sea

What a nice way to end a day

Flowers, Land of Beauty, The World around Us

A Fynbos Sunset

November 6, 2023 Don Reid 8 Comments

One of the joys of Mossel Bay, our new home town, is the proximity of our house to the broad band of coastal fynbos that separates the estate we live in from the rugged coastline running along this part of the southern Cape.

A short walk of a few minutes takes one into a world of tiny flowers in an expanse of heath-like bushes and although my primary aim is usually to see what birdlife is present, the setting sun this afternoon enticed me to try my hand at some more ‘arty’ photos, using my trusty iphone.

Here are some of the results

On closer inspection of the above photo I noticed that the flower was draped in spider’s web which shows up better in this cropped version

Birding South Africa, Special Birds, Special Sightings

300 Up! And a special bird to celebrate

November 1, 2023 Don Reid 9 Comments

My 300th post is a short one with just one photo of one bird – but I have reason to celebrate both…

The bird in question is a Common Quail – so what’s the big deal I hear you think. Well if I tell you that I’ve heard this bird calling a few hundred times during my birding and atlasing travels over 35 years or so, but have seen it just once before, so briefly that there was no chance to get a photo, then you may appreciate my excitement about my experience last week.

I was out atlasing in the early morning not far from our new home in Mossel Bay and heard the familiar call of Common Quail almost every time I stopped. There were numbers of Larks and other birds in the gravel road and along the verges, then I noticed something different up ahead and raised my binos once more – it was a Common Quail, in fact a pair that were walking along the edge of the gravel amongst grass tufts.

With my heart pumping I grabbed my camera, checked settings and fired away even though the Quails were not ideally positioned and not close enough to achieve sharpness, but I was ecstatic that I had at last seen this bird clearly and at least had a reasonable record photo.

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – The Last Day : Edinburgh

October 30, 2023 Don Reid 9 Comments

Saturday 29th July 2023

Planning the Day

The birding part of the trip was done and I could not have been happier with the outcome, now it was time to collect my granddaughter and spend a day together in the beautiful city of Edinburgh.

With just the one day at our disposal I had made a booking on one of the ‘hop-on, hop-off’ bus tours which take tourists around the city, much as they do in many popular cities around the world. I had been to Edinburgh (my dad’s birthplace) twice before with Gerda, so it was all about showing Maia the places of interest and let her dictate how we spent the day.

I had undertaken to collect Maia by 9 am which meant an early, quick breakfast of fruit and toast and leaving the B&B in Upper Largo at 8 am to drive the 35 miles or so to Strathallan School south of Perth where she had spent the week learning new skills on the flute with some of the best teachers in the world. (She played some of her newly learnt pieces when we got back to SA and I can confidently say the trip was very worthwhile for her as well – they were simply magical to listen to).

Edinburgh

After a short wait and a chat with the school pianist, Maia appeared, and we set off to find our hotel west of Edinburgh where we parked the car and got the No 25 bus into the city.

The bus stop indicated by the driver was close to St Andrews Square, the departure point for the Red Bus tour we had booked and a short walk later we boarded the bus and plugged in the earphones for the running commentary.

Red buses setting off on the city tour – ours was an open top version

Much better views with the open top bus – including our fellow tourist’s heads

The bus did a one-hour circuit of the historic parts of the centre city while we admired the iconic buildings and were amazed by the crowds of tourists that filled every narrow street and corner – I don’t recall ever seeing a major city with so many tourists, not even Rome, although Venice possibly outdoes all of them.

We got off at the last stop before the square and walked back to where we had started, then found a small Sainsbury to get a lunch special for three pounds fifty – wrap, snack and drink – which we enjoyed in the park at the square.

Lunchtime view of the square – Edinburgh

Handsome building and garden in central Edinburgh

Next on the agenda was a shopping session for Maia while I hung around and watched the passing show – never seen quite such a variety of people all seemingly trying to stand out from the crowd – what happened to just being ordinary?

The rest of the tour was done on foot, revisiting some of the sights we had seen from the bus – we weren’t always entirely sure where we were going but walked up and down hills and along crowded streets just taking it all in and popping into a few shops which had mostly tourist ‘stuff’ at premium prices so we were not inspired to buy anything (also proof of my Scottish heritage)

We did walk up to the entrance of the famous castle, where large stands have been erected for the Tatoo coming up in August – that must be amazing to experience.

