Abernethy Forest

[EmmaKTunskeen]

Feb 2020. Coronavirus had landed on our shores, but hadn't yet been classified a pandemic. It was a couple of weeks since the Brighton superspreader had been identified, and all in all this was looking like a last trip up to Scotland for a few months.

It was a blizzardy day and it had rained a lot the night before, so I opted for a wander in Abernethy Forest. Even better, it had snowed during the night, making very visible the red squirrel which was bouncing around in the morning where I was staying in Kingussie. At about 9am I headed off, to be greeted by a chaffinch in the car park (like gold dust down south these past couple of years, in fact a 30% drop in population since 2007!).

003 Exposed chaffinch by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

I met a couple who had just wandered up to the feeding station to see the crested tits and co, but who showed me their photos of a beautiful pair of waxwings they'd seen the day before feeding on juniper berries (and if I can remember where they said they'd seen them, I'll add that at some point). Nice couple - good fun, and not twitchers, no massive lens, no camo...

Anyway, we parted company and I went off in the other direction on to the Big Pines Trail (apparently).

003a Big Pines Trail beside road by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

If there had been capercaillies along here collecting grit, I was too late - they'd have been doing their thing earlier in the morning probably. After a bit too much walking alongside the road, albeit a fairly quiet one, a track eventually turned north, and as it turned the woodland journey turned from fairly sunny to properly wintery. A Great spotted woodpecker appeared, then melted into the pine, silent in the snow.

005 The start of todays journey by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

005a Robed and less so by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

008 So happy to be here by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

006 Living tree stump by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

009 Horsehoof on birch by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

Round a corner, steep drop, loud clap - what had I startled?! never did find out - and then I came to an open bit of woodland where the sun came out, getting stronger and warmer. And it was silent apart from the high peeping of birds far up in the pines. Goldcrest, it sounded like, and a bit further on and lower down a little flock appeared.

016 Slightly more visible by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

But what really caught my eye was the treecreeper:

012 Treecreeper zoom by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

014 Climbing by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

013 So tiny by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

A group of walkers appeared noisily as I was watching the goldcrests and treecreeper, and bustled past, but two stopped and asked what I was looking at. One started enthusing about migrating crested tit coming for better weather - he's right, we have about 1,500 breeding pairs of crested tit in Scotland, and anything between 5,200-9,500 wintering ones. I think he was hoping to see some away from the feeding station. Me too. Never have yet.

The path spat me out on to the road, which was irritating.

017 Spat out on to road by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

019 Nethy Bridge road paddock pano by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

I presume it's because of holiday cabins and maybe also terrain and/or conservation and species protection. Anyway, I headed down to the Speyside Way, Birch Wood junction and there I did find a crested tit away from a bird station. Shame it was hiding behind the tree architecture!

021 Crested tit zoom - hiding by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

023 Goldcrest by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

027 Beneath the birds at Nethy Bridge by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

People appeared and the birds fled, then the snow came back in a blizzard so I did a mini-circuit of the birch forest, and then headed back roughly via the Speyside Way. A track to my left looked interesting, if a dead-end, and I took it. It carried on beside a stream for much longer than the map indicated. It should then have connected with a path across the stream, but I couldn't see how I could cross, nor was there any visible track to cross to. So the boots stayed on, no wading, and I turned back.

033 Back into forest and down deadend by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

034 Sunrays over uncrossable bit by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

036 Back to the path proper then by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

And this little chap was singing as I emerged. Always a pleasure - I don't see them in Sussex.

038 Coal tit zoom by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

The only way back was to retrace my steps back towards the road, but I took a dive down a logging track to ring the changes (not an improvement, just a ringing of changes...).

043 Duck off left down logging track by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

...and finished up with a nip to the feeding station for a look at the little guys. They really are smashing.

049 Crested tit zoom by Emma Kendon, on Flickr

052 Crested tit on birch zoom by Emma Kendon, on Flickr