November 2009 started very mild, but ended very wintry with sub-zero temperatures and the first 'proper' snowfall on the Cairngorm Mountains. The days are getting much shorter now, with only around 8 hours of daylight. With most of the winter visitor birds now here, bird day lists are usually between 30 & 40, with mammal day lists steady at between 5 & 9.

Wildlife highlights included:

A spectacular invasion of our area by record numbers of Fieldfares, with some flocks over a thousand strong, and with good numbers of Redwings as well, it was not uncommon to see berry bushes literally covered in these attractive winter thrushes.

The discovery in our area of 2 locally rare birds - a Great Grey Shrike (or 'butcher bird '- notorious for it's habit of storing it's prey of small birds, mammals & invertebrates on spiky bushes or barbed wire fences) which frequented a local airfield for several weeks, & a Black Redstart (a small robin-like bird with a lovely orange tail which it regularly 'shivers' ,a bird more usually found in urban or mountain environments much further south) which took a liking to a small local farm (see pic.)

Regular sightings of resident 'specialities' such as Dipper, Red Grouse , Red Deer, Red Squirrel.

Good sightings of increasing numbers of male Black Grouse near traditional 'lek' sites.

Decent views of Whooper Swans & winter wildfowl on our local lochs.

Some of my favourite local wildlife watching spots being featured on BBC1's excellent Autumnwatch TV programme, with presenters Chris Packham & Kate Humble showing such 'local specialities' as Crested Tit, Ptarmigan, Pine Marten & Mountain Hare amidst a beautiful snowy mountain backdrop.

October 2009 started cold, with frosts & even a light dusting of snow on the Cairngorms but, rather oddly, ended very mild with unseasonably warm temperatures. The days are shortening now, but by way of compensation, the trees are a glowing blaze of Autumn colours. Winter migration into the area is noticeably picking up now and bird day-lists are now into the 30's & 40's with mammal day-lists steady at 5-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Amazing views of a Golden Eagle menacingly descending a steep upland slope at speed with it's huge talons outstretched, trying to harass a female Red Deer into fleeing, presumably in the hope it would fall - a magnificent wildlife spectacle!

The Red Deer rut is in full swing in October, and we witnessed many of the 'soap opera' moments - the posturing,... the romance,... the friction,... the aggression,... the winners ...& the losers.... one of British nature's must see events!

Decent dawn views of an Otter on the Spey, always the most sought - after mammal on my safaris, & making the early get-up worthwhile!

A memorable close encounter with 5 Red Squirrels at once feeding just a few feet away from us, so close that we could actually hear them grunting & squeaking to each other!

Seeing our first 'Winter Thrushes' - the Redwings were first to arrive, often betraying their presence with their thin 'seep-seep' calls & the Fieldfares arrived later in the month, and not surprisingly, our Rowan berries are disappearing rapidly!

Super views of a Crested Tit coming to a bird-feeder - not a common occurrence, and a rare chance for my clients to get a 'proper' look at one - rather than the fleeting glimpses we usually get in the forests!

Wildfowl numbers are increasing on our local lochs, with Teal, Wigeon & Whooper Swans being seen regularly.

September 2009 started with some pleasant autumnal sunshine but ended with a more wintry feel, with night time temperatures dropping noticeably, and the days getting shorter. By the middle of the month the last of the summer visiting birds had departed, but by way of compensation, the first winter visiting birds were beginning to arrive, and with the heather at its vivid purple best and the Rowan trees full of shiny red berries Speyside is a very attractive place to be.

Wildlife highlights included:

Bird day-lists dropped down into the 30's & 40's but resident local speciality birds such as Dipper, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Crested Tit etc continued to show well.

Mammal day-lists remained steady at 6-9 with local specialities such as Red Squirrel, Red Deer, Mountain Hare, Mountain Goat etc being seen regularly.

Our first sightings of winter visiting birds, mainly large flocks of Greylag Geese (see pic), though a few early Brent Geese & Whooper Swans were reported too.

Good views of Black Grouse, our first since late spring, as, with breeding season now over, their numbers increased near their traditional 'lek' sites.

The Red Deer stags became noticeably more aggressive as the October 'rut' approached, with their loud, belching roars echoing around the hills.

At the end of the month I took a break to visit relatives & friends in Surrey & Hampshire, but managed to sneak in a bit of bird watching, which produced a number of 'year-ticks' for me such as Dartford Warbler, Bearded Tit & Little Egret - species that are not, or are only rarely found this far North.

August 2009 was very changeable weather-wise, with a noticeably autumnal feel towards the end of the month as the days grew shorter and dawn & dusk temperatures began to drop down into single figures.

With most of the migratory birds now departing the area, bird day-lists dropped down into the 50's or 40's but mammal day-lists remained steady at 6-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Most of the local speciality birds (Red-Throated & Black-Throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Osprey, Dipper, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Crossbill etc) continued to show in the first half of the month, though some of the Summer visitors had vacated the area by the end of the month.

An amazing (& incredibly rare!) close encounter with a female Capercaillie, which, to the delight of my guests!, walked slowly across the road in front of my safari vehicle, stood & posed on the verge for a few seconds, before melting away into the forest - a truly magic moment!

A brief glimpse of a beautiful Kingfisher on the River Spey - a very rare bird in this area.

Watching the young Ospreys coping with being left to fend for themselves after both parent birds departed mid-month.

More sightings of Stoats (sometimes whole families) chasing Rabbits.

Regular sightings of a real local speciality butterfly - the Scotch Argus.

Large numbers of Hirundines (Martins & Swallows) - seen gathering on wires ready for migration South, see pic.

July 2009 was warm but very changeable, with no two consecutive days alike and a fold-up waterproof jacket a must-have!

Bird day-lists hit 60+ early month but dropped into the 50's later in the month as many of the wader species vacated the area. Mammal day-list remained steady at 6-9.

Wildlife highlights included:

Many of the 'local specialities' (Dipper, Slavonian Grebe, Red-Throated Diver, Black-Throated Diver, Osprey, Goldeneye, Red Grouse, Red Squirrel etc) many with young, continued to show well and it always brings me great pleasure to see many of my clients add these to their 'life-lists', especially if they have struggled to find them themselves!

July is always a big month for our Ospreys, with the early part of the month seeing the well-grown youngsters stretching & flapping their wings and the latter part of the month seeing them make their first faltering flights - a magic, if nerve-wracking moment!

Several decent sightings of Golden eagles, usually being mobbed by other raptors which gave us the chance to see the huge size difference between the Eagle & say.. a Peregrine Falcon.

Several sightings of Stoats chasing Rabbits

A strenuous but very rewarding walk up a local mountain, along with great scenic views in all directions, gave fantastic close-up views of one of our rarest, most beautiful, and thankfully, most confiding birds - the Dotterel. Some patient searching on a grassy plateau near the summit revealing a small number of adult (see pic) and juvenile birds. Whilst at the summit, my mate Malcy & I also had an amazing 'too close for comfort' encounter with a plummeting Golden Eagle, which shot over his head at a speed which had to be seen to be believed, and which was so close , we could actually hear the wind rushing through it's tightly folded wings - an incredible moment!