Scenic route home.

Had a really good day out yesterday - clearing our gutters! This is a job we both hate but one which has to be done - one of the perks of living in a forest full of leaves and pine needles. The overnight rain finally washed them clean and now our gutters sparkle like new. Unfortunately it also washed quite alot of the snow away from the mountains opposite apart from the very tops. On our way back from Inverness this morning we took the scenic route home passing by the lochs on the top road, a road which used to be the main route from Inverness to Fort Augustus. This is always a pleasant ride which we never get tired of as there is always something new to see and my camera is always at the ready for snapping birds,wildlife and scenes such as these.

Long tailed tits arrive.

Very cold today with freezing fog drifting down the Great Glen from the west. For a few hours in the late morning the fog cleared revealing a clear blue sky with snow still laying on the mountain tops opposite. We wrapped up warm with the intention of clearing our gutters of debris but found that the leaves in the gutters were actually frozen to the plastic pipes and also the hose was frozen. We had a quick vote and abandoned the idea and decided to wait until the temperature was at least over zero. While we were inside warming up with a special coffee we noticed a flock of long tailed tits arriving on the nut feeders and suet balls...their first appearance this winter.

Snow on St Andrew's Day

The weather has been turning much chillier lately so we were not surprised to wake up on Sunday morning to see a layer of snow covering the mountains opposite. More snow fell overnight and the temperature today has not risen above 4C with the threat of a freezing -4C tonight.

Today is St Andrew's Day, the patron saint of Scotland, so we will be celebrating tonight by the fire with a few wee drams.... cheers.

Sparrowhawk at Aspenwood.

While we were doing the changeover at Aspenwood Cottage yesterday we noticed this magnificent sparrowhawk sitting in the aspen tree outside the lounge window. He was watching the bird feeders along the fence with anticipation but all the birds had seen him coming and were well away. He stayed for a while and dried himself off by fluffing out his tail feathers. The male sparrowhawk is quite smaller than the female of the species which is rather unusual in animal life.
While we were at the cottage we had arranged for two new bathroom blinds and a new vertical blind to be fitted in the main bedroom. As we were taking down the old fittings in the master bedroom a red squirrel ran along the fence during an interval in the showers and munched away at the peanut feeders. Unfortunately the fitter drew up in his van and this noise was enough to scare away Cyril the squirrel...but at least they are still about.

Up on the roof.

Yesterday was forecast to be fairly dry with the odd short shower so we decided to clear the gutters at Aspenwood. Over the last few weeks we had noticed that the leaves were getting less on the surrounding trees so therefore more stuck in the gutters. There is always a problem with pine needles and balls of moss rolling down from the roof tiles and clogging everything up.
Ray has come up with a cunning plan to saw away the front section of the down pipes thus allowing us to manually remove debris and prevent a back up of leaves etc which would eventually cause rain water to spill down the outside of the pipes and guttering. We have tested this at Lower Birchwood and it is very successful.
As we worked clearing all the gutters and pipes plus hosing jets of water along the channels the short showers turned into pouring rain and somehow we got drenched. Looking up at guttering in the rain wearing glasses is not a good idea but we soldiered on for a couple of hours and completed the task. The water on Loch Ness is extremely choppy today with lots of white water and there is a gusty 30mph wind coming from the west so we are very glad there are no ladders involved today.

Spot the Buzzard.

Yesterday dawned clear and bright so we went into Inverness to collect a few items. As we were driving back home along the shoreline of Loch Ness a buzzard swooped low in front of the car and quickly disappeared into the woodland. They are unmistakable as they have a wingspan of between 3 to 5 feet depending on their age. A bit further on we passed another one sitting absolutely still in a tree, only spotting him as we drove past. By now I had the camera actually ready and sure enough another buzzard flew across the road and rested on a nearby branch in the forest. He remained absolutely motionless and blended magnificently into the woodland scene with perfect camouflage.

Amur tigers at Kincraig Wildlife Park.

A rare breeding pair of Amur Tigers arrived at Kincraig Wildlife Park in September 2008 from Edinburgh Zoo. Amur tigers originate from eastern Siberia so are well suited to colder climates but unfortunately fewer than 500 remain in the wild. On May 11th this year they had 3 cubs, one male and two females. They are now about 6 months old and still very playful. The large glass partition allows for a real close up view and it was fascinating watching one of them interact with the little boy on the other side of the glass.

Kincraig Wildlife Park.

Enjoyed a very good day out at Kincraig Wildlife Park, about 7 miles beyond Aviemore. Even though it was cold [the temperature was -6C at Aviemore earlier in the morning] with a sharp frost on the ground the park was very busy for the time of year. The new arrivals must have encouraged visitors . These 3 Amur tiger cubs were born earlier in May this year.Also a baby Japanese snow monkey arrived and of course Mercedes the polar bear...who had just been fed and was fast asleep when we saw her. After a drive round the animal reserves we then explored the rest of the Park on foot seeing other animals at close quarters. We enjoyed some much needed hot soup in the restaurant.
For more information visit the Kincraig Wildlife Park website.