Sated with the sights of Edinburgh and a bit weary of the incessant crowds, we hopped on the next red bus, which passed many of the sights once more before getting us back to the square.

The bus skirted this lovely natural park bordering on central Edinburgh

From there we walked back to Prince’s Street where we found the No 25 bus and were soon on the slow trip back to the campus where the hotel was located.

By now it was early evening and we were in need of a more substantial meal, so we headed to the hotel restaurant for a burger, after which we were glad to get back to the room and prepare for a short sleep before getting up around 3 am to catch our flight to Amsterdam and onward to Johannesburg.

Getting home

Sunday’s trip back was somewhat stressful – despite getting to Edinburgh Airport at 4.30 am – in plenty of time for our 6 am flight, or so we thought – we were met with the sight of a check-in queue snaking back and forward 6 or 7 times and spent the next 45 minutes getting ever more panicky as the queue moved painfully slowly. We had underestimated the impact of the start of the European summer holidays on the time required for airport passenger processing.

The next hurdle of getting through security was almost as bad and we ended up literally running to get to the boarding gate, fortunately just in time. The rest of the trip went as expected and we arrived in Joburg at 9 pm, got a car and drove to Pretoria to our son James’s house for the night. On Monday we did the last leg of the trip back to George in a more relaxed fashion and were glad to see the happy faces of Gerda and Geraldine as we entered the baggage hall.

And there I draw the curtain on my week in Scotland – except these curtains were on the outside of the windows so couldn’t be drawn…

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – Birding ….. Mostly

October 14, 2023 Don Reid 6 Comments

Friday 28th July 2023

Planning the Day

I was determined to make the most of this, my last day of birding opportunities – tomorrow I was due to collect Maia from the Flute School and spend the day exploring the delights of Edinburgh, before heading back home early the next day.

My first priority was to visit, or at least see, the famous St Andrews golf course – an absolute ‘Must See’ place if you are anywhere near it even if, like me, you are a non-golfing visitor to the area.

After a substantial breakfast (I couldn’t manage the black pudding or the baked beans on top of two eggs, a pile of bacon, mushrooms and fried tomatoes), I headed to St Andrews about 10 miles away from my B & B.

My intention was to park at the Old Course clubhouse and walk along the public pathway to the sea as suggested by the Scottish birding app which I had once again consulted for advice.

St Andrews

St Andrews village was busy and I had to make quick decisions about which turning to take, which had me going the wrong way down a narrow one way right in front of the famous golf course’s last hole.

Fortunately I realised my mistake fairly quickly and found an empty parking spot to pull into before I could cause mild chaos in front of the most famous golf course in the world – never mind that I was facing the wrong way and it was obvious to all passers-by what I had done.

After taking a couple of iphone images of the classic scene before me I managed to extricate myself but, in the process, missed the next turning and ended up much further down the road, heading away from where I had hoped to find the access road to the parking area.

River Eden Estuary

This turned out to be the best thing as it led me to the hide at the River Eden estuary that the birding app had also mentioned as a good viewing spot for waders, depending on the tidal conditions.

I parked in the designated area and walked through the adjacent park to the river / estuary where I found the hide – locked but with instructions to phone the local nature office for the combination. That let me into the spacious hide which I had to myself for the next four and a half hours.

Why so long? Well, when I got there after 11 am the water levels were still high, with birds crowded along the narrow sandy edge that was exposed, but the longer I stayed the lower the water levels dropped, exposing more muddy fringes for the shorebirds, and creating ideal wading conditions for those birds that like the shallows.

Compare the images below to see the difference an hour and a half made

River Eden Estuary – just after I arrived

River Eden Estuary – an hour and a half later

It was fascinating to watch the changes and the movement of the birds as they took their turns flying in and out – so much so that I could not tear myself away with my only regret that I hadn’t brought any lunch with me. I did go to the car to fetch my flask of tea and a snack bar which was still in the cubby to sustain me to 4 pm when I left.

Seeing Red ….. shanks

Most prominent of the birds was the Common Redshanks which numbered over 400 at a rough count!

Considering I have only ever seen one Common Redshank in 40 years of birding (in Botswana) it was quite something to see it ‘at home’ in such astounding numbers.

Common Redshanks Tringa totanus River Eden Estuary

When I arrived at the hide, they were all bunched close together on the narrow sandy edge on the opposite side of the river, so dense I did not spot them immediately as they appeared at a glance to be part of the vegetation.

