Hi
These entries will be a bit of a description of my experiences whilst out with my camera
Scotland Trip pt 4
After the highlights of wednesday we head off toward Burghead for the long tailed duck, on the way there we call in at Chanonry Point as the tide is on its way in, so if there are dolphins around this should be a good time. There are a few people around and we walk down the shingle beach to the point, there are a few merganser on the water but a bit distant for any images. With the tide rushing in we scan the water but without any sign of dolphins, we stay for about an hour then head off to Burghead. When we arrive we are met by an almost calm sea, not quite what we wanted. Five long tailed ducks fly by to the right and keep going and there is also a single duck in the water but very distant. About a mile up the coast we can see activity on the water but can not make out what they are so we get back in the truck and head that way. On arrival there are more eiders than long tailed but we give it a go anyway, the tide is on its way out now and as we head to the rocks in the water we see a small group of purple sandpiper but they do not want to play so we persevere with the ducks. there are three ducks headed towards us and every time they dive I scramble over the slippery rocks trying to get to a position where I think they will swim past, it takes me about ten minutes to reach the location and I get laid down out of sight, the waves are lapping up my legs but never mind . Finally the ducks are in range and I start to get a few images, the light levels are quite low and it is just starting to rain but its been worth it. After five minutes they have passed my location and are out of range again so we decide to go and get a coffee. All the gear back in the truck and we get going, about two miles down the road Nigel spots a buzzard on a post, just sat there in the pouring rain, so we stop and get the cameras ready and drive back slowly, surprisingly it sits still and we get some images, nice end to the day.
Friday arrives and we decide to have another go at the cresties but the weather is not great, we also take a few landscape images but I do not manage anything that I am happy with. It has been a fantastic week and I can not wait to come back, we get back to the accommodation and get packed up.ready for an early start, it will take us 7 hours to get home.
Scotland trip pt3
Wednesday morning arrives and the weather is good,today is crestie day. We have prepared fineley crushed peanuts and have also got some seeds as well so we are ready for action. We arrive at the site and there are no other vehicles anywhere near so it looks like we are on our own, as we are setting up the coal tits are gathering, almost impatiently, waiting for some easy food. Almost as soon as the food is placed they descend in an almost feeding frenzy and are even taking food from the bag behind us. Gradually the cresties start to appear, in ones and twos, and we are getting plenty of shots. After finding some new perches with different backgrounds we resume the action. Time is getting on now and it is almost time for the potential highlight of the day, a trip to hopefully see and photograph a cappercaillie.
I have had a couple of conversations with someone who has offered to show us where a caper has been seen on several occasions, so we have arranged to meet nearby, after a brief chat we head off to the site and find somewhere to park. I decide to take all the gear with me as I am not sure what to expect, after a bit of a hike we are in the area and we start to scan the forest for signs of the caper and after only five minutes we find it and it is only 50yds away. this is already the closest view I have ever had so what happened next was just unbelievable, it started to come towards us. Next moment it was right with us so the 500 was abandoned in the grass in favour of the 300 and it would still not fit in the frame at times. We were constantly backing away from this bird just to give it space and to fit it in the frame. After 15 minutes we decide to leave the area as we have several images and do not want to hassle the bird more than we need to, but what a awesome bird. Before we saw this bird I wanted to see one but the possibility of getting this close seemed unlikley, especially with such an interactive experience, so this has to be the highlight of the week.
Scotland trip pt 2
After a discussion on Monday night we decide to try for the ptarmigan later in the week to give us a chance to recover, the forcast for the coast looked good so in the morning we head off to Burghead for the long tailed ducks. The A9 takes us past the first ptarmigan site, as we get within 10 miles the junction for this site the clouds disperse and leave a near blue sky, dilema, my knees are still not good but can we risk leaving them till later in the week with the possibility of the weather not being so good. A quick chat and its decided, go for the ptarmigan and suffer later, after all, this is one of the three species we are here for. We arrive at the car park, good light hardly any wind, what a difference to the last visit. We get kitted up, I just take one camera and a small bag with drink and food, and set off at a steady pace as we know what to expect this time. There seem to be less red grouse on the climb up but this seems to aid our progress and we make good time. We arrive at the top and Nigel spots two ptarmigan on the corrie floor 50m in front of us, but they just seem to disappear into the surroundings. We locate more birds further along and start to close in, this male bird seems reluctant to move as we get closer and closer, at last we are in range and get a few shots, relief I have got some images. Now its time to get the shots we came for and we edge closer, it still looks relaxed and I manage to get close enough for full frame shots, result.
