From snow to freezing.
It was pretty much impossible to get away from the lodge over the weekend, due to the snow, and besides, the TFL tree nursery week that I was supposed to be Foclising has been postponed. So, I made the most of the weekend by walking in the snow.
On Saturday night, after myself and Tom had gone to bed, Dougie watched a couple of Pine Martin on the bird table outside the kitchen window. So, Tom put some more food out on the table, and we thought we’d see if they turned up on Sunday night. At about 8pm I checked the table with the torch, just in time to see a tail running away from the table. Tom replaced the food again, but had no joy before bed time. In the morning the food was gone.
This morning I managed to successfully steer the passion wagon down the snow covered track and made my way back to Findhorn. There is some more IT work on offer in the TFL office, and so I’ve something to do for the week.
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- There’s enough room for me to lie down in here
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- This was the view yesterday from the hide where I took the pictures of the buzzard
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- What is this red blob?
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- This yellow blob seems to be resin from the tree (P Silvestris)
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- One last walk about Loch Garton.
Cresty spotting
Yesterday (Friday) was spent clearing snow from in front of the workshop, and off various roofs (18inches of snow must be pretty heavy); and out clearing snow breaks and dangerous overhangs from the nearby roads. Afterwards I waded up Cairn Rynettin, where I saw a lone male Bullfinch attempting to keep himself alive through heather seed consumption. Am I wrong in thinking that it’s pretty unusual for a Bullfinch to be hanging out on top of a wind and snow swept hill eating Heather?
Today myself, Tom and Dougie head over to the Osprey centre. Apparently there are feeders, and a great chance of seeing Crested Tits, a bird I’ve not seen before. When we get there the feeders are busy with Great Tits, Coal tits and the occasional Blue Tit. And then, after a reasonably short wait, a pair of Crested Tits come down to feed. The Cresty is a spiky character, with punk style hair, and a machine gun staccato call. Myself and Tom (check out Tom’s web site by clicking this link) spend a little time trying to get pictures of it feeding, but the light is not great.
Then, as we’re watching, a Red Squirrel approaches, before climbing the tree with the feeders, and taking food from a box with an openable top.
Anyway, below are my shots. Remember it’s just a digital compact.
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- Tom and Ross (site manager) spring into life as Dougie fells an overhang
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- So the wind’ll be coming from the North then
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- Hmm, that looks like a…
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- Bullfinch?!
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- Snow up to my thighs, splendid.
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- A cresty in a tree
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- After 7 hours of sitting alone, below freezing, in a haunted forest, I nail the cresty shot
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- And the red squirrel shot.
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- Feeders, what feeders?
My pics from Sunday
On Sunday, officially a day off for us vols, Dougie, the long term volunteer here, took myself and Tom out to Memorial wood as part of our induction. From the edge of the wood we could see most of the Cairngorm range. Spectacular.
Later I walked along tracks to the East and South of the lodge. On the way back to the lodge I was lucky enough to see 3 Long Tailed Tits flying out of some Birch near me.
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- I think this is Cairn Lochan behind Creag Nan Gall (the steep wooded incline in the foreground)
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- Dougie (left) and Tom, my fellow volunteers.
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- Cavernularia Hultenii on Scots Pine bark.
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- Sun down causes the light to change through numerous different shades. I’m not sure my camera can do it justice.
Improved communications
So, I’ve worked out that I can connect my laptop to the Forest Lodge network. So, I’ll try and upload some pictures from the last few days. Firstly, on Saturday before coming down the snow covered track to the lodge at 6.30pm, I went for a walk near Loch Garton, in the Scots Pine woods. As mentioned in my previous post, I saw a Goldcrest and a couple of Treecreepers, as well as Great tits and Coal Tits. The Loch was totally frozen over. And I found (Roe) deer tracks in the wood. Apparently the local RSPB deer policy is for an almost zero tolerance of the deer in outlying regenerati0n areas, but deer in the wood are left alone.
