Monday 24th July 2023

Just a reminder how this trip came about…

1. Our granddaughter Maia (aged 16) has a passion for playing the flute and was very keen to attend the summer school run by Flute Scotland near Perth, Scotland. 2. Her parents could not afford the additional time off to chaperone her to Scotland. 3. Gerda ‘volunteered’ me to be chaperone and it was an easy decision, being an opportunity for a brief tour of the Scottish Highlands and some Scottish birding.

Planning the Day

My first full day in Scotland started with coffee in the self-catering Apartment in the village of Birnam – I hadn’t thought to make provision for breakfast and so wished I had brought a rusk or two from home to dunk in the coffee, but that would have to wait. First, I had to get myself ready for the day and plan my route to Grantown-on-Spey – a drive of some 140 kms, so there would be plenty of time to fit in some birding at selected spots along the way.

I consulted the app I had downloaded before the trip to see what birding opportunities I might find along the route – the app “Where to Watch Birds in Scotland” was my primary source of info throughout my trip. The app showed a couple of birding spots nearby and I decided that my first stop would be the Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve – this reserve was located just beyond Dunkeld, the small village across the River Tay from Birnam, where I had spent the night.

Loch of the Lowes

Soon after, I was heading through Dunkeld and looking for the signposts to Loch of the Lowes – the turn off was just a few kms outside Dunkeld and I parked in the designated area and walked a short distance to the Visitor Centre

The friendly lady at the front desk gave a quick run-down on the facilities at the Reserve and mentioned the breeding Ospreys that were in the area and usually visible, while I purchased a small coffee and a much-needed large oats and chocolate snack bar.

On one side of the centre a full width window with one-way glass provided a panoramic view of the adjoining lush, wooded area and I settled down on an unoccupied bench to enjoy a belated ‘breakfast’ with a view. A number of feeders had been installed in front of the viewing window, providing an intimate view of the many birds coming and going almost constantly.

It was a good opportunity to take some photos of the birds attracted by the feeders – mostly Tits and Chaffinches, but a Great Spotted Woodpecker also appeared.

Just to liven things up a Red Squirrel came to check out the feeding table specially stocked with nuts and briefly ‘posed’ for me on a nearby branch.

Moving on to the hides – one double-storey and another single – both afforded a broad view of the loch which was dotted with waterfowl.

I set about identifying the waterfowl that swam close enough to the hides and was pleasantly surprised to see a variety of species in a relatively short time.

A Reed Bunting working its way busily through the reeds along the shoreline, provided some distraction from the open waters and proved to be a challenging photographic subject, showing for the briefest of moments, just enough to grab a shot or two.

Breeding Ospreys

The lady from the visitor centre spent time with us in one hide, explaining the history of the Ospreys breeding at the site. Curiously, the adults and juveniles migrate separately and according to tracking and ringing records head to West Africa.

Just then, the two juvenile Ospreys from the current brood showed up – one at the nest and the other in a dry tree on the opposite shore, both some distance away so the scopes provided by the centre came in handy.

By now it was lunchtime and with a way to go to Grantown on Spey I moved on along the back roads to Pitlochry where I thought I could get lunch. Well, the town was full of holidaymakers and their cars filled every parking spot I could see, so I carried on and googled the next birding spot – Loch Faskally, just the other side of town.

Loch Faskally

There were no facilities such as a Visitor Centre or bird hides, just a parking area and a board with walking trails marked on a map of the reserve, so I parked and set off on a walk which I thought would take in the best features.

The walk took longer than planned as I found several new birds – Wrens in the bushy areas were particularly numerous as I walked along trails through tall Scottish Pine forest.

The trail skirted the loch itself and I could see a pair of Mute Swans floating gracefully in the middle of the loch – just then a pair of Eurasian Oystercatchers flew in noisily and settled in shallow water on a nearby sandbank.

The Road to Grantown on Spey

I was tiring a bit and aware of time passing by, so took a shortcut back to the parking area, from where I headed north towards the A9 main route and was soon barrelling along with trucks and cars all doing the same speed.

I was getting hungry having had just the snack bar the whole day, so I took the first turn off that indicated Services. I bought a sandwich and cappuccino and sat and ate at an outside table, accompanied by cheeky Robins begging crumbs and a more demure Song Thrush hoping for a scrap or two

Feeling a lot better I carried on towards Grantown along more ‘back roads’ (where I stopped for the photo in the heading to this post) then re-joined the A9 and made haste towards my destination, which I reached by about 5.30 pm, glad to be able to check in, unpack and freshen up. On checking in I was asked what time I would like supper, which was included, and said 7.30 pm.

That left me with an hour and a half to scout around Grantown and I ‘followed my nose’ until I saw a sign pointing towards yet another nature reserve and I was soon walking along a gently sloping trail through forest to the banks of the River Spey. There I spent time just taking in the pleasant view of an old bridge, the clear running waters of the river and some colourful flowers along the river’s edge.

The busy day was rounded off with a superb three course meal in the hotel dining room – soup, a perfect trout dish and a decadent dessert was thoroughly enjoyed after a rather ‘thin’ day of snacking.