Natural highs and lows

" and we weren't to discover the actual answer until much later in the holiday."   Those were the words with which I ended the second blogpost of our Blairgowrie holiday, so here we are at the finale and one last big splash. A few years ago, friends left Orkney and moved to deepest rural Perthshire. We spent a day with them in and around Comrie, experiencing their wonderful hospitality and sharing the local wildlife. As a regular moth-trapper, our host had kept a few species from the previous night's haul for us to see, including this Red Chestnut. At the nearby community woodland, we were shown around and given a potted history of the site. Whilst inspecting a pond for potential odes, we were all amazed to see a Palmate Newt. Towards the end of the holiday, we journeyed to the Angus Glens, driving up Glen Clova to reach Glen Doll. We did not attempt to reach any summits, but were content to potter around the valley, taking in the splendid views. And then one evening,...

Spending longer on holiday made for a much more relaxed time of it. One of the things I wanted to try during the fortnight in Blairgowrie was to deploy a new wildlife camera in the garden of the cottage. This allowed us to monitor the local wildlife when we were out and about elsewhere, or even when we were asleep at night. Three Long-tailed Tits Blue Tit Great Tit Coal Tit   A cat on the prowl A different cat on the prowl Why they were prowling... Wood Mice Bullfinch Robin Nuthatch Great Spotted Woodpecker Jays Carrion Crow Jay Red Squirrel Red Squirrels Red Squirrel Long-tailed Tit And one photo from the usual camera... Jay All in all, during the two weeks, we logged thirty species of bird in the garden. Perhaps the most surprising was a small flock of Common Crossbills which appeared for three evenings running (flying?).

The internet informs me that today, 20th May, is World Bee Day.  This seems an apposite time to mention the many species of bee which we saw whilst on holiday in Perthshire.  In mid-April, when we set off for Blairgowrie, there weren't too many species on the wing in Orkney. Mainly White-tailed, Buff-tailed and Common Carder bumblebees, Honey Bees and a few species of solitary bee, such as the Clarke's Mining Bee we were fortunate to find in our garden.  Wending our way south (so not making a beeline) certainly increased the number of species we might see. In fact, the cottage garden was a good place to look for bees. With plenty of nectar- and pollen-rich flowers, plus a profusion of tree blossom, sitting in a sunny spot nearly always produced something buzzy. There were wasps too, busy making  papier mâché f or their nests  using shavings from the owner's garden fence. Before setting off, I had not even considered what sort of bumbles we might bumble into, mai...

During our April holiday in Perthshire, we also revisited the town of Alyth and its eponymous Den. This steep-sided valley is an absolute joy to wander around, with its Ash and Beech trees, and fast-flowing burn. Sadly, due to the wet Winter, several landslides had closed some of the paths. However, we were able to navigate the remaining paths in a convoluted route to make the most of the site's wonderful wildlife. Blue, Great and Coal Tits sang as they foraged through the canopy. Nuthatches and Treecreepers called from boughs and trunks. Wood Anemone and Wood Sorrel coated the valley floor, along with Lesser Celandine and Greater Stitchwort. Dippers and Grey Wagtails frequented the burn, whilst Green-veined White, Comma and Speckled Wood butterflies basked in sunny glades. At the lower end of the Den, is an open area where the base of a low cliff is fringed with wildflowers. Here were more species of insect: Orange Tip, Peacock and Red Admiral butterflies, Dark-edged Bee-flies and...

Whilst the longer holiday meant that were more places we could visit in the available time, there were a few sites to which we wanted to return. One of these was the RSPB reserve at Loch of Kinnordy, and in fact we went twice, the second visit in the company of Megan's parents who joined us in Blairgowrie for a few days. The view from the Gullery Hide. Not "Gallery" as I read it, which neatly explained the lack of artwork on the walls.   Grey Heron hunting at the water's edge Brown Hare in the fields behind the reserve A distant female Marsh Harrier hunting through the reedbeds Osprey beginning a dive to catch a fish Shovelers doing their best to mimic porcelain ducks on a wall Amazing light from the East Hide Looking in the other direction The Marsh Harriers and Ospreys which frequent different habitats of the reserve were all too far away for my puny optics to do them justice. However, it was fantastic to watch several pairs of harriers gliding over the reedbeds and...