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- Time to say goodbye to “Uncle Pat’s” croft.
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- Loch Garton
Arrival at Forest Lodge
It’s Sunday morning and the sun is shining. But it’s cold. Very cold. When I woke this morning I was in need of the toilet, but it took me a good half an hour to pluck up the courage to get out from under the two duvets on my bed.
I have a twin room all to myself, and myself and Tom are the only volunteers in a flat big enough for 6. The flat is just a tiny part of the lodge, which harbours 3 other flats, offices, and meeting facilities. The walls are clad with wood, and the ceilings are high. This place was built in the 1880’s. As a result it must take a bit of energy to heat. There is ice on my bedroom window.
Anyway, the point of this post is not to complain about the conditions, because this place is beautiful, especially with 6 inches of snow outside; it’s to say that I don’t have internet access from my laptop. I’m writing this from a PC in the RSPB guest access room. So, I may not be able to update for a while, and pictures aren’t going to be easy.
Today, I’m going to walk about the place a bit, to see what’s about. Apparently it’s minus 10 outside, and even the birds are hiding away. After yesterday’s Goldcrest and Treecreeper, I’m hoping for big things.
Time to master the art of cross country skiing
I let it slip to John that I’d once been on a dry ski slope when I younger, so he hired me some cross country skis and we went out skiing for the day. However, my exploits on the dry slopes of Pembrey were around 20 years ago, and it’s fair to say that I don’t remember my skis then being quite as thin as the ones I’m wearing today.
To give me a fighting chance John and Stella kindly walk me up hill (Creagan Gorm), from Glenmore, then explain that we will ski down the other side.
Some way between Creagan Gorm and Tulloch, Stella manages to locate a cairn created to mark the spot where one of her distant relatives died, whilst staggering back home across the moor drunk one night in 1885. Later on the walk we also discover an abandoned croft, coincidentally built in 1885. John discovers that fascinatingly, the ceilings have been lined with newspaper from the same decade. We get a bit lost and end up getting back to Tulloch after dark.
It’s a fine line between sliding down the hill in a controlled manner and feeling like I might not be in control anymore. It turns out that starting on a down hill slope was not an advantage. In fact it was bad. As I had no idea how to stop once I hit a slope I would either crash into a mound of heather, lose balance, or just sit down to avoid either of the other two options. There was only so many times I could fall over, going downhill, before I opted to walk. On the flat things are different, and by the end of the day I’m liking skiing a lot. I’d like to give down hill skiing a go sometime, with some proper downhill skis. And maybe some tuition.
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- The view from my bedroom window in “Uncle Pat’s” croft.
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- Lairig Ghru. Somewhere I must visit one day.
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- A greater Spotted Woodpecker, as we leave Glenmore, is a nice way to start the day out
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- John and Stella next to a proper gnarly old Scots Pine in a mixed plantation nr Glenmore
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- This one is for Jane (soon to be fellow Focaliser) – see how John loves his dog too…
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- Rowan is clearly happy to be out today
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- It’s easy when you’re not moving
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- Stella, amazingly, finds the cairn she rebuilt with her uncle many years earlier
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- John and Stella try to navigate is out of Narnia
From Findhorn to Aviemore…
Today I left Findhorn, after a very pleasant spell in the TFL office. Many thanks to Jane and Jock for putting me up, and putting up with me, for the last couple of weeks. For the last few days I’ve stopped at the telescope by the road each morning, to view the birds on the water. I’ve seen Widgeon, Red breasted Merganser, Mallard, and other ducks, and I now wish I’d spent more time checking them out.
This morning the TFL office accompanied me to the Universal cafe for tea and cake, by way of a leaving party. The cake was good, but very expensive, which seems to me to be rather typical of the offerings available from the Findhorn Foundation.
