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| Loch Esk from Broad Cairn - pastel sketch on paper |
The characteristic tinkering trill went up as he reluctantly flew up and then down again to skulk in a familiar fashion around the submerged boulders on the tundra heath. Neck outstretched and with a short, black bill pointing the way, he ran and stopped to look at the mysterious intruders, then delicately ran off again in the opposite direction to stand on a flat granite boulder only a few metres away in tame defiance with one yellow leg in front of the other, like a sprinter waiting for the starting pistol to fire. In spring this bird's plumage is beautifully coloured but now, after breeding, he is but a faded ghost of our bird book image of the Dotterel.
I was on new ground, a hill that I had never set foot on before that had a good feel to it and I was expounding to Mike about how perfect the habitat was for Dotterel when this unforeseen, wee gem of a surprise made its presence known and I bet that this place would make a suitable Angus breeding location for the birds as it has very short tundra like heath, Woolly-fringe Moss, granite grit and sunken boulders - ideal.
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| Dotterel in a perfect habitat of mosses, Crowberry and granite boulder grits |
Our bird finally runs out of ogling hospitality and takes off towards the south on tern like wings that take it rapidly to cruising height. Uttering a final percussive trill, the true enigmatic song of the highlands, it disappears like a spirit into the grey void. Next year then, in May, we might meet again.
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| Sketching on Broad Cairn towards the Dubh Loch |
A walk up Broad Cairn in the southern Cairngorms usually yields a few Ptarmigan lurking amongst the steep boulder fields that surround this conical shaped mountain's summit. A refreshing breeze from the north-west turned into a strong, chilly one above nine hundred metres and no birds were seen except a big Raven, my black angel, who 'prukked' in winged chorus to the rush of the wind over the scoured slabs of granite that forms the summit tor. I face up to the chill and cannot resist sketching the view down over the massive cliffs of Creagan Dubh Loch to the black loch below, and Mike patiently shivers for a few minutes as he awaits artistic creation.
Creagan Dubh Loch is a huge granite cliff and the biggest in the Cairngorms, if not the highest, steepest continuous face in Britain. I have climbed here in winter conditions and an expedition is always a serious one because of the cliff's isolated location.This place packs in more high grade climbs than anywhere else in Scotland and its dramatic scenery never fails to impress.
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| Creagan Dubh Loch - pastel sketch on paper |
The Ptarmigan out-foxed our efforts to find them but we did expect these white winged grouse to be more obvious as they sheltered from the wind on the lee side of Broad Cairn. Camouflage rules on the mountain tops and we had to boulder hop over the giant scree fields in a seemingly fruitless search, we know that they are here because white feathers and fresh droppings have been found. Mountain Hares abound at the sheltered margins between scree and heath. I can see that underneath the brown guard hairs of the fur, a grey-blue colour forms the undercoat and in certain light conditions this appears dark blue, therefore lending the true name of Blue Hare.
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| Female and Male Ptarmigan looking out for junior |
On the heath slopes below the scree Mike eventually, and literally, trips over our first covey of three Ptarmigan that flush from his feet with wings flying in synchronous curves of pure white. As they settle again, we set out to stalk them but again have problems finding them. The family has hunkered down into the Crowberry, Dwarf Willow and Bearberry heath and are virtually impossible to distinguish from the lichenous granite boulders, incredible camouflage but essential for survival. As they break cover and scamper over the heath what shows up most are the white feathered legs that look like old fashioned bloomers. An immature bird, with plumage that is more roughly speckled with a mix of colours, follows the adult pair who peck at the occasional berry as they move on. From what we could make out there seems to be at least four family coveys in the area around Broad Cairn, because the same thing happened that number of times following a stealthy search for the birds - invisible then flushed visible from nearly under our boots.
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| Ptarmigan family, immature in foreground |
About thirty years ago the majority of Larches at Bachnagairn were felled and that timber operation spoiled the serene charm of the place. Winch pylons were in place on the steep slopes to bring the trunks down and I remember being upset at the time that my favourite spot had been destroyed with discarded trunks left lying around and little had been done to reinstate the habitat. Later on, a fenced off area was planted with saplings but there is not much evidence of that remaining now. Things are getting slightly better with some natural growth of trees but it will take a regenerative period, far longer than I have left, to see the place back to its former splendour. Admittedly, upstream and beyond the Roy Tait bridge, there are some untouched parts that retain the original flavour of rock, waterfalls, Larch, Scots Pine, Birch, butterflies and birds; a Clova Shangri-La in effect.
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| Bachnagairn |
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| Sketching Loch Esk and Mayar from Broad Cairn |
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| Common hawker dragonfly |
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| Dwarf Willow on the high plateau |
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| Boulder field on Broad Cairn |
Notes;
All sketches and photos done on the day.
Please be aware that it is illegal to disturb nesting eagles or other raptors and you may do so inadvertently in your journeys into the highlands. I do not recommend searching for any of the species mentioned in this blog because this may cause undue disturbance to them. With my knowledge of the areas described in this blog I can locate and observe protected species at a respectful distance usually from about 1000 metres for short periods of time only.
Dotterel - Charadrius morinellus