Week 47

19 - 25 November 2025

During my big year, I will update my blog most weeks. This is the forty-seventh week's recap. The number next to the day indicates my Scottish year list at the end of that day. Birds written in italics indicate year ticks.

November 22 - Day 326: 207

Today, we drove up to Glen Shee Ski Centre, near Braemar, up in the Cairngorms. With recent snow covering all of Aberdeenshire, the scenery on the way up was spectacular. After about an hour and a half from Aberdeen, we arrived at the Glen Shee car park, to find that it was surprisingly warm?! Despite the ground being covered by an inch of snow, the air was only 6°C. We started walking up to the Cairnwell, in search of Ptarmigan. However, I soon regretted having not worn my electrically-heated socks. I was wearing boots, which made every step of the way feel like stepping in the snow barefoot. Eventually, we did see a flock of nearly 50 Red Grouse, fly over us, which made me forget the pain in my feet. We also saw a ringtail Hen Harrier gracefully glide over the hills. Eventually, we stopped for a break, since my youngest sister, Klara had wet socks and didn't find the birds to be in any way a reward for the hard work. My mum and other sister, Maya, kept going for a bit before they saw a Mountain Hare running around. But then, my vision suddenly became all "noisy", and then I was gasping for air, I had no idea what could have been going on, but I called back my dad, and we started going quickly down the mountain. I later learnt I was fainting. According to my sisters, my face had turned nearly as white as the snow, and it was impossible to tell the difference between the colour of my lips and the rest of my face. Luckily, my mum came to the rescue and I went safely down to the car. But still no Ptarmigans. For lunch, we went to the Flying Stag in Braemar. By that time, I had fully recovered.