A week ago, the overnight temperature here was 13 degrees centigrade, fields locally are still very green and the bracken in the forest hasn't had enough frost to really kill it off. I photographed a
marsh thistle in full flower today! Some days have felt like spring with robins singing everywhere. However, change is on its way and our chalet guests, Zoe and Ren had snow yesterday (right). A few less robins singing today. The first day of November saw the start of the British Trust for Ornithology winter birds Atlas where wintering birds in Britain, whether resident or visitors, will be recorded by masses of volunteers each taking on a two kilometre by two kilometre OS map square. I made a start last week and have so far surveyed four of my five selected squares. The minimum visit is for one hour but to cover most of the survey area two hours is needed and this is what I have been aiming for. The Atlas squares have to be visited once before new year and again before end of February. The Atlas will then change to a breeding bird Atlas, and the same squares will be visited again between April and July. Outside the "timed" visits additional birds can be recorded as seen to provide as full a species list of birds using the habitats within the squares. The survey goes on for four years by which time I really will have retired! The woodland squares being covered are fairly quiet for birds at this time of year the bonus birds so far have been capercaillie and crossbill - twenty-four together on Friday, but which crossbill? The birds were feeding on Scots pine cones which at this time of year are 'green' and difficult to open, so they had to be Scottish or parrot crossbills, but without a telescope and a bit of guess-work, they had to go down as just "c
rossbill unidentified". On my first survey day I was in the land of 'the green shield moss' Buxbaumia viridis, and couldn't walk past one of the logs on which I found it growing last year and, to my great surprise, there it was popping out from the logs covering of other mosses. I thought it grew from January onwards, so, another bit to add to its life history. There will be a bit more on how the 2007/08 survey is progressing in the next diary but for a bit of background visit:
marsh thistle in full flower today! Some days have felt like spring with robins singing everywhere. However, change is on its way and our chalet guests, Zoe and Ren had snow yesterday (right). A few less robins singing today. The first day of November saw the start of the British Trust for Ornithology winter birds Atlas where wintering birds in Britain, whether resident or visitors, will be recorded by masses of volunteers each taking on a two kilometre by two kilometre OS map square. I made a start last week and have so far surveyed four of my five selected squares. The minimum visit is for one hour but to cover most of the survey area two hours is needed and this is what I have been aiming for. The Atlas squares have to be visited once before new year and again before end of February. The Atlas will then change to a breeding bird Atlas, and the same squares will be visited again between April and July. Outside the "timed" visits additional birds can be recorded as seen to provide as full a species list of birds using the habitats within the squares. The survey goes on for four years by which time I really will have retired! The woodland squares being covered are fairly quiet for birds at this time of year the bonus birds so far have been capercaillie and crossbill - twenty-four together on Friday, but which crossbill? The birds were feeding on Scots pine cones which at this time of year are 'green' and difficult to open, so they had to be Scottish or parrot crossbills, but without a telescope and a bit of guess-work, they had to go down as just "c
rossbill unidentified". On my first survey day I was in the land of 'the green shield moss' Buxbaumia viridis, and couldn't walk past one of the logs on which I found it growing last year and, to my great surprise, there it was popping out from the logs covering of other mosses. I thought it grew from January onwards, so, another bit to add to its life history. There will be a bit more on how the 2007/08 survey is progressing in the next diary but for a bit of background visit: http://www.jncc.gov.uk/ProtectedSites/SACSelection/species.asp?FeatureIntCode=S1386. The two dots on the map, right, show how rare this moss is in the UK, particularly as it has now disappeared from the northern location.
Did you see 'The Great Climb', a solo ascent of an unclimbed crag above Shelter-stone rock by Loch Avon in the Cairngorms. The crag in question is actually on the RSPB's Abernethy Forest Reserve and caused a bit of head-scratching when the request was made to carry out the televised climb. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/6944130.stm Not sure it is the right use of a nature reserve but the climb went ahead and was an amazing feat of strength and skill by Dave Macleod. The potential for death wasn't hyped to attract an audience, it really was true, and amazing that the Beeb was willing to go ahead with the venture. Dave made it, but not without some real drama along the way. To see what else Dave Macleod gets up to in his spare time visit: http://www.davemacleod.com/home.htm.
Whilst walking back from Grantown on Spey along the Speyside Way a couple of weeks ago I managed to count thirty-one species of birds, this would be around sixty during the breeding season. Along the way I found what looked to me to be the natural equivalent to the "B of the Bang" sculpture in Manchester, a brilliant wee lichen attached to a birch twig. What do you think?One of the BTO Atlas survey squares takes me across the great peat bog area by the Loch Garten osprey nest site. It is a while since I was
in this area and was pleasantly surprised by how well the bog restoration work, carried out in the late 1990s, was progressing. If the ospreys hadn't decided to nest where they did in 1959, who knows what would have happened to the peatland. In the mid-1960s large drains were dug into the peat bog to lower the water-table prior to forestry plantings taking place. Not only were drains dug by the osprey site but the level of Loch Garten was lowered slightly to aid the draining work by digging a deep channel between this loch and Loch Mallachie. Thankfully, the trees were never planted and, apart from the major drains across the site, the bog remained untouched. Via the EU Wet Woods Restoration Project the major drains were dammed along their lengths 
and the water-table raised close to what it used to be (picture right).