This evening I finished up in the office and then drove to Aviemore (which is very busy). I met John and Stella in town and they then lead me back to the croft that had been owned by Stella’s uncle up until he’d died recently. As I was driving further from sea so there was an increasing amount of snow on the ground. Here, just outside Nethy Bridge, there is 3 or 4 inches on the ground, and tonight the sky is cloudless. The stars are especially bright thanks to there being no street lamps or house lights for miles. It’s beautiful.
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- The sun setting over Findhorn bay as I left this evening.
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- I had to stop on the B9007 after Burnside, to take a quick picture of the snow covered moor with the moon overhead
Walking near Forres
Today I go walking in some Scots Pine woods near a place called Half Davoch (Altyre woods). Some of the woods are open, with large gaps between the trees, but a lot of what I walk through is planted in plantation format. I spend a bit of time walking through an area of around 25 years growth, and then a younger plantation where the trees are just 7 or 8 years old.
In the open woods the few standing Scots Pines are fantastically tall, majestic looking trees, probably hundreds of years old. Their bark is deeply fissured, and there are plenty of young broad leaf trees growing around them.
In the maturing plantation area there are a few sickly looking Birch, and much less light. But despite this I see lots of moss and lichen on the trees and ground, and hear constant bird noise from the Tits, Finches and Wood Pigeons that are flying around me in amongst the trees. I walk into the woods, far enough that all I can see are trees. It would be easy to imagine that the woods went on forever, but I can always hear the traffic on the nearby A940.
On a side road on the way home a hare runs out into the road ahead of me, and a small deer with a small white tail crosses the road at speed.
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- This birch was just off the path entering the pine plantation.
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- So, I have a book about lichen, and I’ve looked through it, but this could be one of about three different types. I’m going for Evernia, because I like the name.
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- This moss covered the floor of the pine plantation
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- This is birch seed ready to disperse. It’s lightweight and easily taken by the wind.
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- Cladonia cornuta.
The good, the cold and the quite ridiculous.
Life in Findhorn is good. I walk to & from work, in the TFL office, every day. It’s cold but that’s good. I walk alongside the bay, from the village to the park. There is a telescope on the way, and on Friday morning I take a bit of time out to watch three pairs of Widgeons on the bay.
The web site work is going ok. Check it out. Please bear in mind that I didn’t design the new site. I, along with Sky, from the foundation IT team, just helped moved it from the old design to the new. A lot of content on the site relates to tree dedications bought through the site. The office is always upbeat, and it’s great to be involved in a project that has a positive impact on so many people’s lives.
Today, Saturday, I get up at 9am. I feel good about the day ahead. I go for a walk along the bay. Although it’s overcast, the air is clear and there is snow on the hills. The tide is high, but there are a few birds in the bay. Mallard, Widgeon, Redshank and Curlew.
On the way back to the house I pop into the Findhorn shop to pick up some cake, crisps and Hobnobs. I then break open some beer and watch the Wales Scotland match. The match is crazy, with Wales relying on a big come back again (their last one, against England, was disappointingly too little too late). I’m determined not to get wound up, but by the end of the game I’m exhausted. Wales have somehow won, even though they were second best for the majority of the match. However, it’s a while before I’m able to stop smiling, and this doesn’t seem to go down well with my Scottish housemate.
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- The sleepy town of Findhorn, a jigsaw puzzle picture waiting to happen
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- Findhorn bay, with the mountains of Easter Ross in the distance
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- Looking South West, towards some mist.
A walk in Ledmore and Migdale Wood
Today, following an arrangement made at the Focaliser conference that I’d almost totally forgotten, myself, Craig and his nipper, Calum, and Dan make a trip up to Ledmore and Migdale wood to meet Chris Williams. Chris has had some involvement with TFL, both on work weeks and helping out with other tasks when needed, as well as posing for the photo on the front of the work week brochure. Now he has a job as a ‘woodsman’ in the wood he grew up in.
