The Pheonix
It’s been such a long time since my last blog, over a year in fact, a variety of reasons for that, but here I am trying to get back on the bike. So much has happened since my last update, some good and some otherwise, but as always I’ll try to focus on the positive. I’m going to give a wee synopsis on what I’ve been up to for the last wee while on the various tours I provide so here goes in alphabetical order 😊
The adder tours….2018 was a difficult year initially to view these beasties due to the elongated winter but in the end it proved fruitful if not hard work. 2019 has also been challenging so far but my first party of the year did strike lucky on the 25th of February. It was an unusually warm day for that time of year, +10, and we came across this wee male.
Love them or loathe them they are absolutely stunning creatures. Since then we have been particularly unlucky with the weather despite the forecast!!!!! However we have “lucked out” most days, another wee male below.
Other species spotted on the adder tour were numerous, see the pics below but most were photographed others I wasn’t quick enough or good enough to capture.
The Beaver tours, as I type I’m now only 7 people away from taking 2k people to see these creatures in the eight years I’ve been providing this tour. Initially 2018 was a slow year for viewings but it really picked up as the late spring and summer progressed with our resident parents showing relatively well. When the two kits appeared things hotted up initially but with various and continual disruptions, sightings were not as they had been in the past. As always I’m happy to help out filmmakers, and in 2018 I facilitated the BBC One Show and my pal Russell in getting a good location that gave a multitude of fantastic footage that was used. I also managed a few images myself of lesser quality.
The Black Grouse, a difficult one in all honesty. The bird numbers in 2018 were really down from the previous years and photographing from the car wasn’t ideal due to the distance away they were. 2019 wasn’t much better with cock birds numbers down yet again. However, images were sought and eventually gained of these beautiful birds.
Munro Magic, what can I say other than 90% of the visits my various groups had offered pics such as these. Guiding a young lady Ellie within six foot of a very obliging mountain hare is something that I’ll never forget.
If you are very patient and work with these animals and gain their trust, you can sit right next to them.
We also get a wee show from the Ptarmigan.
Sometimes we are lucky in seeing a WTSE right above our heads, an awesome experience.
We were also often lucky enough to spot these hares boxing, a wee bit of "patty cake-patty cake"!!!
Raptor Glen. 2018 saw me revisit this glen after a 40yr absence!!! OMG I cannot describe eloquently enough my first visit with a client. Buzzards, Kestrels, Short Eared Owls, Peregrines. Merlin, Bar Owls, Hen Harriers and Red Kite…..and in the words of Dan McPhail (Para Handy followers will understand) “it was just sublime”. Throw in recent viewings of Ring Ouzel, Wheatear, Curlew, Skylarks, Lapwing, Whinchat, Stonechat, Adders, Ravens and a Golden Eagle as well as others, I just love this wee glen.
Numerous other beasties have been spotted on various tours, and not only did my clients love it, so did I. Seeing their faces and getting a viewing of some "firsts" is always an incredible experience.
The Woodland Hide, with so much to see seasonally, what’s not to love? From the pics below you can fathom out the various fauna that visit the hide. With over 60 species spotted over the last two years at or around the hide it really is a place to enjoy nature in an ethical and natural setting.
The main attractions are the wee Red Squirrels and the Martens but over the winter months we have the stunning Brambling.
As quoted above, our squirrels are regular visitors and always put on a wee show.
However, our main stars have to be our Pine Martens. Stunning creatures that rarely don't put on a show for my clients.
Strange as it may seem, the martens aren't the most difficult creature to see at the hide, it is generally the Tawny Owl. Although very audible, these fantastic birds are often heard but never seen at the hide: but that isn't always the case.
And of course we have visits from the Sparrowhawks
"So", I hear you all say, "what has a pheonix got to do with it"? Well, this is possibly my last blog on this page as I'm now moving and resurrecting myself on another provider, with many thanks to Bob and Abi Warner for building the new website. Once things are all confirmed and tweaked out, I hope to provide a weekly update on all the creatures I observe, my tours and hide activity plus various other stuff of possible interest. In the meantime, if you could check out www.nature-nuts.org and give us your feedback, it would all be appreciated.
