David M wrote:Not at all, Callum. We get precious few images from this glorious corner of the UK and what it lacks in butterflies is more than compensated for in other ways...such as those birds.
Well in that case...
Scottish sojourn part 2 - Wild Lochaber
So, I had arrived at Glenloy Lodge. I had chosen my destination extremely carefully; some of you who have seen the Scottish population of Chequered Skippers might even have stayed in the same place! Run as a wildlife tourism enterprise by the lovely Jon and Angela Mercer, the particular draw of Glenloy was its Pine Martens. And so, only a couple of hours after checking in, I took up position in the sun-lounge to await the arrival of these very special guests.
![IMG_4952.jpg (2.25 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_5c45e8fa10986b1fbf14e7e00b32527e)
- Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
![IMG_4959.jpg (2.01 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_edc463261a10714497352fceb7b64fe1)
- Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
![IMG_4961.jpg (2.1 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_3143321a58c1cfe98ec21927bfeec154)
- Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
Truly charming animals, and the first time I had ever seen one! Something of a brief appearance, but with two more nights booked in at Glenloy I was not too concerned. It was likely that the males (sons of this female from consecutive litters) would also appear at some point, but I didn't want to stay up late...
...because I was up again at 5am the next morning. Jon drove myself and another guest through Fort William and up onto the moorland edge. Pulling up in a passing place, we wound down the windows to the incredible bubbling and squawking noises of a Black Grouse lek!
![IMG_5014.jpg (1.92 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Black Grouse, Fort William](./files/thumb_15783_c93210b9a6fea66f4447917d8158323e)
- Black Grouse, Fort William
![IMG_5021.jpg (1.78 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Black Grouse, Fort William](./files/thumb_15783_3562f476a0e42ef7210c74fda6013856)
- Black Grouse, Fort William
We watched for about half an hour, before an early-morning jogger appeared over the crest of the road and that was the end of the day's lekking! Apparently this lek has been continuously active for 15 years or more, despite being disturbed almost daily by joggers and dog-walkers.
No matter, Jon had other plans to absorb some time before breakfast! Heading down to the head of Loch Linnhe (and taking up a rather unpromising vantage point at the back of an empty industrial estate!) we started scanning the estuary, coming up trumps almost immediately.
![IMG_5038.jpg (1.64 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Otter, Loch Linnhe](./files/thumb_15783_cb500494c547e661a4b5089f4d53acea)
- Otter, Loch Linnhe
Distant and fleeting, but recognisably an Otter! A brief flutter of excitement passed quickly as another V in the water turned into, not another Otter, but a Common Seal.
![IMG_5071.jpg (1.96 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Common Seal, Loch Linnhe](./files/thumb_15783_adfad3eecaf00c43ae3678c9d73e8ff1)
- Common Seal, Loch Linnhe
There were plenty of coastal birds to be seen, including this nice pair of Goosander.
![IMG_5077.jpg (500.77 KiB) Viewed 3071 times Goosanders, Loch Linnhe](./files/thumb_15783_da75c00a1175f34d3a75f687d2fa24a0)
- Goosanders, Loch Linnhe
With all three of us starting to feel the cold, we retreated to Glenloy for a marvellous cooked breakfast. Once I'd warmed up, I struck out on my own to explore the amazing sea lochs of the Lochaber area.
![IMG_5100.jpg (1.07 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Loch Eil](./files/thumb_15783_d0133f9646905768a3926d8e860b6d87)
- Loch Eil
![IMG_5154.jpg (1.59 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Loch Linnhe](./files/thumb_15783_31af5b3943e6515192708b7be0c80232)
- Loch Linnhe
![IMG_5190.jpg (1.45 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Loch Sunart](./files/thumb_15783_e8595c40f2d1a8c1a2d2b2a4caf677cb)
- Loch Sunart
I managed to spot quite a good selection of coastal birds...
![IMG_5138.jpg (500.92 KiB) Viewed 3071 times Red-breasted Mergansers, Loch Linnhe](./files/thumb_15783_a5cb94ba1621e0dc550295bea6b753ef)
- Red-breasted Mergansers, Loch Linnhe
![IMG_5218.jpg (681.9 KiB) Viewed 3071 times Oystercatchers, Loch Sunart](./files/thumb_15783_e12f3f3ac9b18760d6633a31a6171d68)
- Oystercatchers, Loch Sunart
...but undoubtedly the highlight of the day was this - very distant, but recognisably a Golden Eagle!
![IMG_5167.jpg (153.71 KiB) Viewed 3071 times Golden Eagle, Loch Sunart](./files/thumb_15783_93df6fa9bc0f531f523ba1354c2be6e9)
- Golden Eagle, Loch Sunart
I headed back to Glenloy for another evening with the Pine Martens. The female put in her usual appearance at dusk, and an hour or so later one of her sons dropped by to hoover up the leftovers. It's so magical to be able to get this close to a beautiful wild mammal - but of course, we all get to do this every summer with butterflies!
![IMG_5250.jpg (1.71 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_a1bc95f7b15fd4b8e129041232ec679c)
- Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
![IMG_5322.jpg (1.57 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_ba5045467726d180780e49a47fb7478b)
- Female Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
![IMG_5359.jpg (1.52 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_b29415911acd26fa20405e5ccde9cedc)
- Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
![IMG_5392.jpg (2.31 MiB) Viewed 3071 times Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge](./files/thumb_15783_5e592ca2c2079f7be002b97645e0311c)
- Male Pine Marten, Glenloy Lodge
I'll leave it there for tonight. To be continued...