Gradually they started to spread out as the sand widened and, as if instructed, they all marched in unison to the water’s edge, then started flying off individually and in small groups to forage, some returning later.

I was especially happy when one or two came to forage right in front of the hide, and I was able to take some decent images of this bird which had managed to stir the senses of an excited birder

I also tried my hand at some in flight images with my new camera which I’m still getting to know – a few of the dozens of images turned out quite nicely…. I was particularly pleased with this one…

And Many Others ….

Scanning the scene before me just after entering the hide, I could see large numbers of birds on a distant sandbank, still partially submerged – in the image below the front row of white birds are gulls while the remainder of darker birds are Eurasian Curlews, numbering in the hundreds as well as Black-tailed Godwits, Eurasian Oystercatchers and others

Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa River Eden Estuary

Northern Lapwings were as plentiful, including many juveniles without the crest of the adults

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus River Eden Estuary

As the water level dropped, the massed birds began to disperse. Eurasian Curlews approached within shooting distance of the hide, probing with their long ungainly looking bills into seaweed as it became exposed

Some Familiar Birds

Among the throngs of birds not generally seen in my home country were some familiar species that occur back home or are regular migrants

Grey Heron Ardea cinerea River Eden Estuary

Little Stint Calidris minuta River Eden Estuary

Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos River Eden Estuary

The Gulls

Gulls were initially strung out across the mud flats, then dispersed to other parts of the estuary – a few came close to the hide, providing an opportunity to get a photo of two of the three gull species present – the Lesser Black-backed Gulls stayed too far away for any chance of a reasonable photo.

European Herring Gull Larus argentatus River Eden Estuary

The Swimmers

Swimmers also appeared with Eiders prominent and later a group of Common Mergansers (Goosander) and a couple of Mallards.

Common Eider (female) Somateria mollissima River Eden Estuary

Common Merganser Mergus merganser River Eden Estuary

Mallard Anas platyrhyncos River Eden Estuary

Still More

An unexpected bird on the shoreline….

Carrion Crow Corvus corone River Eden Estuary

A Kingfisher caused a moment’s excitement as it flew low across the river and settled briefly on a fence but vanished almost immediately.

The scene in front of the hide continued changing right up until I reluctantly left to explore further on my last day.

Tentsmuir Nature Reserve

Next stop was also found by chance as I drove away from St Andrews and saw the signboard for Tentsmuir Nature Reserve which I knew of. Following the road which became single again for a few miles, I took a short detour to get coffee and cake (no sandwiches as ‘the kitchen closes at five’ I was told), then carried on to the reserve entrance, parked and set out on a walk down the Icehouse trail which I hoped would take me to the beach.

The trail went through the forest and emerged into open undulating ground but all I managed was a distant view of the sea as I was tired by now. I slogged back to the car, drove back to the B & B and walked – again – to the village hotel for another pleasant supper to round off the birding side of my trip.

Flowers, Land of Beauty, On the Road

Karoo in Flower

October 3, 2023 Don Reid 9 Comments

Our road trip from Pretoria to Mossel Bay this past weekend followed a by now familiar routine – around 1300 kms spread more or less equally over three days with stopovers near Bloemfontein and Graaff-Reinet.

What we love about road trips is the changing landscape along the way, which varies according to the season – that is when traffic and weather conditions allow you to take it in.

The first half of the journey tends to be busy, but once we branch off from the N1 National Road traffic diminishes and despite a narrower road the driving becomes easier, allowing us to scan the surrounding landscape.

What set this trip apart for us was the appearance of flowers at the roadside and extending into the adjoining fields in places.

Spring brings an abundance of wild flowers to the western parts of South Africa and we have enjoyed flower watching trips in previous years.
But the Karoo is not known for its spring flowers, so it was a pleasant surprise to see massed displays in places as we drove the second half of our journey, starting in the Willowmore area and continuing through to Oudtshoorn and beyond. Some examples …..

Bright orange daisies just south of Oudtshoorn…

Karoo Violets near Graaff-Reinet…

Vygies galore along the road between Oudtshoorn and De Rust….

