Having recently returned from a fourteen day tour of Scotland I thought I'd share some of my experiences and photos here, in the form of a diary. The main purpose of the trip was a week volunteering for the RSPB on Operation Osprey at Loch Garten, but I padded the week out to a fortnight with three days touring either side.
I had a number of target species that I wanted to see when I set out. For birds it was osprey (obviously!), hooded crow, crested tit, gannet (with a boat trip to Bass Rock booked), plus I had my fingers crossed for white-tailed and golden eagle but wasn't really expecting either of those.
For mammals, I wanted to see the beavers in Knapdale, the dolphins in the Moray Firth and red squirrels anywhere. I was also hoping fervently for an otter as I've still never seen a wild one. Wildcat and pine marten would both be nice but I wasn't really expecting them nor planning any special trips to look for them.
For insects, wildflowers and fungi, I'll be happy with any of the Scottish or Northern specialities, or just anything I don't see locally.
Day 1, Wednesday 3rd August
I set off at 5:30am with everything packed neatly and tidily in the car so I can find it when I need it. Yeah, like that'll last! Just one quick comfort break on the M6 and I'm over the border and into Scotland just after midday. Driving along the western shore of Loch Lomond I get my first target species, a pair of hooded crows near Luss. They're in a lay-by and fly off as I pull in but one poses in a tree on the opposite side of the road...
I stop briefly for a stroll along the shore and find some blue damselflies. I check carefully in case they are Northern damsels but they're azures. A common gull wading in the shallows provides a photo op...
I'm hoping to practice some landscape photography on this trip too, and even though the weather is not really right for it I take a few views of the loch...
I stop again at Tarbet for a cup of tea and take some more views of the loch, and the Canada geese. I know I can photograph Canada Geese at home but not with mountains in the background!
Leaving Loch Lomond, I head west around the top of Loch Long. A group of mixed gulls is snoozing on a derelict jetty...
There are herons and oystercatchers about too, and over the next few days I will come to realise that these are a feature of just about every loch I come across.
My next stop is at Rest and Be Thankful where I take some more landscape shots. The weather is being kinder to me here with much more blue in the sky. I break out my ND grad filters for the first time in years to try and balance the exposure between the land and the sky. I’m using a polariser too, and trying to get the ND grads correctly aligned without turning the polariser is fun. But eventually I manage it...
The filters are needed again as I round the top of Loch Fyne...
I'm aiming for Loch Coille Bharr in Knapdale forest, one of the release sites for the Scottish Beaver trial, and I want to get there with plenty of time for a look around before dusk. I make just one more stop, in Lochgilphead for some fish and chips, and arrive at my destination at 7pm. I drive as far as I can and park up near the local angling club's jetty.
My research (the SBT leaflet
) tells me that the best place to see beavers is on the main body of Dubh Loch and the best times are at dawn or dusk. I'm planning to be here for both. What I need to do now is scout out the locations. I follow the path to the floating boardwalk...
From here there is a good view of the rear of the dam that the beavers have built between Dubh Loch and Loch Coille Bharr...
Climbing back up from the boardwalk I get a view of the pool created by the dam...
I follow the footpath away from the dam looking for a left turn that will let me get round to the other side of Dubh Loch. Eventually I find one but after following it for a little while it becomes impassable. It's flooded, (I wonder how that happened?
) and although I'm wearing waterproof boots even wellies wouldn't be enough - I'd need waders. I decide to head back to the pool behind the dam and wait there. Beavers have to maintain their dams so there's a chance they'll be paying it a visit at some point during the evening.
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