The weather did its very best today to thwart our efforts and the Pine forest specialist will have to wait for better conditions but we worked hard with various damp stops between Abernethy and Insh Marshes.
Abernethy was quiet but majestic with just the odd Common Crossbill flying over, invisible Goldcrests and my first Bilberry Bumblebees while tranquil Loch Garten had teetering Common Sandpipers, tree nesting Swifts and Spotted Flycatchers.
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| Bilberry Bumblebee - Bombus monticola |
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| A damp Cheilosia - will update if I get a name |
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| Strangely enough - no dragonflies |
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| Marsh Cinquefoil |
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| Tormentil |
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| Cladonia sp |
Near Boat of Garten a field was dotted with the white candle blooms of Lesser Butterfly and delicate Small White Orchids along with a few Heath Spotted and Heath Fragrant and we also found Marsh Cinqefoil and Chickweed Wintergreen. The rain could not hide the flowers from us!
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| Lesser Butterfly |
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| Heath Fragrant |
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| Small White |
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| Small White |
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| Heath Spotted |
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| Peering over the hill |
Nearby a Slavonian
Grebe played now you see me with the crew and two Pink-feet were unseasonal
before a fine Osprey at Loch Insh was watched delicately feeding two visible
young.
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| Avielochan |
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| Lunch at Avielochan |
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| A battered Common Blue Damselfly |
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| Fly mine of Honeysuckle - name escapes me at mo |
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| Juniper |
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| Melancholy Thistle |
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| Osprey |
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| Osprey - feeding two lurking chicks - Pete Osgood |
The day was
finished at Insh Marshes where a Marsh Harrier was the top bird along with
hearing Curlew, Snipe, Lapwing and Redshank. Red and Roe Deer were out on the
marshes with one doe Roe having a very small fawn following her around and the
Reds loafing on the glacial Esker. There were Mountain and Common Pansies and
patches of fragrant Thyme but with the cloud descending once again we slunk
back north to Grantown.
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| Red Deer |
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| Roe Deer |
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| Red Deer |
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| Wild Pansy - Viola tricolor |
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| Mountain Pansy - Viola lutea |
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| Thyme |
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| Rock Rose |
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| Grand weather for slugs |
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