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| Sunrise and Mist, Glen Clova - pastel sketch on paper |
A frosty calmness had settled over Glen Clova this autumn morning, as if the landscape had been set in a chilled aspic for the invading fresh snow that powdered the back hills with chalky white. Reluctance to greet the onset of winter stirred in the heart of every creature, cattle in raw fields of iced mud stand still with their steaming flanks turned into the low, warming sunshine. Pheasants peck through the crisp, sparkling lattice of frosted grass at the road-side and little do they know that their short year of life will soon end, for a shooting party readies itself at the hotel.
Sketching into the sunlight is never easy, as I have mentioned before, because the constant change of focus from page to dazzling light is hard to accommodate physically and this shows in the unmodified sketch as a sort of unresolved tension, strange. There is so much going on with shifting shade colours, mist that was absent at the start now sinks into the picture and I want to capture that but it means changing the depths and I become too tight and stressed, unsettled, cold, unhappy - finish before the sketch is lost completely.
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| Sketching today |
A Common Buzzard soars overhead as the climb towards Loch Brandy breaks out onto the open hill-side, it struggles with heavy flaps on the cold sinking air of the morn. The first shot of the pheasant shoot rings out from the glen trees far below, across the glen, and as its bang hits my ears, the buzzard falters a stall in flight and ducks its wings in fright to avoid a perceived threat. On seeing this action performed by the buzzard I couldn't help thinking that this was an acquired reaction by the bird on hearing that particular noise accompanied by a person below. Buzzards are common in this part of Scotland now and, to protect their game birds, some landowners are requesting licenses to control these raptors; some might not wait on protocols.
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| Loch Brandy |
Loch Brandy was a haven of peace and tranquillity today with a mirroring surface that reflected the steep screes and heather banks surrounding the loch. Below that crystal surface is the clearest water that I have ever seen and maybe could be a sign of acid rain when even algae does not grow on the shallow rocks underwater. Many years ago a rowing boat was moored on the shore for anglers to enjoy the fishing in this deep, corrie loch and when looking down from The Snub above, there is a submerged causeway that can be seen crossing the shallows on the glen side. Whether this causeway is a natural glacial feature or man made to facilitate fishing nearer the deeper water is a mystery, nevertheless there must have been or is a good supply of trout in the loch, which, incidentally are reported to have shiny green backs although I have never seen one rise to the surface here yet.
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| View down Glen Clova towards the coast |
One of the first ski tows in Scotland was implemented many years ago on the slopes leading up to the loch and I remember finding the rusting steel cables of the tow when I was a loon some forty years ago; I think Dundee Ski Club installed the tractor winch and cable systems before they completed the first T-bar tow in Glen Shee just over the hills to the west.
As a footnote it is nice to see that Fred Taylor, former Invermark head keeper, will be remembered with the Fred Taylor Memorial Trophy for working/stalking ponies awarded at the Scottish Game Fair each year.
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.
loon - Scots for young boy/teenager.
The loch causeway, misnomer or not, is a narrow, build of stones under the surface and has the look of being man made, but one glaciologist suggests it is a specific type of moraine left over from the ice age. Looks very even to be natural to me but, on reflection, lots of glacial features look unnatural. Anyway, I am not going to walk the 'causeway' that's for sure, but others have ventured onto it who found the water got rather too deep for chest waders, the mystery deepens!