Oh deer....

The weather lately has been warm and dry but rather overcast with the odd shower yet somehow the sun usually shines through in the evening about 7pm. As we sit outside in the evening reflecting over the very hectic events of the day we look forward to the deer joining us and watch them munch away at the grass on the front bank.

Sometimes one youngster appears on its long spindly legs soon to be followed by its sibling and then mother comes to check up on them - and us of course.

This family of three deer have been frequent visitors to the grass bank at the front of the house lochside and happily munch away together in the evening sunlight.Guests have said they have seen them up outside Aspenwood...so do keep looking out of the windows.

Wildlife update.

The weather this last week has fortunately cooled down and we have been experiencing wet but warm days with one terrific thunderstorm thrown in. In spite of all this the wildlife still has to go in search of food.Seen a few red deer nibbling on the wet grassy bank at the front near lochside and not surprisingly they always hear any movement with their lovely huge ears. The pheasant family- mother plus 7 chicks - are often under the bird table pecking at any remains hurled from above. The birds, especially finches, are always hungry and cling to the sunflower feeders daily but disperse at breakneck speed when the lethal, but extremely agile, sparrowhawk zooms round looking for a meal. The new bird bath is a big hit with birds and squirrels especially in the recent hot weather. The great spotted woodpecker is a colourful visitor to the peanut feeders. The red squirrels and youngsters with their much thinner tails are always fascinating to watch as they scurry down the tree trunks in search of the nuts and sunflower hearts - in fact they will eat anything put out on or under the bird table. This adult squirrel took shelter from a rain shower in the nearby trees just outside our window where we now have honeysuckle growing for the first time.

Day trip to Strathconon.

As the weather was quite fair we decided to take a leisurely drive along Strathconon, one of the lesser known straths which we had only visited once before many years ago. We drove from Inverness over the Kessock Bridge to the Torr roundabout and then took the first left to Muir of Ord. Carried on to Marybank village where there is a signpost on the left to Strathconon. Alternatively this can be reached via the Beauly Firth route.The entire strath is about 17 miles long and ends abruptly at a large parking area beside Loch Beannachan where we enjoyed a picnic in the sun and the breeze. On our journey along the peaceful strath we were surprised to see so many properties, comprising of magnificent large lodges, workers cottages and new builds. We passed stately Scatwell Estate, two kirks and a primary school, all completely in the middle of nowhere.

The highlight of the day was watching the herds of deer roaming freely around in the valley. By the looks some of them gave us we felt that we were intruding. They stared real menacingly, sniffed the air with a look of disgust and stamped their hooves. Turn your sound up to hear the cuckoos in the background.

Deer, Dores and ducks.

All this week we have been pleasantly surprised to watch a pair of young deer, male and female, amble up the sunlit path from Loch Ness beach in the cool of the evening. No doubt they have been enjoying a drink or a paddle. They stop to munch on the grass every now and then before exchanging glances with us and heading off into Farigaig Forest. After a trip into Inverness yesterday we came home and parked at Dores beach to feed the many ducks that congregate there. Throwing the bread against the strong breeze blowing down the Great Glen was a real challenge although the ducks put everything into the game and managed to find their lunch. Lots of white water waves slapping noisily onto the beach although it was bright and warm. The village of Dores always has swarms of swallows zooming overhead at this time of the year, no doubt nesting in the farm buildings and the old mill.

That was the week that was.

A real start to the week with strong winds and driving rain. Quite a few trawlers chose to use the Great Glen route to avoid the choppy Pentland Firth and several ferry routes to the islands were cancelled due to the high winds. The Loch Ness Lifeboat has been seen out on training exercises. We were quite surprised to see 'The Lord of the Glens' cruise liner travel along Loch Ness towards Fort William. It glided silently past in the dusk of the late afternoon with a light shining from the front mast.
The wildlife has been abundant in the colder weather. The red squirrels have been daily feeders on the nuts.

In the morning the various birds wait in the nearby trees for their breakfast menu to appear and the tiny, but bold, coal tits fly round the table impatiently as I put out their favourite sunflower hearts. Male and female pheasants have been sauntering up the driveway and then hop over the small fence and disappear down the bank. Deer have suddenly emerged out of the bracken in the surrounding forest and munch on the leaves of the blueberry bushes.

Had snow flurries yesterday for most of the day and we woke up this morning to find it had laid on the high ground opposite. More is forecast for today all over the country with temperatures well below freezing tonight. Definite log fire and a few warming drams called for.

Trip to Pitlochry.

 Went for a day trip to Pitlochry-about 100 miles down the A9-to MacDonald the Butcher's to fill up the freezer for winter. As we drove through the edge of the Cairngorm National Park the snow became more prominent on the mountain tops. The Cairngorm ski season has opened one month earlier this year because of the heavy snowfall on the mountains during late October.
After a stroll down the high street and a look in most of the shop windows,several of which were adorned with christmas decorations,we left our order with the butcher and went away to have lunch. Drove to our secret location up the hill behind Pitlochry village along the colourful autumn lanes.

 Enjoyed a picnic on the bench by the pond gazing at the wonderful reflections and watching the ducks and cygnets which have grown since we last saw them in May.

After collecting our meat order from the butcher we had a leisurely drive back home and looked forward to Aberdeen Angus roast beef.

Tourist group meeting

Drove over to The Whitebridge Hotel for a meeting of the South Loch Ness Tourist Group. A very good turnout of members at the meeting with a lively discussion covering various topics followed by a warming lunch. The snow is still laying quite thickly amongst the autumn colours and clearly silhouetting the stag and his hinds in the nearby fields. The scenery was spectacular and we all agreed that this is an amazing place to live and, more importantly, for people to visit.
Enjoy the slideshow...........

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

After a very cold night and a sky full of stars we woke to clear blue skies and snow laying all around the house. Went up to Aspenwood and found the guests had ventured out to enjoy the picturesque scenery. The cottage always seems to sit cosily in Farigaig Forest overlooked by the dramatic mountains opposite.
The numerous red squirrels are still regular visitors to all the nut feeders and hopefully they will continue to appear throughout the winter as they do not hibernate. Last Saturday we saw some squirrels digging in the grass behind the cottage and realised they had buried some nuts to enjoy later.The Nut Fund is going very well thanks to all guests who have 'bookmarked a squirrel'.
As I look down the loch towards Inverness a wall of white is heading this way and Urquhart Castle is disappearing in the approaching snow - beautiful.

Snow on tops.

The first heavy snowfall of the year fell overnight on ground above 1000 feet. We woke up to see the mountains opposite covered in snow. The forecast for tomorrow is for a chilly northerly wind with snow showers during the day laying at lower levels.......watch this space.

Stag near Aspenwood

Guests staying in Aspenwood Cottage last week were walking casually up the driveway when they noticed a large stag on the path ahead. It was standing quite still and staring at the two strangers approaching. Steve realised he had not got his trusty camera with him and, although very excited, he managed to keep his cool and slowly turned round and went back to the cottage for the equipment.When he returned the stag had not moved a muscle and thus the evidence was produced.Only when Steve and Barbara tried to get even closer did the stag turn tail and run off into Farigaig Forest. Thanks for sharing your photos.

Deer visits Aspenwood.

This handsome youngster was a welcome visitor to the garden area near to the birdtable at Aspenwood Cottage last Saturday morning.We are pretty sure it is a male deer as the downy antlers are now beginning to be quite prominent.We are always amazed by their huge ears.He was quite curious and allowed us to take several photos before bounding back down the hill to mum. When we arrived home they were both feeding on the grass and bracken on our front bank and seemed very happy and content in the warm sunshine.