Dappled denouement

A few of our day trips were to wildlife sites about an hour away from the cottage, not too far to travel, whilst at the same time being an exploration of locales for future holidays.

One of these sites was the national nature reserve at Tentsmuir, on the east coast, where we visited Morton Lochs on the warmest day of our trip in the hope of some early-emerging dragons. No such luck, unfortunately, but we were rewarded for our dedication with several flybys from a Kingfisher. We also drove most of the way to Tay Reedbeds, but with temperatures in the mid 20s, we didn't fancy a 6km walk on dusty tracks, opting instead for an ice cream in a nearby village, followed by a meandering route back to the cottage and an  appointment at patio o'clock.

An Orange Tip nectaring on apple blossom

Grey Heron

A reflective heron

Probably our most adventurous day was another gorge walk, this time at the Birks of Aberfeldy, where the Moness Burn tumbles its way through a beech wood. We found several wildflowers which were new to us: Sanicle, Bitter Vetch and Goldilocks Buttercup, whilst climbing slowly up the rocky path, stopping often to admire the side falls or to rescue many a dor beetle which had managed to upturn itself. Our reward for these endeavours was a slight detour through the woods above the Falls of Moness to see and hear Cuckoo, Redstart and Tree Pipit.

A Roe Deer

One of the many side valleys

There were walks from the front door too, and not just to a restaurant for an evening meal! As the holiday was coming to a close, there was a wistful air to proceedings, where we often just stood midst the sights, sounds and scents of a wood, soaking up the light and birdsong and earthy smells.

Speckled Wood (open)

Speckled Wood (closed)

Perhaps the most photographed wildlife of the holiday were the frequent visitors to the bird feeders at the cottage. Our favourites of these were several Red Squirrels and Nuthatches which were relaxed enough to approach even when we were sat quietly outside. However, photography was a different matter, but I found that if I sat in the lounge with the patio door slightly ajar, I could manage an unimpeded shot without alarming the subject.

This move was made out of the necessity to avoid an irate Blackbird, and I don't think there's many other birds which could pull this off quite like a Nuthatch

In a turn of events which surprised us both by its swiftness and resoluteness, we agreed that we would very much like to return to this cottage, and immediately booked it again for next year.