Just what we needed after a couple of months of arduous clearing out and packing of our Pretoria home in preparation for our permanent move to Mossel Bay

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – Moors and the Road to Upper Largo

October 2, 2023 Don Reid 3 Comments

Thursday 27th July 2023

Planning the Day

My time in Grantown on Spey had come to an end and the next stop on my itinerary for the week was in Upper Largo, a small village not far from the most famous of all golf courses – St Andrews

After a final breakfast at Grant Arms Hotel, I checked out and set off along the route googled the evening before (in blue on the map below).

Just to add some birding interest, I decided to divert from the route slightly so that I could pass through Montrose on the east coast. A scan through the Scottish Birding Spots app had shown an interesting tidal basin at Montrose which seemed to be worth a look.

The distance of 131 miles / 210 km was not that far but the narrow twisty roads meant progress was very slow and of course I made frequent stops at lay byes to scout around or just to look and listen, resulting in a total trip of some 7 hours.

The 3 and a quarter hours estimated by google was an indication of just how slow this route was going to be, even without stops and deviations.

Highland Tourist Route

Not long after setting off the signposts indicated that the road was part of the Highland Tourist Route and I could see why – the moors have a beauty of their own – covered in heath and heather and undulating to the point of grandeur. Rugged looking sheep dot the hillsides in places and being part of the Cairngorns the whole area is sparsely populated.

Ever on the lookout for birds, I stopped at a field where a few Lapwings were accompanying a small flock of sheep – or was it the other way round – in any event the lapwings and sheep seemed quite comfortable in each other’s presence.

Northern Lapwing Vanellus vanellus Highland Tourist Route

The villages along the way look as if they haven’t changed for decades with neat stone houses often right up against the road and not much sign of life. And the main road is not necessarily reserved for vehicles….

Another stop and a short but steep walk up a hill took me to a viewpoint overlooking the Avon River and an expansive stretch of handsome countryside below

At this spot the signboard near the road gave some background of that most famous of Scottish products …

My first longer stop of the day was when I pulled off at a roadside parking area which led to a pleasant walk into a low valley, with birds active in the bushes and a couple of raptors overhead – one turned out to be a Kestrel while I could only ID the larger raptor as a Common Buzzard later, based on the photos taken of it flying at a great height and with grey backlight.

Common Buzzard Buteo buteo Lecht Road, Highland Tourist Route

At the lower end of the valley stood a grey stone building which a signboard informed me was part of an old mine from the 1700’s.

Teatime meant I made a quck stop at a roadside cafe for a small slice of their carrot cake, which I enjoyed with my tea at an old bridge on an abandoned stretch of road next to the main road – a boulder placed to discourage vehicles from using the bridge became my rugged tea table for the occasion.

Thistles are common at the roadside and this one was particularly attractive

The diversion to Montrose gave me an opportunity to visit the Montrose Basin Wildlife Reserve and have lunch while viewing the many waders on the sandbanks formed at low tide – just a pity visibility was not great due to the diffused light caused by cloud cover and a general haziness in the air. The distance of the viewing windows from the water also made it not worthwhile to attempt any photography.

Nevertheless there was a good variety of species that I could ID with the help of the scopes provided for visitors and the assistance of the pleasant young lady in charge. During the hour spent at the visitor centre’s viewing windows I was able to add several species to my growing trip list…

Waders such as Greenshank, Redshank and Eurasian Curlew
Eurasian Oystercatchers
A familiar looking Grey Heron
Common Tern – a chart on the wall showed its migration route, ending in South Africa
”Ordinary species such as Eurasian Collared Dove and Stock Dove
Bonus species in the form of Eurasian Tree Sparrow and Eurasian Magpie

There was still a couple of hours driving to do so I didn’t dawdle and continued along roads that seemed to get increasingly narrower, other than a stretch that took me through busy Dundee. There were still plenty of sights worth stopping for but that was sometimes impossible where roads are narrow and busy with no verge or lay bye handy to pull off

A hump back bridge that I drove over – quite a strange sensation going over it, not being able to see the other side

Common Pheasant Phasianus colchicus Highland Tourist Route

At last I got to Monturpie Guesthouse and checked in, then walked to the village for a decent meal of prawn cocktail and fish and chips at the local hotel where most customers were regulars judging by the many who had brought their dogs with them – all well behaved so it felt quite normal.

