Osprey returns to Loch Garten.

Staff at the Osprey Centre at Loch Garten were delighted to see EJ the 14 year old female osprey return to her nest earlier than expected for the ninth year running. After a 3,000 mile trip from Africa she landed safely back on her nest with a freshly caught 12 inch rainbow trout in her talons. She will have to catch her own food until her partner Odin flies in after her and waits on her while they prepare for their new family. The Osprey Centre opens on Friday 1st April and is a good visit. Watch the ospreys on a webcam very near their nest and hopefully catch a glimpse of the chicks later on.
For more info on the ospreys.
We have seen them 'fishing' on Loch Ness so we will keep a look out for our very own Ollie the osprey.

Getting warmer.

This week has been very chilly during the day and even colder at night. The deer have been coming down to eat in the garden before scampering up to Aspenwood. There is still quite thick snow on hills and mountains and snow is still lying just a short distance away on the upper road to Foyers.  Fortunately the forecast is heading for double figures over the next few days and hopefully gradually increasing towards Spring. A good sunset at six o' clock last night with a lonely cloud on fire in the blue sky above the snow capped mountain. 

Snow still about.

The sudden spell of wintry weather is still with us with temperatures just above freezing during the day and minus at night.There is thick snow on the mountains opposite but luckily the snow has disappeared from around our house as we are so near the warming influence of Loch Ness. A friend came to visit us from the nearby village of Foyers yesterday and she could not believe we were snow free as they had a foot of it surrounding their farm and more snow was falling. It is amazing the change in landscape you can see in a short distance as you are climbing upwards. The birds are being well fed and so is the predatory sparrowhawk. This one was in pursuit of a siskin but both flew into the window of the conservatory as we were enjoying a quiet lunch. The sparrowhawk was really winded and kindly sat for a few minutes posing for these photos before flying off into the forest. I picked the siskin up which was shocked but still alive and left him on the bird table to recover which he did befoere flying off to live another day. 

Snow in March.

The temperature fell  during the night and so did the snow, just when we were looking forward to Spring. We then remembered that when we came to view this house in April 1996 we arrived in a blizzard and thought it was the perfect home for us. Walked down to the nearby beach and looked and listened to Loch Ness. It did begin to thaw during the day although the snow is still on the mountains opposite. Maybe the birds did know something as they appeared for their food today as usual.

Sparrowhawk on the prowl....

During the past two weeks we have noticed that there are less birds feeding at the various feeding stations here and at Aspenwood Cottage nearby.
Although the predatory sparrowhawk has been in the local area looking for his lunch with his beady eyes the main reason seems to be that the smaller birds are building nests in the nearby coniferous woodlands. We can hear them noisily going about their business in Farigaig Forest but we now have a welcome break from the frenetic feeding they required during the cold winter spell.
After a brief warm spell it has become rather chilly lately with a south-westerly breeze coming along the Great Glen producing white waves on Loch Ness. This is forecast to last until the end of the week so maybe they know something we don't. 

Pheasant for lunch anyone ?....

This juvenile male pheasant flew into the grounds at our house from Aspenwood and was glad to eat on the sunflower hearts placed upon the logs for ground feeding birds - whatever their size - before having a paddle and a welcome drink in the  'designer' bath which has now defrosted after the harsh snowy weather over the weekend.

Spring clean.

We have had a thorough spring clean of Aspenwood during our maintenance month and we were very lucky to employ this local lass to help us out with the more challenging tasks in the cottage as she is well sought after in the area.
Keeping an eye on her made us really exhausted so we escaped as soon as we politely could for a lunch at The Snow Goose in Inverness followed by an afternoon matinee of 'The King's Speech' to recover. A very fine film with excellent acting and we came out feeling refreshed.
As soon as the temperatures rise a bit more we shall do some outdoor jobs at the cottage but just too chilly right now.Still snow on the mountains opposite and zero temperatures some nights but it is staying lighter longer. The birds are starting to sing in the mornings and as well as providing food here we walk up every day to feed them at Aspenwood Cottage so everyone is happy.

Long Tailed Tits.

We have had noisy gangs of long tailed tits around recently and they have been returning every winter.They are easily identifiable by their black,white and light pink plumage and small black button like eyes.Their prominent black tail with white edges is longer than the body and is used for balance.They feed mainly on insects and spiders but in winter when this source is scarce they visit the garden feeders for vital nourishment.Because of their small size they often huddle in groups at night to keep warm.
We had a flurry of snow last Friday just when we thought we were safe although it did lay on higher ground and is still on the mountains opposite. These little birds had better huddle up tonight as it is still chilly and zero degrees are forecast.