Ptarmigan

If I had to choose a favourite UK bird species, Ptarmigan would definitely be on the short list. Not because they have a wonderful character, but because of their ability to alter their plumage to camouflage themselves in different seasons and of course because they are tough!

I have enjoyed many a day sneaking around the Cairngorms looking for friendly Ptarmigan. Most times they fly off but occasionally they rely on their camouflage and sit tight.

I have looked through my collection of Ptarmigan photos and chosen my favourites to add to my blog - enjoy:

Male Ptarmigan

'White-wingers' and Bloody Welsh Wingers!

1st-winter Glaucous Gull

Before I start, I must congratulate the Welsh on their emphatic victory over England today in the six-nations rugby tournament. It hurts, but I've been around long enough to know that our day will come again. 

The day started off with heavy rain, so I set off later than normal to Shawell. There wasn't that many gulls on show at the landfill site, so I made my way to the A5 Lagoons, but there wasn't many there either. I could see a huge flock in the distance resting on an old section of the tip, so it was a case of waiting for them to come to me.

Glaucous and Iceland Gulls

It was back to gulling today after the wonderful adventures in Scotland - I bet the hits on my blog go down now. At least these gulls come from the same region as the Snowy Owl.

Nevertheless it was a good day with the highlights being one of each Glaucous and Iceland Gull.

2nd-winter Glaucous Gull

Some Favourite Images From My Trip to the Cairngorms

As there is a lot of interest in my blog at the moment because of the Snowy Owl, I have put together a collection of some of my favourite images from the trip:

Cairngorms From Loch Morlich

Snowy Owl

Thanks to a tip off from Adey Baker, I managed to locate the wintering Snowy Owl on the north side of Ben Macdui close to Carn Etchachan on Friday March 1st 2013. After a prolonged search, I stumbled across the bird roosting on some rocks. I was lower down, so it hadn't seen me until I appeared at the same level. The owl was very wary and flew as soon as it spotted me. It did a nice flyby though, as it flew from one side of the valley and then back over again.

It appears to me to be a 1st-winter male.

Snowy Owl

I found it at grid ref: NH9981400311 (NH998003). Link to map