Some February frolics

It's the middle of the night, the wee small hours, and I am awake. For some reason, sleep eludes me, so I have got up and gone through to the lounge to try and do something remotely useful to pass the time until slumber returns.

I fire up my computer and try to add photos and videos to a proto-post about the last few weeks since I last blogged. Blogger itself has other ideas and manages to load the photos in reverse order, a skill it intermittently exhibits which baffles and maddens me in equal measure.

The bare bones of it is that there has been a trip south. Megan and I stayed in a hotel in the Inverness area for a few days before I headed even further south to visit family whilst she caught up with friends and much more wildlife than I was ever going to see. We reunited for another weekend in Inverness, took in a show at the Eden Court Theatre and then returned to Orkney. Whilst I did improve the running total of my year list, I am no nearer to catching up with Megan and may even be further behind.

However, I've had a great time.

Our holiday began with the customary trip across the Pentland Firth and a gentle drive from Scrabster via Forsinard to Inverness. En route we scored five species of raptor, a good day in anyone's book, including a momentary and fortuitous vista which contained a Kestrel, a Buzzard and a Golden Eagle. That particular encounter necessitated a celebration with coffee and cake in nearby Helmsdale.

We then spent a couple of nights in a hotel at North Kessock, over the Beauly Firth from Inverness. Oddly enough, after our various trips to Inverness these past few years, it was a little disconcerting being located in the 'usual' view and looking across to all the places we know in the city.

A trip to the Black Isle is always a pleasant experience, whatever the weather (which is fortunate!). After a stroll along the beach at Rosemarkie, failing to see any cetaceans of a dolphiny persuasion, we headed over to Udale Bay to try and score some waders and wildfowl for the year lists. The RSPB hide was closed due to problems with the entrance ramp, so we stood in the afore-mentioned weather and watched a flock of Teal cavorting in a channel of the mudflats. Despite the meteorological evidence to the contrary, the ducks were convinced that Spring is around the corner and each Mrs Teal was surrounded by a gaggle of hopeful suitors.

In Cromarty, we pottered about the quaint streets and discovered a lighthouse we'd missed on a previous visit.

 

I then flew south to England to spend some time with family, my younger daughter and her partner having just had a baby boy, with the additional bonus of instantly promoting me to grandad status. I travelled light, no bins or camera, as I knew that grandadding duties would leave little time wildlife watching. However, there was a few hours of fresh air during a parent and baby session, when I visited the RSPB HQ at The Lodge in Sandy.

Snowdrops and Cyclamen

Spot the Muntjac Deer

Standing dead wood, an essential component of a healthy ecosystem

There aren't any photos of the newborn, I'm afraid, as the crazy world of social media is not something he's ready for yet.

Returning to Inverness, there was a pleasant walk along the River Ness and across its islands, before a gig at the theatre with the hilarious Janey Godley. The lady is fighting cancer, but the expletive-laden fire still burns bright within her, as she laid into politicians, injustice and inequality.

Dipper

Little Grebe

Robin

Driving north to catch the ferry home, we detoured through Glen Loth on a single track road which wasn't always as metalled as one would hope when in a small two wheeled drive car.

There was much antlerage on display, but all the ruts were in the road.