Our adventure began in Yorkshire where a visit to Druid’s Temple near Masham yielded c6 Crossbills and 3 Red Grouse of note. That night the Red Grouse theme continued with up to 5 around our overnight park-up in the Hambledon Hills.
1000+ Butterbur plants were quite a site at our next overnight at Seaham before we headed north into Northumberland. I’d earmarked a visit to Seahouses to see the long-staying and weird Eider x Mallard hybrid. It lived up to expectations and showed amazingly well. At our campsite near Bamburgh several Tree Sparrows entertained.
Last stop in England was Berwick-on-Tweed where despite all the time we were to spend in Scotland gave us our only Otter of the trip - feeding in the middle of the wide river from the old bridge.
After time in Edinburgh it was into Fife next where I found an ‘eastern’ Jackdaw at Elie while a Coppice Mining Bee at Reekie Linn in Angus was a nice new insect for me. On Deeside I failed dismally with Ptarmigan at Glenshee but Mountain Hares were some consolation. Two days at the beautiful Linn of Dee were lovely with good Scottish Crossbill candidates, Tree Pipits, Goosander, Siskin, Dipper and close Red Deer encounters.
Speyside was next up - and provided what, for me, was the highlight of the trip. That was close-up views of Capercallie in the Abernethy Forest - what a moment that was as it strolled out of the wood and along the track! Speyside also delivered Black-throated Divers, Red-throated Divers, Slavonian Grebes, Osprey, Black Grouse, Red Grouse, Pine Martin, Badger, Reindeer and Ring Ouzel. Despite much searching Crested Tit remained as ‘heard only’.
Moving north through Inverness (where we had Dipper and Goosander on the river in the city) Chanonry Point was our planned stop. Here we got some mega views of Bottlenose Dolphins plus a summer plumaged Red-throated Diver, Red-breasted Mergansers and a self-found White Wagtail. Moving up the east coast it was mainly common seabirds but 4 Bottlenose Dolphins off Brora stood out before Belinda got her much-wanted Puffin on the cliffs at Dunnet Head.
Working our way along the north coast and through the Flow Country we had more Puffins (at Puffin Cove!) plus a Bonxie there. A memorable night in the wild at Cnoc Craggie involved 2 displaying Short-eared Owls, Osprey and our first White-tailed Eagle. To wrap up April we I had a wildflower tick in the form of Roseroot at Smoo Cave and at Scourie (scene of our fave campsite) Great Northern Divers, Black Guillemots, Cuckoo and a Glaucous Gull south at the bay mouth.
