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| Sneck of Farchal - pastel sketch on paper |
One month can be a long time in the mountains of Scotland and those thirty days since I last climbed Dreish and Mayar in the search for Ptarmigan have seen the snows that settled to record depths melting away and that elusive grouse of the high tops is moulting plumage from winter white to summer tan on the hen and grey on the cock bird. The bare tundra plateau that forms the domed top of Dreish is littered with fluttering white feathers discarded in their rush to moult for spring and it gives me an insight into their preferred habitat distribution over the mountain. The feathers are easy to find but the birds are definitely not, and even with four pairs of eyes being available to scour over grey boulders and heath today, no 'croakers' are evident. An occasional Mountain Hare lollops around and a distant Golden Eagle soaring rapidly with the wind to finally sky-dance over an azure tinged corrie is spotted by a sharp eyed Mike, otherwise the only other creature to move is a strange looking millipede crossover beetle, the likes of which we have never seen before. It was later identified as possibly being the larva of the large, Violet Ground Beetle which we have seen hunting through the inner sanctum of many a heather clad slope.
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| Sketching today |
The remnant of winter's cloak had been torn into a white, sickle shape on Little Dreish and, as it was out of the bitingly cold west wind, just might attract a couple of sheltering Ptarmigan. Step by step we studied the rocky terraces that form the south facing slopes. Droppings and white feathers do not make the bird, but with the evidence found we know that the birds are here. Four of us stand and stare at every lump of lichen dressed schist hoping to abstract a feathered one from the landscape that dissolves before us through wind assaulted tears. I pirouette on a triangular slab of rock that teeters over the edge of a terrace and scan around intently with binoculars but little did I know that a pair of birds were literally at my feet.
An excited, disbelieving whisper came from behind me,
'Dad, there's a Ptarmigan',
'Where?',
'Over there, right in front of you',
and as reluctant focus finally resolved feathers from background, a beautifully marked hen Ptarmigan was frozen to the spot like a museum exhibit.
'Dad, there's another one',
'Where?',
'On the rock next to it',
'What rock?',
'Just along to the right',
and with more myopic fumblings my eyes finally found the cock bird cowering down on the flat boulder no more than four metres away from my feet and that is how well camouflaged these relatively tame mountain dwellers are. I am amazed at how the white, primary wing feathers fold invisibly away under the patterned covert feathers and the black tail feathers cannot be seen, even the cock's red wattle is hidden under a scowl of eyebrow feathers.
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| Ptarmigan hen and cock |
On the subject of the timidness seen in Ptarmigan and Dotterel, many ground breeding species are under pressure from hill-walkers and their dogs. There is good reason to be concerned about open access to Scotland's wild places where rare birds nest on the ground; let me explain through the only virtue of being my age. Years ago, the fashion for Munro bagging and dog walking did not exist to the extent it now occupies leisure time and the 'freedom to roam' legislation was not cast in stone. Hill paths, back then, were often difficult to follow compared to the well trodden scars left by myriads of boots that you find nowadays. Outdoor access has enabled a new found brigade to invade otherwise unvisited mountain locations where Dotterel, Golden Plover, Dunlin and Ptarmigan nest and woods where Capercaillie breed. It only takes one uncontrolled dog and its ignorant owner to destroy a season's breeding production by walking through a specific habitat and currently I do see that cumulative effect on the hills where traditional breeding habitats are marginalised because of this increase in visitors and most dog walkers when confronted by acres of open moorland will let their dogs run free with unseen consequences. Over the years Ptarmigan have vacated Mount Battock in Glen Esk and were unusually absent from Crow Craigies near Jock's Road in Glen Doll last year.
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| White-tailed Eagle adult |
Mike was certainly in eagle mode when he spots an adult White-tailed Eagle surfing the clouds about a mile away, I would have missed it against the glaring sunlight because I forgot to bring my prescription polaroids but did manage to get a series of photos before it drifted over the skyline and, from what I could make out, had a full crop but no wing tags or satellite transmitter. Spotting one is a great relief because I have lingering concerns about recent persecution incidents.
On this particular estate in Angus things are busy. We were met earlier by a factoring consultant who chatted for a while about various construction projects and forestry work being undertaken by the owner and then we passed a game-keeper with his dogs counting Red Grouse on the hill and then we had a visit from a young trainee keeper who had been given the onerous task to check out some people on the hill over his radio. We chatted amiably about grouse, trapping ground vermin and heather burning regeneration. Over his shoulder he had a spade and over the handle was half a hare hanging from its fore-legs that were, somehow, crossed to form a casual looking loop. The rag blooded beast was used to bait tunnel traps for ground vermin by smearing the bloody meat over the entrance to the trap and then leaving a portion of bait at the other end it is hoped that a Stoat or Weasel will spring the Fen trap set between the scent and bait. I asked him about the thin faeces scat that we found further up the hill and he thought they might be Stoat or indeed Pine Martin, a species which is now spreading throughout Scotland and has been recorded nearby in the local conifer woods.
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| Carabid Beetle larva, possibly Violet Ground Beetle |
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| Ptarmigan hen |
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| Ptarmigan cock |
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| Mountain Hare sitting |
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| Mountain Hare levitating |
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| Martin getting some photos of the Ptarmigan pair |
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| Ben and the cornice bergschrund at Corrie Kilbo |
Notes;
All sketches and photos done on the day and are copyright.
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.
croaker - Gaelic name derivation for Ptarmigan.
Map of the area
David Adam web-site