The wood is a marvellous place, lots of young growth in the midst of a good mix of trees. We walk part way up a small hill to eat lunch and then head down to Loch Migdale, which still has a good covering of ice on it. There are some great cliffs nearby, dotted with a few Scots Pine, a habitat untouched by human hand (probably). It’s easy to imagine that there might be some Peregrine nesting up there somewhere.
Many thanks to Chris, who speaks passionately about his wood. It’s well worth a visit, for a walk, or to catch up with Chris during one of the events he’s organising for this year.
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- Men of the woods
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- Craig shows us his ice testing tool
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- A Birch Catkin
There are 25000 seeds to collect…
…so, myself and Russell brave the sun and the snow at Inverwick, to top up the Scots Pine cone stock. Apparently a local tree nursery reckon that they can give us trees to plant, from these seeds, by the Autumn.
It’s a hard day, with the sun beating down on us and the air totally still, I have to strip down to just a t-shirt and jacket on top. And the only reason for the jacket is because it has pockets to collect the cones in while I’m up in the trees.
At one point I see a Coal Tit in a nearby tree, and a couple of Great Tits flying about. At the next opportunity I discuss this with Russell, thinking that a Coal Tit is a good spot, at which point he proceeds to tell me that a Crested Tit was sat in the tree he was in, barely 4 feet away from him. I’ve never seen a Crested Tit before, but as much as I try to follow the noise of the small flock of tits, as they fly around in the trees near us, I don’t get to see one today either.
Back at Dundreggan all the other Fs have left. Russell cooks, I start the fire, and Steve eats with us whilst polishing off some left over wine.
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- Thanks Julie. I would never have suspected that a washing line could be so interesting.
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- Not Austria.
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- Frosted Birch regen showing through a stand of Scots Pine
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- Some birch trees, on Dundreggan
More Focaliser conference, and some post conference chores…
Last night we ate and talked and played the odd game until late into the night. I can’t remember laughing so much for a long time, especially each time Andrew De La Haye claimed “My name is Flump Jockey” during the “My name is…” game.
Anyway, Alan’s attempts to get us all in a photo were worth it in the end…
Focalisers. And Steve.
Today a lucky handful of us are able to stay on to collect some seed source for future planting. Howard and Joan collect Pine cones on Dundreggan, while the rest of us take the AWD TFL minibus to Inverwick to collect cones there. There’s snow on the ground, and sporadic snow showers, and a great view of the Glen. In fact it’s just beautiful and I wonder why we don’t have work weeks at this time of year. But then I remember Rosie saying that the early work weeks are always slow to fill. Maybe if people could just see this snow…
Where's Russell?
How many times in this blog have I mentioned that I've not had this much fun since I was a kid..?
5 Focalisers, a 4 wheel drive minibus, and lot's of snow - is there a better way to spend a Monday?
Travelling North – pit stop at Manley Common
Last night I drove up to John’s to stay, as a good stop off point on my way to the Focaliser conference at Dundreggan, due to start tomorrow. Today John called me, as I was about to leave, to say that he and his boss were going cycling to recce out some routes to take the kids from their outdoor centre on. There were flurries of snow, but none of it stuck. Hopefully it will be sticking in the North.
As a result I’m quite late leaving John’s for Scotland (6pm). A night in the van for me then…
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- The first signs of snow on my way North
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- During our ‘short’ bike ride we are able to see 7 counties, apparently, including Jodrell Bank centre right.
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- John in foreground, Chester in background.
Brighton.
This weekend I went up to Brighton to see the Big Fella. I was amazed at the amount of snow that was lying around – 6 to 8 foot piled up in car parks, even though all the snow on the roads had melted. Funny how different it’s been from East to West.
Anyway, myself and Mike spent most of Saturday out and about, having a few drinks, playing (or throwing, in my case) a few darts, eating an “all you can eat…” veg curry, etc. Before meeting up with Julie, and Fran and “It’s a hat!” Andy later.
Brighton is a nice place, there’s pretty much something for everyone. I think you’d like it.
