Secrets of the Giant's Chair revealed

What a few weeks, with mild days, snow on high ground, culminating in a week of freezing temperatures - a real mixture leading up to Christmas. It is winter after all but thank goodness we have now past the shortest day; just a couple of months to go before I can switch the bike lights off and see a bit of the forest as I pedal back and forth to work. The garden has been busy with lots of red squirrels early in the month, I counted six one morning with a squirrel hanging from every feeder! Bird highlights of the month have been up to three hen harriers at a nearby roost, my first waxwing of the autumn in amongst a group of fieldfares and greenfinches at Rynettin just south of Forest Lodge and, perhaps the strangest bird of 2007, a Sabines gull near Ruthven Barracks at Insh Marshes. With gales at sea this gull must have been blown inland and it was making the most of the worms brought to the surface in the fields following recent floods. For a stunning picture go to Dave Pullen's website at http://www.zen107722.zen.co.uk/. If you want any help with a birding trip when on holiday, Dave's your man!


Having finished the last diary with good news regarding new sites for the green shield moss (Buxbaumia viridis), I had the most amazing weekend. A visit to a brilliant bit of woodland near Dufftown (distillery country) saw me making my first visit to the Giant's Chair, a big semi-circular rock feature created by the water flowing down the Dullan Water. A nearby waterfall could also be quite spectacular after heavy rain. Having visited the "Chair" I made my way up the steep side of the wooded valley cursing the drizzle and the slipperiness of the lush carpet of woodrush. An hour later and there, peering at me out of a large dead rowan tree was a green shield moss capsule, the first I had found away from Abernethy and a new county record to boot! Excuse the smug look in the picture but the mans just got his moss! Another couple of hours of searching however didn't find any more. Two days later and I was in Sabine's gull territory, and as I peered over the parapet of Tromie Bridge to see what the woodland was like, I heard a car go past me. Thankfully, it didn't stop because the driver, Dave Pierce, had just found the gull and was dashing back to phone Dave Pullen to let him know of his find. If Dave P had stopped, my brilliant weekend might have ended there because he would have told me about the gull and I am sure I would have dashed off to see it. But he didn't, and I hopped over the fence and started to follow the River Tromie, checking all the dead trees along the way.



And it happened again... with not one, but three moss capsules peering out at me from the base of a big dead alder tree. Brilliant, a new log and another new site! The rest of the wander was unproductive and a re-visit to the opposite side of the river a couple of days later failed to find any more. Three capsules from eight hours of searching - the moss still retains its rarity tag. Two further patches of woodland have been searched since then with nothing found.


The second visit to the glen was not without its reward though. To get to my start point I had to cut across a hill with a scattering of birch trees and a carpet of blaeberry. By a dead birch branch something orange caught my eye and a closer look revealed a single, finger-like fungus growing out of the ground. It looked similar in form to the black fungi I had seen in August, the ones that parasitise truffle fungus under-ground. A photo was taken along with a GPS reading in case it was unusual. The photo was sent to a colleague who informed me that I had found Coryceps militaria or Scarlet Caterpillar club. The English name gives a clue as to the life-cycle of the fungus - it's a parasite on caterpillar larva or pupae. It's not a species that appears on the 600 species Abernethy list so not one that I have had a chance to see before. It's not particularly rare so one for you all to keep an eye open for when you are out and about.


One of the other woods visited is on the River Findhorn as it flows east from Tomatin, close to a few houses at a place called Ruthven. With two cars, there is a classic walk along the Findhorn from Ruthven, via Shenachie to Drynachan where the second car is needed to get you back to the first! The Findhorn is a well known salmon river and I wasn't surprised when I came across a couple of "spent" male fish, washed up dead on the bank of the river. The fish pictured is just three-foot long, calculated by measuring the length of my diary and multiplying up. Rather than me trying to explain what happens to these great fish whilst in our rivers I attach a part write-up below, from the Tay Fishery folk. Interestingly, neither fish had been eaten, despite there being otter tracks nearby, and ravens overhead.

"When salmon arrive from the sea they are strong powerful fish packed with energy gained during their marine feasting. At that point they are bright silver in colour and look in the peak of condition. However, in freshwater, the salmon do not feed. Their entire upstream migration and eventual spawning, a process which might take months, is dependent on accumulated fats in their bodies. Not surprisingly, over time the fish do change. They do gradually lose condition and reserves are converted into eggs or milt (sperm?). At the same time the appearance also changes. The silver colour disappears and they develop darker colours. Male salmon become quite red and females usually a dull brown. Males also develop a hooked lower jaw, known as a kype (see ST picture left)which is used in fighting other males over mates. After spawning has been completed the salmon are a poor shadow of the pristine fish which left the sea months earlier. They are now known as "kelts" and are emaciated and sometimes battered and infected by fungus. Unlike most of the Pacific salmon, Atlantic salmon are not all doomed to die and can potentially live to spawn again, though most do not. After spawning, female salmon quickly shy away from the spawning areas and move down river trying to conserve their energy. On the other hand males remain active, racing about the stream hoping to find other mates. There is therefore a high death rate of males in the aftermath of spawning but a much higher survival rate for females." (From article by Tay District Salmon Fisheries Board, full article at http://www.tdsfb.org/salmon-return.htm ).

At Shenachie, apart from the old settlement, there is an unusual mechanical 'device' - a rope or bucket bridge. I don't think you see too many of these devices nowadays, but on this stretch of river there are two of them, one here, and one at Drynachan. Looking at the Shenachie 'bridge' you can see it is very modern and up to date and probably has to be with the Health & Safety Executive looking over your shoulder! The last time I saw the Drynachan 'bucket' it was a wooden affair and not looking like a piece of equipment I would like to trust my life with. However, this 'bucket' looks very new and shiny with its aluminium construction, and would appear to be in working order. To get across the river however, you do need the handle or key so that you can wind yourself across. A great idea which no doubt can save the estate staff many miles of vehicle travel. The map below shows where to see this unusual method of getting across the river.

Not to be outdone the visit to the River Tromie also produced a couple of surprises. On my first visit I noticed a patch of mature aspen woodland on the opposite bank, which, on my second visit I was able to have a good look at. There are plenty of young trees appearing from the mature tree roots (suckers) but the mature trees are quite old and show all the characteristics of this age, trunks well covered with mosses and lichens and, jutting out from several of the trees, the main cause of death in aspens - a bracket fungus by the name of Phellinus tremulae. This fungus is found in nearly every mature stand of aspens that I have visited but, amazingly, it was only added to the British list about a decade ago when it was identified at Insh Marshes. Very close to the aspen stand the river is running in quite a deep gorge and it was only when I descended the bank to look at a piece of dead aspen close to the side of the river that I realised there was a huge lump of rock sitting in the middle of the river. Rocks like this perched on hillsides, are known as erratics, and have links going back to the last Ice Age. I'm not sure whether rock in rivers have the same impressive name but they are certainly impressive to look at. To read more about erratics go to:

(http://www.fettes.com/Cairngorms/glacial%20erratics.htm).



The temperature last night managed to get down to -12 deg C and all around trees, sheds, fences are all covered an a thick layer of ice crystals, so much so that it looks like we have had snow. Winter wonderland for sure with clumps of grass like the one pictured glistening as though covered with diamonds.


However, the forecast for Christmas is for milder weather and wind and rain - we shall see.


Well, that's it, something for you to read over Christmas. Enjoy.


Stewart & Janet

Have a very happy Christmas and our best wishes to you all for 2008

All photos © Stewart Taylor