Squirrel Sunday's

Well Wildwatchers, this month has been full of surprises.  I've seen a few lifers the last few weeks & even went on a twitch.   For those not sure what I mean, twitching is when you hear of a rare bird and specifically travel to see it.  Completely different to bird watching, honestly. There is a whole discourse community to contend with within the wildlife geek world... Anyway, in this case it was a male Mandarin Duck.  It was a gloomy, damp day but his tropical colouring shone vivid against the muddy coloured waters. He wasn't shy either, swimming close to the walkway desperate to have his picture taken.  I wondered where he had come from. Why he was on his own, just hanging about with some Mallards, who were paring up all around him.   Pairing & nesting is in full swing.  We went to Balgarvies Loch, a Scottish Wildlife Trust location to see if we could spot the Ospreys.  We watched them gather sticks & attempt to fish. At one point a Cormorant got a l

Well Wildwatchers, you knew all along that patience was key but, when you stake out every night for ten nights and don't see so much as a ripple, it can drive you on to sit an eleventh night! Well, it did me.   The water is extremely shallow in all rivers & tributaries here. We have had little rain the last month & everything is tinder dry and just waiting on a rogue BBQ or reckless fag butt.  The lack of water should make seeing the Beavers easier.  In theory.   I postitioned a Trail Cam down there back in Autumn as there was so much tree gnawing on the Burn & even a Beaver trail out of the water on the otherside. So, I knew I was in the right place. I sat, and I waited & waited & waited.  I did this night after night after night. In full cammo.  Fortunately, there is always something to experience on Ruthven Water. Roe Deer often make a dusky appearance & Dipper often fly or stop by.       Last Saturday, I was sitting in

Its been a wee bit quiet this month Wildwatchers.  The female Kingfisher hasn't been seen, nor the young Kestrel that was always hanging about. No sign of the local Ospreys yet either. One of the sites unfortunately appears to have been blown down during the storms. I've been sitting at the Beaver Burn or near the Badger Sett most nights for three weeks, to no avail.  I saw a blatant little mink down the burn the other week.  An invasive, non-native species & a threat to our riverside natives. Its not all doom & gloom though.  I've heard Skylark & Chiffchaff.   I took a wee reccy into a local woodland last week, a little further than I've ventured before. After a warm walk, I found a clearing where I could get a good view of the surrounding landscape. I found a suitable stump & sat down. There I saw my first Lady Bug of the season.  With my back to the sun, I had to remove my jacket.  It was roasting.  My eyes & ea

I have had a trail camera in the woods for over two years now.  The first time I set it up on the end of a fallen tree, on which I spread a little raspberry jam to tempt in the locals.  It got lots of footage of the Red Squirrels that inhabit the small patch of pine.  I collected many day time videos of Red Squirrels chasing, caching, squeaking & munching pine cones.   There were a few other wonderful visitors to the camera at night time, including, Fox, Brown Hare, Stoat & Pinemarten.  I was so surprised & extatic at the Pinemarten footage, even though it was just a small glimpse, it made me even more curious, so I bought another trail cam.   One camera has been in the same place since June 2020, strapped to a Scots Pine, along a Roe Deer trail.  This camera has given me lots of interesting footage.  The other I have moved around the woodland a few times, desperate not to have 286 videos of Bracken blowing in the wind... (It happens)  In October 202

Early Saturday morning, Mark & I made our way out to spend some time with nature & capture some Red Squirrels. It was cloudy, but the sun was trying to show itself.  It is considerablely mild for 22nd January, around 9c. The hour-long walk to the woods always presents some sightings of local wildlife. The Common Loan path produced the first birds of the day, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Magpie & Jackdaw.  As we reached Ruthven Water, a pair of Dippers were showing well.  I was hoping the Kingfisher & Kestrel would be there, as I had told Mark,  'The Kestrel is a certain & the Kingy has been there 2 out of 3 times the past two weeks!'  As we neared Milton Pond I saw it's breast of orange, perched in the leafless shrubs lining the pond. I am always amazed by these colourful little beauties. It's a female. You can sex Kingfishers by looking at their beaks, if the beak is fully dark, it's a male. If the beak has a dark top and a red, lighter bottom, it's