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- Round the clock, going for three, every dart rests against a piece of wire – amazing.
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- Four good reasons to like Brighton…
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- Me modelling the “It’s a hat!” hat
John the stag
Saturday
Venue – Britannia Hotel on New Street, various pubs, Slobs and some other altogether “Bit casual that mate”, posher club.
Activities – Karting, drinking, eating, drinking, dancing and walking around in the cold looking for food and the hotel
Attendees – John, Dave, Dave, Darren, Manoj, Tom, Mark, James, Doug, Dave, Jungle Boy, Ben and myself.
Sunday
Venue – Some Wetherspoons pub where we could all eat some cheap fried breakfast
Activities – buying and eating the fried food
Attendees – John, Dave, Dave, Darren, Manoj, Tom, Jungle Boy, Ben and myself. I think.
Following the food we made our way home (hopefully I’ll be able to get hold of some pictures from Saturday night at some point):
Job done, let's go home...
Driving home for Christmas…
Even though I had to be up for 5 the next morning, when I went to bed late on my last night on the Gruinart reserve I was feeling good, and not a little excited. This was after spending most of the day cleaning. After just 4 hours sleep I was up for 5.15am (Sat 19th), eating a quick breakfast and putting the last few items into the trusty wagon. A last walk for Ghilean and I was on my way.
Road conditions were tricky. There was no wind and the sky was completely devoid of clouds, the stars twinkling brightly with no light pollution to dull them in this part of the world. So, I couldn’t feel the cold, but I could sense it through the steering wheel. On the road to the ferry terminal a tanker was driving at a snail’s pace down the hill to Port Askaig. At the terminal itself extra grit was being laid following some arse/pavement action. I carefully made my way in to claim my tickets for the 7am ferry.
The crossing was glassy smooth, but I was asleep on a sofa/chair arrangement in one of the lounges. With few people on board I wasn’t disturbed until an hour into the journey, when I woke to the sound of a small boy’s laughter. I sat up and he smiled at me, a big beaming smile, so I said hello to him and his Mum and decided it was a good time to go and see what was going on.
Approaching Kennacraig
Outside the first light of day was beginning to wash over West Loch Tarbet as the ferry glided up the loch towards Kennacraig. Every now and again we passed some ducks, or swans, and I could see rings appearing in the water with no obvious culprits.
Soon after, I was on the road, the only other traffic being that which had accompanied me on the ferry. We gingerly made our way along the wonderfully scenic A83, through Tarbet, Lochgilphead, “Rest and be Thankful”, and eventually on to Arrochar. By this time I had been joined by a new set of unknown travelling companions, and made a brief stop to refuel. Edith Bowman and James King were providing the company inside the van.
Three hours after alighting the ferry I was on the A74 South of Glasgow, and finally felt I could trust the road to not slide out from underneath me, mostly because everyone else on the road seemed to be travelling at 80mph plus. If their cars were gripping the road ok then my heavyweight wagon should be fine.
Cold but bright in the Scottish Lowlands
There were tales of snow on the radio and the ratio of Christmas songs was high. I can’t say that his is my favourite Christmas song (Greg Lake takes that prize), but when Chris Rea’s “Driving home for Christmas” came on the radio it summed up my mood nicely.
Looking bleak in the Lake District
First stop, Barton-under-Needlewood. So began my attempt to fit in some much anticipated cross country socialising on my way South. After a night out in Lichfield with John, Vic and friends, watching The Villians, their soon to be wedding band, we made our way in to Nottingham on Sunday (20th), where Breige had very kindly organised a Christmas meal for the Mona Street posse and friends.
After a few beers and a night on some sofa cushions I set off for Manoj’s on Monday (21st) morning. Thankfully, a bit more snow was evident, but still not the many feet that had reportedly fallen in the South East. My journey was rewarded with a trip to the British Car Auctions with Manoj and Harmesh.