On the walk down to the village I spotted a Yellowhammer which was a lifer for me – I had no camera available so include the illustration from Collins just to show how striking this little bird is

And that was a nice way to round out an interesting day of travel along the back roads of the Highlands

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – the Magnificent Findhorn Valley

September 22, 2023 Don Reid 4 Comments

Wednesday 26th July 2023

Planning the Day

Still working on Sue, the Grant Arms Hotel’s in house bird guide’s suggestions, I planned to visit the Findhorn River Valley today. Sue had said this was one spot I should not miss and at the end of the day I was inclined to agree.

Waking up just after 6 am I made a quick decision to follow Sue’s other suggestion and see if I could find Black Grouse at nearby Dava Moor, just 15 minutes drive from Grantown so easily do-able before breakfast

Dava Moor

I followed the instructions given and parked at a lay bye then walked a short distance to a farm gate with a view across an expanse of field, with a few sheep wandering about. I spent a patient half hour scanning the field, but there was no sign of the grouse so I returned to the car, but not before taking in the beautiful sight of rows of pink flowers bordering another open field with a dam and hills in the distance

At the lay bye where the car was parked, a few birds were active and I spent a while watching their early morning activity and tracking some with my camera. I found the first of many Meadow Pipits that I would see that day

Lochindorb

I carried on to the turn-off to Lochindorb a few kms further and followed the single-track road to the loch, passing an unusual sign along the way – one that did not fill me with much confidence …… but I got across safely and encountered some birds and other wildlife before reaching the large open loch.

At the loch the water was bird free, but I had the place to myself apart from a couple of camper vans in the distance and happily soaked up the early morning freshness while having coffee, counting my blessings for the chance to experience such beauty and solitude.

The day was still young, but I was in danger of missing the fine hotel breakfast, so I headed back without delay and enjoyed fresh fruit, egg and bacon and toast with marmalade then returned briefly to the room to prepare for the rest of the day.

Before venturing out again, I walked down the neat, well maintained main street of Grantown on Spey to a small supermarket to get a cheese wrap for my lunch later on, suspecting that I would be far from any villages or other meal options during the course of my trip today.

A few motorbikes were parked near a coffee shop and I took a fancy to this one’s unusual design – a mechanical work of art

Strathdearn – Findhorn River Valley

Armed with a flask of tea and the cheese wrap I had purchased, I set off to visit Strathdearn (Findhorn Valley), using the hotel’s map and instructions. The route took me through the villages of Dulnain Bridge and Carrbridge then onto the A9 for a few miles before turning off at the sign for Raigbeg and Balvraid (love the names).

I stopped for a while to have a walk across the Findhorn Bridge, which is of a design I have never encountered before – quite stark in appearance and I wondered to myself what, if anything, had ‘inspired’ this particular design.

In contrast to the bridge, the river below was a fine sight, as are all the Scottish rivers I had come across so far – wide, fast flowing and inviting you to dip a glass in and drink straight from it.

Just after the Findhorn Bridge I turned left at the signpost for Garbole and Coignafearn onto a single-track road which I followed for the next 10 miles to the parking area at the end

I was becoming accustomed to the single track roads that seem to be a feature of the Scottish Highlands, but this particular road needed full and intense concentration as there is no warning of oncoming cars where the road bends or rises or drops and it does that continuously.

Fortunately I was one of few cars using the road and only had to take avoiding action or stop completely on a handful of occasions over the 10 miles.

The road initially wound its way past a few small farms, then the landscape opened up to reveal a scene as striking as I’ve seen anywhere in my travels

Along the way I made a few stops at interesting looking spots such as this one – I noticed a White Wagtail flying to the river and back and on closer inspection found it was taking food to its youngster on a rock at the water’s edge

White Wagtail Motacilla alba Findhorn River Valley – adult feeding juvenile

At the same spot a European Goldfinch flew down and perched for a moment on a colourful Thistle, just long enough to capture it on camera

European Goldfinch Carduelis carduelis Findhorn River Valley

It was a memorable experience all round being all but alone in such a stunning environment and I soaked it up by enjoying the sandwich and tea down by the riverside watching the rushing brown waters go by. The only other life of note was a flock of Common Mergansers, which paddled off down the river as I approached

I don’t usually bother about selfies but this setting just had to be put on record – I balanced my phone on a nearby rock, set the timer and dashed (OK I walked rapidly) to another rock and pretended to have been relaxing there for a while – not sure that I pulled it off but at least I have it on record.

Shortly after I came to the end of the formal road at a parking area with one other vehicle but no sign of the owner ….. or anyone else in fact.
Once I had parked, I set off down the walking/cycling track which disappeared into the distant hills in a dead straight line.