in this area and was pleasantly surprised by how well the bog restoration work, carried out in the late 1990s, was progressing. If the ospreys hadn't decided to nest where they did in 1959, who knows what would have happened to the peatland. In the mid-1960s large drains were dug into the peat bog to lower the water-table prior to forestry plantings taking place. Not only were drains dug by the osprey site but the level of Loch Garten was lowered slightly to aid the draining work by digging a deep channel between this loch and Loch Mallachie. Thankfully, the trees were never planted and, apart from the major drains across the site, the bog remained untouched. Via the EU Wet Woods Restoration Project the major drains were dammed along their lengths 
and the water-table raised close to what it used to be (picture right). It is in this sort of habitat that one of our rarest forms of natural forests occurs, and Abernethy is home to the best of them - bog woodland. In this water-logged 
habitat trees do grow, but very, very slowly. The tree pictured with my legs left, is probably sixty or seventy years old but is less than a metre high. Somehow, these trees grow in completely water-logged conditions, even during the drier summer months, so how they survive I'm not sure. Perhaps genetically they are different to the Scots pines growing on drier ground. Whatever it is they are amazing, miniature bonsai trees right here in Abernethy. Just how old the tree is on the right I hate to guess - probably as old as the 'granny' pines elsewhere in the forest. Certainly a lot older than the old guy giving it a hug!
habitat trees do grow, but very, very slowly. The tree pictured with my legs left, is probably sixty or seventy years old but is less than a metre high. Somehow, these trees grow in completely water-logged conditions, even during the drier summer months, so how they survive I'm not sure. Perhaps genetically they are different to the Scots pines growing on drier ground. Whatever it is they are amazing, miniature bonsai trees right here in Abernethy. Just how old the tree is on the right I hate to guess - probably as old as the 'granny' pines elsewhere in the forest. Certainly a lot older than the old guy giving it a hug! October is the month for super sunrises and sunsets. A visit to 
Loch Mallachie at the end of a day following a mad pedal down the road from work at Forest Lodge, a leap into the car and then zoom to Loch Garten to then run/walk to Loch Mallachie, and you might just be in time. You can see why full-time photographers get all the best pictures. As I approached the loch my heart sank when I realised that it was Speyside Wildlife's photography week and there were folk everywhere snapping away. The sun was just sinking below the horizon. "Did you get it?" was the question that greeted me as a reddish glow was developing in the west, "what a place for a sunset". With that the folk started to pack up their bags and head back towards the mini-buses. Grateful at being left on my own I could only think that the photographers would be cursing as they headed back towards Glenfeshie only to see the sky ahead of them developing into a deeper and deeper red glow. What a place to be but I didn't leave until it was dark and a tawny owl was watching me from the nearest island!
Loch Mallachie at the end of a day following a mad pedal down the road from work at Forest Lodge, a leap into the car and then zoom to Loch Garten to then run/walk to Loch Mallachie, and you might just be in time. You can see why full-time photographers get all the best pictures. As I approached the loch my heart sank when I realised that it was Speyside Wildlife's photography week and there were folk everywhere snapping away. The sun was just sinking below the horizon. "Did you get it?" was the question that greeted me as a reddish glow was developing in the west, "what a place for a sunset". With that the folk started to pack up their bags and head back towards the mini-buses. Grateful at being left on my own I could only think that the photographers would be cursing as they headed back towards Glenfeshie only to see the sky ahead of them developing into a deeper and deeper red glow. What a place to be but I didn't leave until it was dark and a tawny owl was watching me from the nearest island!
The following day I had a meeting in Perth and was greeted by a fiery sky as I drove past Insh Marches and Ruthven Barracks. The weather forecast that night was for the settled spell to end and wind and rain to move in from about mid-day the next day. Perfect, a decent 
sunrise looked likely and by 7am I was by Loch Garten. The next two pictures speak for themselves. No enhancement was necessary.
sunrise looked likely and by 7am I was by Loch Garten. The next two pictures speak for themselves. No enhancement was necessary. It's a couple of years since we had a sunrise as good as this and one well worth getting up early for.
What a contrast. Today I was out recording birds. There were 
occasional sleet showers and it was cold. With this sort of weather every bit of heather, grass, rush and every young pine tree is hanging heavy with water. My boots were doing well and my feet were dry but the water was getting in around my gaiters and my knees were wet. I hadn't seen many birds but it was good to be out. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month I was in the midst of an ancient forest and all was quiet. Difficult to know what it was like in Iraq and Afghanistan at that same moment.
occasional sleet showers and it was cold. With this sort of weather every bit of heather, grass, rush and every young pine tree is hanging heavy with water. My boots were doing well and my feet were dry but the water was getting in around my gaiters and my knees were wet. I hadn't seen many birds but it was good to be out. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month I was in the midst of an ancient forest and all was quiet. Difficult to know what it was like in Iraq and Afghanistan at that same moment. That's it, enjoy the read.
Best wishes
Stewart & Janet
Cotton-grass tussock in winter with first snow fall
All photos © Stewart Taylor