After the bird moves off we shelter behind a rock and have a drink, but two more birds fly past and land 20m away so off we go again. By this time the wind has picked up and is quite cool, the birds now seem a bit less approachable and we struggle to get close enough for decent images, so happy with what we have we set off for the trek back to the truck. It has been a very memorable experience being up here, the birds, effort required, views and it just seems so inhospitable, but what a fantastic place.
Back at the car park we discuss plans over a coffee and decide to prep the cresties for tomorrow morning.
Scotland trip
I have just returned from a very enjoyable trip to the Cairngorms in Scotland, would just like to say thanks to Nigel for the company and the cover image. The week started off a bit slow, we drove up on the Friday in glorious sunshine and woke on Saturday to grey cloud and rain, so we decided to look at some of the sites to get a feel for them. First of all we went to one of the ptarmigan sites and were greeted with gusts of wind at up to 70mph, so we could barely stand up in the car park. After a coffee we talked to a guy in the rangers office and this confirmed the location of the ptarmigan, he also gave us the weather forecasts for the next few days and they looked fairly good. So we set off to look at other sites with a plan to go for the ptarmigan on Sunday.
The morning arrives and we set off in calmer weather,and when we arrive we decide on the tactic that if we are making the effort to go up we may as well be prepared for all eventualities and set off loaded like pack horses, what a mistake!!! We came across Red Grouse on the way up but the weather was closing in and we ended up sheltering from the rain behind some boulders. After about 30mins it eased off and we could now hear the odd ptarmigan call amongst the grouse calls so we set off onwards and upwards. by this time the weight of the camera gear was taking its toll and this slowed things down a bit. Another couple of breaks and Nigel headed off to the right and up, I was still resting when I heard more calls and they sounded much closer, so I forced myself onward. The phone rang, Nigel had found the ptarmigan over the next ridge, when I arrived we had a chat and decided to carry on towards the top. After a hard climb, falling through gaps in the boulders and snow, tentatively walking over ice with the sound of rushing water below we finally arrived to the boulder field and the sound of ptarmigan from all around. The wind had picked up by now and was blowing snow off the peaks which made things a bit tricky. A few pairs of birds were located but fit not seem very approachable. I saw 10 birds fly to the right and keep going out of the corrie. I was struggling by now and rested on a boulder, another photographer appeared and came over for a chat and would you believe it, he lives less than 30 miles from me. Time was getting on, Nigel appeared from behind the boulders, he had managed to photograph some ptarmigan, result!! With the weather closing in we set off for the long walk back, without even pointing the camera at ptarmigan, disappointment was an understatement, but what a fantastic place to be and a valuable lesson, TRAVEL LIGHT!!
Monday arrives and we head off for the other ptarmigan site in fantastic sunshine, we arrive have a quick look around and see a golden eagle in the distance, nice
We see where we need to be and get kitted up again, this climb is a lot steeper, but not as far and this time I am only taking 1 camera.
We get going and the snow is deep in places and every now and again you end up falling over. we get about 3/4 of the way up and no sign of any ptarmigan, but we do see several mountain hare. Finally we hear the sound we have hoped for and then see 2 birds flying, but they are still higher up,we try to carry on but it is now an ice slope and getting a bit dodgy, I have already started to slide downwards a couple of times. We sit and watch the ptarmigan on the ridges above us, just out of reach. A flock of around 20 snow bunting pass overhead, we decide to head downwards, another missed opportunity but what a brilliant experience just to be up here.
When we arrive at the bottom we have a chat with a couple that are in the carpark and they are watching the snow bunting, they come down to a bit of a bank and start feeding, they seem approachable so we scatter some seed for them and spend the next hour getting some images, a nice end to the day.