Snow on the streets of Nottingham
It seemed to be snowing across most of the country, which made for good looking news. No new snow in Wolves though and after an eventless trip to the auction and a few films I continued on my way, yesterday (22nd).
Snow on the streets of Penn
This time I got as far as Portishead, where it’s very icy, for a few alcohol free Becks with ex-work colleagues, Mike and Dean, in the Poachers’.
I made it back to Exmouth at half past midnight, last night. The house was warm and Christmassy. It’s great to be back. I feel excited. Oh, and Carol, my conveyancer, called to say that the house sale had finally completed.
Today has been spent catching up with family and unpacking the wagon. Round at Han and Ian’s Flynn and Willow both have colds. But I still managed a bit of reading time with Flynn. I’m now “Phwo”, and he seems to know lots of words, rather than just the “Shoeshoe” that he knew when I left.
Islay in the Sun
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- No Sea Eagles, but a beautiful morning.
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- The dunes by Killinallan
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- The island of Oronsay is an RSPB reserve
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- Looking west along the beach at Killinallan towards Loch Gruinart
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- David finally becomes a victim of the late night Christmas party antics
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- Maybe I’ve posted this pic too many times, but every new sunrise seems better than the last
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- The sun rising behind some cows on a hill
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- Beyond Islay, to the North, is Jura, and then the mainland, just visible through the haze
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- Gleann Leora
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- As I’m leaving Ardtala a group of stags cross my path
Islay
I’m up and away by 8am, after making Jane, who’s sleeping on the living room floor, with Steve (a dog), a cup of tea. She didn’t seem to be in a hurry to drink it, but then it was pretty cold, and dark…
The drive to Kennacraig goes well. Kennacraig is, literally, just a ferry terminal. Although it does seem to be relatively busy. When I initially park up the van, in one of the car parks, I notice some movement in the, initially seemingly empty car, parked next to mine. Closer inspection determines that a Robin is flying about inside the car. Is it possible to accidentally shut a bird in your car without noticing?
The crossing is smooth, and Islay alternates between looking sunny and brooding. I pick up some food in Bowmore and then find the reserve. my home for the next two weeks. The RSPB reserve at Loch Gruinart. Yes, indeed, we have a winner! Hopefully.
Eion, the farm manager (cattle and sheep are kept on the reserve to maintain habitat for various birds, which I’ll probably mention over the course of the next couple of weeks), shows me the bothy, where there is a kitchen living area, a number of bedrooms and a couple of toilets/washrooms. No one else is about until Catherine, the warden, shows up to give me an induction.
I carefully choose the bedroom that doesn’t overlook the cow shed. There is a room upstairs which is already occupied by David, another volunteer, who’s away for the weekend. He will be my house (bothy) mate for the next two weeks. Apparently, he’s nice.
First impressions are good. If I have a gripe, and it would be a small one, it’s that everything seems to smell ever so slightly of cow shit.
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- I’ve been driving in rain all morning, but there’s some sunshine coming in from the South
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- The ferry to Islay. And some other ferries.
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- Leaving Kennacraig. If there’s a ferry terminal there then apparently you have to give it a name. Although, on the way, one of the road signs did aptly state “Islay Ferry 19”
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- We’re on the way…
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- Islay on the left, Jura on the right.
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- Port Askaig.
A proper winter’s morning.
It’s been a glorious -5 overnight. When I get up and head down to the kitchen I find that it’s just 2 degrees in there. I turn on the hot tap and a blob of icy sludge falls out. A tiny trickle of water follows. Thankfully, after leaving the trickle running for a minute or so, the flow returns, as hot water runs through the system. The kitchen heater is not working again, but at least the one in the living room is.
Outside everything is white. The couple of pictures that I’ve taken don’t really do it justice. It’s stunning.