I couldn’t help wondering whether the world came to an end on the other side of those hills, but never did find out as, after 2kms of strolling along and enjoying the magnificence of the valley, I decided to turn back. Oh, and I actually saw two people on their way back to the other vehicle and we briefly shared our thoughts on this special place

There was no shortage of interesting things – birds, flowers, butterflies and the ever present pristine river with smaller streams flowing into it from the sides. Meadow Pipits were plentiful before coming across the cousin of a well-known species back home – a European Stonechat.

European Stonechat Saxicola rubicola Findhorn River Valley

A tributary of the Findhorn River which I crossed over on my walk

Reluctantly tearing myself away from this memorable spot, I returned along the same road, encountering just one other car in the 10 miles back to the main road, then taking the same route to the hotel in time for dinner

Holiday Trips, International Birding

A Week in Scotland – Loch Garten, Insh Marshes and Avielochan

September 12, 2023 Don Reid 4 Comments

Tuesday 25th July 2023

Planning the Day

My first day in Grantown on Spey started with breakfast of fruit and ‘real’ Scottish porridge – it seemed appropriate to enjoy it without milk and too much sugar. While sipping coffee I thought about the day ahead and how to best spend it – I wasn’t keen to do too much travelling but rather find some good birding spots nearby where I could spend some quality time.

The Grant Arms Hotel where I was booked is renowned for being a “Birder’s hotel” and has an in-house birding guide available each morning after breakfast to provide advice on birding spots and to lead guests on various walks and outings in the area.

I had checked out the planned walk for the morning and tentatively put my name down for it, so straight after breakfast I went to reception where Sue, the birding guide on duty for the day, was sitting and introduced myself.

No one else had booked for the walk but Sue was happy to still go ahead and after giving me some tips about other birding spots we arranged to meet at the Loch Garten parking area at 9.30 am.

Loch Garten Nature Walk

We duly met at the parking area for Loch Garten, another reserve run by the RSPB and walked slowly down the path towards the water, stopping frequently to look at plants, fungi, trees, even bugs and bees that Sue had lots of info about – this was a true nature ramble not just confined to birds and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

The area around the loch was mostly well developed Scottish Pine forest with a carpet of green comprising several different plant species – too many to take in on a short walk but fascinating to see. Here and there colourful fungi were prominent

At one point Sue stopped to listen to the various calls which indicated the presence of a small bird party in progress and we spent a while listening for and finding Crested Tit and Greater Spotted Woodpecker as well as Spotted Flycatcher and a Tree Creeper (which I did not get a good view of).

Getting a photo of the Crested Tit was a priority for me but was particularly tricky as it was high up amongst the branches with foliage obscuring it and with a strong backlight behind, added to which the bird was constantly on the move, hardly sitting in one spot for more than a half second or so. Each time I saw it I rattled off a number of shots and hoped for the best…

Crested Tit Lophophanes christatus Loch Garten

Fortunately (thanks Canon R7) just one of the many shots came out reasonably and with that prize in the bag we moved on.

On reaching the loch just a single Goldeneye was visible – a juvenile it seemed, and after following the track along the loch edge for a while we headed back to the carpark, having walked two hours in all.

Common Goldeneye (Juvenile) Bucephala clangula Loch Garten

Sue left to return to Grantown and I headed further down the road to the visitor centre for a brief visit – mainly to get a sandwich for my lunch later but while I was there I took advantage of the viewing windows and scopes provided to look at a distant Osprey on a nest.

Back in the car I looked at potential sites to visit that afternoon and selected Insh Marshes Nature Reserve as it promised a different habitat with other birds, possibly waders.

Along the road to Insh Marshes

Google maps indicated about 30 miles – a doddle on normal roads but as it turned out the route was along narrow, twisty, up and down country roads which made fast driving impossible as you have to take avoiding action every time a vehicle comes in the opposite direction.

Not only are the roads narrow but they are hemmed in on both sides by fences and stone walling right up against the verge so there is very little space to move to the side and in some cases, you have to almost come to a halt and let the other cars go by – not a moment’s relaxation can be afforded.

There seemed to be birds active in the trees and bush lining the road, so I looked for an opportunity to pull off and take a closer look, as well as to take a break from the concentration required driving these roads.

