Goldfinch.

 A colourful goldfinch visited the nut feeder on the fence at Aspenwood on Saurday morning...a welcome sight as we do not see many of these although they are now becoming more common as garden birds. There are several bird books as well as a pair of binoculars in the cottage for guests to use to get a closer look at the various bird life that visit the table and feeders and bird bath. The goldfinch had a good feed and totally ignored the numerous playful red squirrels chasing each other along the fence and feeding on the adjacent feeder. The collective noun for goldfinches is a charm...what else could it be ? Another cheeky squirrel really enjoyed the peanuts that were scattered on the ground by the side of the bird bath.

Tufty

 The characteristic ear tufts of the native red squirrels are becoming more prominent as winter approaches. They moult their tufts once a year in late summer and grow them again in preparation for the cold weather. Unlike the grey squirrels the reds do not hibernate and so we will be keeping all nut feeders full throughout the cold winter months when the pine cones and hazel nuts have disappeared from the trees in the surrounding forest. The squirrels are still very much in abundance around the cottage and it is very amusing to watch their antics.

Blondie

 We have recently had regular visits from a new young squirrel with a noticeable lovely blonde bushy tail, not the usual dark red variety....hence the nickname Blondie. She also has striking ear tufts which they apparently moult once a year in late autumn and they moult their coat twice a year.... read more interesting squirrel facts. After a quick drink from the rain water left on the garden bench she goes off in search of food at one of the nut feeders. She also amazingly climbs up onto the bird table using her sharp claws and is rather partial to a little bread and cheese. Caught in the act here!
We realise that there is another drey, apart from the one near Aspenwood, in the woods beyond our garage. We watch her acrobatically descend from the table and scamper off to the woods which are full of delicious hazel trees...squirrel heaven.

'Lord of the Glens'

The weather this past week has been quite gloomy with a low cloud base, showery, murky and generally miserable. Today it is pouring with rain and I can just see across to the other side of the loch where 'The Fingal' activity barge is progressing slowly back through the mist heading for Inverness. The weather doesn't seem to deter the hardy sailors out onto Loch Ness and several yachts and cruisers have braved the elements. Sunshine is promised for tomorrow ! The cruise liner 'Lord of the Glens' has been busy taking passengers from Inverness through the lochs of the Great Glen down to Fort William and beyond to the islands.

During a break in the wet weather the wildlife can be seen. The brown mountain hare has been spotted on the driveway eating the grass on the side verge. The two year old male deer has emerged from the forest on his own for the first time. His velvet antlers are nearly one foot tall now and he looks very healthy and in his prime. No sign of any female deer with offspring yet.
The bird life is abundant and the predatory sparrowhawk has been zooming about hoping to catch his lunch on the wing but usually goes away hungry. The young red squirrels have been keeping us amused as they chase each other in circles around the tree trunks. Had four of them in the garden yesterday and for a long time two of them were performing synchronised nut feeding - I think they deserve a gold medal at least !

Red squirrel heaven.

Numerous red squirrels are still regular visitors to the nut feeders hanging on the fence outside the lounge at the cottage. They have even enlarged a hole near the base of one of the feeders to make for easier access to the nuts. You can really see them at close hand - about two metres away from the window and observe their very delicate but extremely sharp claws. These are very useful for hanging upside down if needs be.

Watched one feeding frantically as we stood on the decking on Saturday....great fun to watch.

On the fence.

The lilac buddleia bush beyond the fence by the cottage decking has burst into life. It is also known as the 'butterfly bush' although it has not been attracting many butterflies this year. Further along the fence at the nut feeders the red squirrels eat,drink,scratch and generally enjoy life.
The weather over the weekend was warm and breezy with the odd refreshing shower which enticed more colourful yachts and cruisers onto Loch Ness.

Cyril the squirrel.

After a very warm humid week we had refreshing overnight rain which pleased all the plants in the garden. Today is about 15C with a very low cloud base...unable to see Urquhart Castle on the opposite shore through the mist.Showers throughout the morning and the cats are having a 'sleep in'. Whatever the weather the wildlife has to be fed. Cyril the squirrel is a constant visitor to the nut feeders during the day and chases off any other potential diners to his personal 'restaurant'.

Squirrel lunches at Aspenwood.

Saturday as we were cleaning the cottage we looked out of the lounge window and noticed Cyril the squirrel helping himself to the nuts from the bird feeders.He stayed for about twenty minutes,delicately removing the outer husks and then chomping on the nuts inside.After a drink at the bird bath he scampered back into the forest at the side of Aspenwood....a magical sight.

New Red Squirrel video......

A family of a mother and her young 3 red squirrel 'kittens' have been regular visitors to the nut feeders here and at Aspenwood Cottage for the last few weeks...even saw one of them this evening on the nut feeders as we were welcoming our new guests into the cottage and they were thrilled. We have never seen so many red squirrels in the local area as we have in 2008 and they are now regular visitors to the nut feeders every morning... still can't stop being captivated by their cheeky antics.

Just hanging around.....

The red squirrels can be very acrobatic and entertaining in their quest for food and are often seen on the nut feeders in the early morning.

They have rather short front legs but long hind legs which are a great aid for leaping about among the branches and away from any danger. They also have amazing sharp claws which can be extremely useful when hanging almost upside down as this cheeky one demonstrates.

Playful red squirrel.

A cheeky red squirrel had fun and games in the garden early this morning. He had a good look at all the colourful garden ornaments under the bird table and even sat on the head of the concrete squirrel, knocking it over in his quest for peanuts. He quickly found the feeders above him and enjoyed his nutty breakfast. After a long feed he raced down and seemed to look for mischief, his beautiful long tail flying behind him in the breeze. He ran around for a while and then scampered up onto the green garden bench. Now he knows where the food source is he will return and I shall be ready with my trusty tripod. I've placed a bowl of nuts in their shells under the bird table and hope that he will find these and stay eating for a while longer...we will wait and see.