So, IT work in the office today. Now we’re talking. I install ArcView (GIS) onto Steve’s laptop. That seems to go well. Then I order a wireless router for the Lodge. Not totally sure how this setup is going to work yet, especially as the current router doesn’t seem to be acting as a DHCP server (fascinating stuff, I’m sure you’ll agree)…
The view from the gate in front of the lodge, looking down past the Dundreggan Lodge 'pond', to the river Moriston.
A bit of snow and I’m like a kid at Christmas
I’m still at Dundreggan. It’s still cold. And there’s been some snow at river level in the glen. Today Steve and Allan are busy so I get the opportunity to take a walk in the morning sun. Even though there is just a very light covering of snow, everywhere looks beautiful. I walk up the Red Burn, then cut across the hillside towards Binnilidh Bheag, before walking down past the wild boar enclosure. The boar are nowhere to be seen, but there are deer on the hillside, and I spend a few minutes watching a Red Admiral trying out it’s wings and sunning itself on a rock.
Yesterday I spent the afternoon walking the riparian planting area; a joint project between TFL and the Forestry Commission Scotland. I found some Alder that I’d planted in May in the FCS area, all looking very healthy, and some of the Aspen and Birch that I’d planted three weeks ago in the TFL area.
That was after Marion had left yesterday morning, and today I still have some of her squash soup to finish. It’s good soup. Almost too good. I know about the squash, the chillies, and some of the other veg that’s in there, but I can’t quite work out how she’s managed to get it to taste like a cross between soup and jam.
This evening I go and check out the wild boar, after dark but before tea. It’s below freezing and vegetation crunches under every footfall. I walk up the side of the enclosure, and eventually hear some low level grunts. I keep going a little way and then stop. I can hear one of the pigs walking down to where I’ve just been. In the dark it’s easy to imagine that there is no fence between us. As the two larger boar walk about looking for me, one above me on the slope, and one below, sniffing the air and sending out short deep grunts to each other, I get just a small taster of what it might be like to meet a potentially dangerous animal in the wild. It’s a buzz. Of course I’m safely behind a fence, but I feel sorry that in Britain we’ve pretty much eradicated this kind of experience from our lives.
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- A small family of fungi in the raparian planting area
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- Yellow Stagshorn Fungus. I think.
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- Allt Ruadh, the Red Burn.
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- It’s pretty late in the year for old Red to be out, but on a day like today, who can blame him
Time for my annual trip up Carn Ghluasaid
I’m away for half 9, and have climbed Carn Ghluasaid by midday. As I’m walking up I first of all see ice, then light settled snow, then big snow. Woohoo! The sun is shining, and it doesn’t look like snow will fall today, but there is light cloud around the tops of the mountains, which is preventing a view.
Aside from the fact that it’s mighty cold, the snow is fantastic. It’s at least 18inches deep in places, and maybe a lot more in others. I eat my lunch in it until I can no longer keep my gloves off, then sip hot Ginger, Lime and Apple from my flask. I wait about a long time, to see if I can spot any Ptarmigan. I have done on my previous two visits, in 2006, and last year, although both were a couple of weeks earlier in the year. But this time they are away. Maybe doing the walk on a Saturday, with too many other people about (6), is a mistake.
On the way down I pass someone who looks remarkably like Jonny Lee Miller. I step to one side, and say, “Hi”. He quietly says “Thank you”, as he walks by at a fair pace. The sun is already dropping. I wonder why he’s started so late in the day. Maybe there is a better chance of seeing Ptarmigan at night…
Wild Boar, Bison and mass media coverage.
Wow, what a day. We’re on the road just after half 6. Surprisingly, it’s raining. In fact everywhere between Glen Moriston and Kincraig looks very wet. It’s also cold, the temp doesn’t get much over 4 degrees outside while we’re in the car.
We get to Highland Wildlife park at 8.30am. Alan Watson Featherstone is already doing a radio interview for the BBC.
Myself, Kate and Kevin are given a Landrover tour of the park. Elk, Bison and a family of Amur Tiger, are the highlights.