A small parking area next to the road at the start of a forest walk seemed like just the right spot and I spent a pleasant half hour or so scouting around, finding a few birds in the process. I was most excited about a European Blackcap flitting about the top of the low bushes at roadside – this is a bird that occurs in certain parts of Southern Africa but has eluded my efforts to find one, so seeing it here and managing to capture a fleeting image was a highlight of the day.

Eurasian Blackcap Sylvia atricapilla Loch Garten to Insh Marshes

A Song Thrush was more relaxed and posed nicely on a post for me

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos Loch Garten to Insh Marshes

With a few decent bird images in the bag, some striking wild flowers begged my attention and they soon joined the birds on the SD card

Common Honeysuckle, Loch Garten to Insh Marshes

Time to move on, but I was hardly back on the route to Insh Marshes when I crossed a bridge over the Feshie River – not a major river but one of the prettiest sights of the day, so I had to stop again at a safe spot on the other side of the bridge and walk back for a quick snap

Insh Marshes

I reached Insh Marshes and found a spot in the full car park, then took the pathway that others were using and found my way to the hide which was sited at the end of a slippery downhill track.

The hide overlooks a part of the vast marshes and promised to be a good spot to spend time scanning for birds. In fact, the opposite was true as all I could pick up was a lone Grey Heron partly concealed by long grass – perhaps many others were present but hidden, however there were no calls to indicate this.

Somewhat disappointed, I went back to the car park and beyond to another hide which had a different view but the same lack of birds. Nevertheless it was a fine place to enjoy the sandwich and tea I had brought with me, before heading back to the car park, where I made up for the lack of other photographic subjects by taking advantage of some relaxed Chaffinches and a Robin that took an interest in my doings.

Common Chaffinch Fringilla coelebs Insh Marshes

European Robin Erithacus rubecula Insh Marshes

I had spent less time than expected at Insh, which meant there was more than enough time to get to Avielochan, the last stop on my itinerary for the day, one which I hoped would be more successful from a birding aspect.

Avielochan

A short drive later I turned off towards Avielochan, a small loch in the middle of an agricultural area, and followed the road past a few houses until I found the hide located some distance from the water’s edge. The hide was erected by and belongs to Grant Arms hotel and is made available to guests

There were many waterfowl swimming on the loch, including several Greylag Geese which I had seen in fields earlier in the day, and Herring Gulls along the shoreline.

European Herring Gull Larus argentatus Avielochan

Most of the birds were on the far side of the loch and difficult to identify without a scope, however I used my camera’s reach to good effect and was able to pin down an ID on most of them.

Little Grebe and Common Goldeneye were additions to my trip list and then I turned my attention to trying to find the bird featured in a large poster on the hide’s wall – Slovenian (Horned) Grebe. There are just 30 breeding pairs of this bird in the UK, all of which are to be found in the Scottish Highlands, with Avielochan being one of its favoured sites.

After some searching with my binos and taking a few photos I was fairly sure I had spotted one – this is what the image looked like at full 800mm zoom and with way too much light coming off the surface of the water

Slavonian Grebe Podiceps auritus Avielochan

The same image after some serious cropping, exposure adjustment and enhancement – the miracle of modern photographic technology allowing me to ID this Slovenian Grebe with certainty

By now it was getting close to dinner time and, not wanting to miss the excellent hotel dinner, I made haste back to Grantown and the Grant Arms for a lovely supper of soup, gammon, and a rich tart for pudding.

Sue, the hotel’s birding expert, had given me some good tips for birding spots which I planned to visit the next day …… but first a good night’s rest was what I needed most after another busy day.

The Places

The Birds

Birds in Flight

The Wildlife

The Other Stuff

Saturday 29th July 2023

Planning the Day

Edinburgh

Getting home

Friday 28th July 2023

Planning the Day

St Andrews

River Eden Estuary

Seeing Red ….. shanks

And Many Others ….

Some Familiar Birds

The Gulls

The Swimmers

Still More

Tentsmuir Nature Reserve

Thursday 27th July 2023

Planning the Day

Highland Tourist Route

Wednesday 26th July 2023

Planning the Day

Dava Moor

Lochindorb

Strathdearn – Findhorn River Valley

Tuesday 25th July 2023

Planning the Day

Loch Garten Nature Walk

Along the road to Insh Marshes

Insh Marshes

Avielochan

Adventurous Birding, Atlasing and Travel