Aviemore Trip (Day 2)
Sunday 09 June 2024
Tomatin
Today we went to a few places near Tomatin. One of which, and the first of them, is a private residence in the outskirts of Tomatin, towards Kyllachy Estate. We came looking for Wood warbler. After a little trouble finding the farm, we arrived after all the others, hearing a Wood warbler almost immediately after getting out of the car. I ran as fast as I could (which turned out to be not that fast after all!) to get my lifer. When I arrived it was singing clearly in the dense canopy of the birch trees. I soon got eyes on it, although not very good views. I ran back to the car to get my sound recording kit and the camera. When I came back I started taking a recording of the bird, that is, until the card filled up! So my intensions turned to photographing this beautiful species. Twenty minuets later I still had no photos of the bird. Soon however, our great guide, Craig, who has been helping us find new species all weekend (big shoutout for him), found the bird in the canopy flitting about. Not too long after, the bird perched up on a branch singing its heart out. Luckily, it stayed long enough for me to take a few pictures. A few others in the group heard and found a Cuckoo but I was too focussed on the Wood warbler to hear it.
eBird Checklist
Wood Warbler singing in a birch tree
©Edgar Joly
Afterwards, we went south, to Kyllachy Estate in the Findhorn Valley. My family and I, however could not stay as long as the others since we were going to meet a friend and then drive back home to Aberdeen. But we still had a little wander around to see what we could find. At first there was not much apart from a few buzzard soaring the hills and many, many meadow pipits. As we kept walking we saw what we thought was a golden eagle but turned out to be just a buzzard. We also got eyes on a Tree pipit singing in some trees. Two Grey herons flying past the River Findhorn. My family then had to leave so we said our goodbyes to the group and started driving home. On the way to our meeting site, however there were still a few birds to see. These included: a Kestrel, a family of Stonechats, a Mistle thrush, Great Spotted woodpecker and a single Red-legged Partridge. We met up with my father's friend, who has been cycling on his bike around the whole of Scotland, from Loch Lomond to Skye and Thurso, with all the equipment on his bike. He even had to camp outside for all the cold nights this spring. We decided that it would be a shame not to meet him since he was just passing Aviemore so we had a sandwich near the bridge. It was a great day to end an amazing weekend of birding in Aviemore!
Herd of Red Deer
©Edit Joly
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