The last week started nice and warm with honey bees 
(compared to the wild bumblebees which have yet to be seen) visiting the flowers in the garden. The daffodils seemed to have recovered following the snows and by the end of the week the bees had tulips available to visit along with the primroses. On Sunday we visited the River Findorn near Logie, close to the coast. This is a very impressive part of this river route, the river running through deeply cut gorges with monster firs (Douglas and Grand mainly) growing along the banks in amongst the mixtures of deciduous trees and other conifers. Yellow coltsfoot flowers were appearing
on the river gravels and we saw the first butterflies of the year - both peacocks, a butterfly you wouldn't have seen this far north a few years ago. Having been involved in a national butterfly monitoring scheme for the last 25 years this is a species that was only recorded in the Nethybridge monitoring area three years ago. On the way back from the Findorn we popped into Lochindorb on Dava Moor, and managed to see the pair of black-throated divers, close to the island with the castle in the 
middle of the loch. Thanks to Linda and Graham our chalet guests last week for the first record of the these birds on the loch - lets hope the birds are left to breed in peace this year. Sadly, the 7 waxwings in Tulloch were seen just too late for them to try and see. A pair of red-throated divers wailing on Loch Morlich under a stunning setting sun the same day provided a nice end to a brilliant day. With the sun getting higher in the sky and getting hotter, the wood ants have been getting very active, initially swarming over the top of the domed nests but as the days get warmer, starting to forage well away from the nests. These very active wee beasts are a valuable
part of the forest eco-system by helping to keep some of the tree "pests" in check (sawflies, caterpillars) and even ganging up on other insects many times their own size, over-powering them and gradually dismembering to take the "bits" back to their nest. I'm still not sure how a single ant has the ability to pick up and carry many times its own weight as you see small sticks, pine needles, caterpillars and even hoverflies being carried back to the nest. One of the wonders of the insect world. Some of the nests in the forest must be many decades old - its a great pity that some visitors seem to take great delight in poking and damaging the nests, the natural "thatch" that the ants have created being totally destroyed. Don't have nightmares - I'm certainly glad that the ants we have, aren't any bigger!
part of the forest eco-system by helping to keep some of the tree "pests" in check (sawflies, caterpillars) and even ganging up on other insects many times their own size, over-powering them and gradually dismembering to take the "bits" back to their nest. I'm still not sure how a single ant has the ability to pick up and carry many times its own weight as you see small sticks, pine needles, caterpillars and even hoverflies being carried back to the nest. One of the wonders of the insect world. Some of the nests in the forest must be many decades old - its a great pity that some visitors seem to take great delight in poking and damaging the nests, the natural "thatch" that the ants have created being totally destroyed. Don't have nightmares - I'm certainly glad that the ants we have, aren't any bigger! During the week the Abernethy Reserve played host to a group of visitors from the European LIFE Project as the three year capercaillie project draws to a close. Money from the EU has, over the last three years, helped to turn around the fortunes of this spectacular bird, the worlds largest grouse. Money has gone towards fence removal (the birds fly into forestry fences killing themselves), fence marking to make those that remain more visible, habitat management to encourage more blaeberry/bilberry to grow on the forest floor for food and insect production for chicks and adults, some predator control and, at Abernethy, funding for "CaperWatch" an initiative to show lekking capercaillie to visitors from the Osprey Centre. Two-thousand visitors a year have been visiting the Centre over the last few years to see the birds, easing greatly, the pressure on the lekking and breeding birds in the forest from birde
rs and visitors trying to find them often early in the morning. Today, 1 April, the Centre opened again for the months of April and May, another year of CaperWatch is underway. Sadly, the mist this morning made viewing difficult but birds could be heard calling so it is always worth trying to allow a couple of visits to try and see these magnificent birds. And, what about those birds that the Osprey Centre was actually built for, a bird was seen a couple of days ago but didn't stay so this wasn't obviously one of our resident ospreys, so fingers crossed that the coming week will see our birds return and maintain a breeding record stretching way back to 1959 at the current site. Visit the RSPB website to keep up with what the Loch Garten ospreys are up to.
rs and visitors trying to find them often early in the morning. Today, 1 April, the Centre opened again for the months of April and May, another year of CaperWatch is underway. Sadly, the mist this morning made viewing difficult but birds could be heard calling so it is always worth trying to allow a couple of visits to try and see these magnificent birds. And, what about those birds that the Osprey Centre was actually built for, a bird was seen a couple of days ago but didn't stay so this wasn't obviously one of our resident ospreys, so fingers crossed that the coming week will see our birds return and maintain a breeding record stretching way back to 1959 at the current site. Visit the RSPB website to keep up with what the Loch Garten ospreys are up to.Have a good week.
All the best
Stewart & Janet
All photos © Stewart Taylor