I also spend a fair bit of time watching the wolf that keeps trotting around their enclosure. Wolves are a beautiful and misunderstood animal. As a predator to Deer they play a key role in European ecosystems, and their extirpation from Britain, through hunting, is an important reason why the Caledonian forest is unable to regenerate naturally, without human intervention.
We struggle to get the trailer to the pigs, in the mud (they are surely going to love their new home). But we’re on our way before 11, and when we make it back to Dundreggan, there are a number of people having tea and cakes in the cottage.
After another brief inspection by a vet and the dangerous animals inspector, the release goes very smoothly. The 6 sows trot off into the woods, curiously exploring their new surroundings. It’s very cool to see.
There must have been a good 25 people to see the release, including representation from BBC Scotland, STV and Gaelic television. I’ve managed to locate the following articles:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/8370348.stm
http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/home-news/wild-boar-our-new-eco-warriors-1.986562
http://news.scotsman.com/odd/Boars-to-return-to-the.5858725.jp
http://www.biodiversityscotland.gov.uk/library/Issue%2032%20final%20version.pdf
It is possible to find more articles by googling “Dundreggan boar” and any other words you think might help. I believe there is also a clip on bbc iplayer, but my internet connection is not going to be up for finding that.
Apologies for the terrible state of my pics. My camera and bad weather don’t mix (it’s not completely recovered from the soaking it received on Skye), and the light was poor and there was water on the lens. Really, there was…
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- The wild boar in their old home.
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- It’s a bit hard to see, but there is a wolf in the picture somewhere
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- When can we get some of these Steve?
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- They’re probably thinking they’ve had better days
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- Kate and Colin are clearly very excited
Life at Dundreggan – cold and wet.
It’s cold in the cottage and I wake in the night sure there is someone first in the room with me, and then just outside my bedroom door. I get up; nobody. The place is full of unusual noises and, almost certainly, a number of rodents.
In the morning Steve (Dundreggan Project Manager) comes round when I’m in the shower. He asks me to check the wild boar enclosure and add some fencing to the gates. It rains all day. I go back to the cottage to eat at 2.30pm. I’ve managed to sort one of the 6 gates. I’m wet, even with a full set of waterproofs on. The heater in the cottage kitchen is broken.
Half an hour later I find that Allan Common has taken the tools I’m using – I think that I’ve seen him drive off in the tractor, but eventually find him up by the enclosure gates. He’s working on the second gate, with a bloodied hand. It’s raining harder. I help him and, without much talking, we manage to finish two other gates in the remaining hour before it gets too dark.
I get in and make some food, then just about manage to pick up a couple of emails on my very flaky internet connection. They’re not the best part of my day. Solicitors and girls – I thought things had been going ok, but apparently not.
Thankfully Steve comes round for a chat, so I don’t get too much time to think on things, before tiredness catches up with me and I fall into a deep and relatively untroubled sleep…
Off to Dundreggan, and a quick liaison with Calum
Today I handed over the web site reigns to Jane, who’s back from holiday, and Claire, a volunteer who is spending a fair bit of time in the TFL office. Then I wished Craig good luck (it’s his last week in the office), before heading off to the highlands proper, at the end of the working day.
As I was driving towards Inverness I remembered that Calum was working on the Black Isle packing Christmas trees. A phone call later and a small wait while he did some food shopping, and we met up before picking up some chips. We drove them back to Drynie, where Calum lives in a caravan, parked next to a whole bunch of other caravans, all occupied by the other Christmas tree workers. The caravan was warm, and the chips were a bit of a treat (although perhaps not the best chips in the world), and it was good to catch up.
At 9.30 I had to be going, as Calum has to be up and packing trees for 7 in the morning. I put a Jody Wisternoff mix on in the van, and drove to Dundreggan with a smile on my face. When I got there it was a beautiful, clear starry night.
The Drynie Christmas Tree Factory. At night.
Life since the office 
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