Back home..............ughhhhhhhh!!

Back home to the glorious Tees Valley..................not quite the Cairngorms, but you can't have everything. Caught up with some of the local birds that are around at the moment, the Red-necked Grebe at Hartlepool was good to see, but kept just to far away for good photo's.

 Red-necked Grebe

 Red-throated Diver

 Black-throated Diver

 Eider and crab

 Med. Gull

Just noticed that a Snowy Owl has been seen on Ben Macdui in the Cairngorm's...Hope it wasn't this one !!!

Brilliant end to a few days.

The weather this morning seemed rather dull compared to the past couple of days but we did not let it spoil our last morning up here.  We decided to head off to Abernethey forest and take a walk around the Osprey Centre.  We were glad we did as we had excellent views of Crested Tits and managed some slightly better photos.  If only the light had been as it had before, but you cant have everything.  We have never seen so many coal tits as were there and views of Goldcrest were good too.  We certainly did not want to come home.

Crested Tit

Goldcrest

Coal Tits galore

Goldeneye

Red Squirrel

Capercaille Day

Another life tick for Mick as we managed to find the Capercaille in more or less the same spot I had seen it in when visiting two years ago.  What a super bird to see.  

Another Beautiful Day

It is hard to describe how fantastic the weather is up here,

 so if I post a few photos they might do it justice.

Loch Garten

Driving towards Cairngorm

Outside Ptarmigan Restaurant at the top

Coming back down!!!

Why can't the Crestie be as easy to capture as the others.  Easy to find though, two days on the trot in the same places.  Hope they are there tomorrow.

Coal Tit

Blue Tit

Goldeneye on the River Spey

Up in Cairngorm

Travelled up to Aviemore this morning and the weather was not good on the journey up.  As we came down into Aviemore however the weather cleared and it was sun and blue sky, we couldn't believe how quickly it cleared.  

We headed up to the base car park at Cairngorm to find skiers galore and the car park was packed with it blowing a gale.  I have never known it so cold in the wind, we spotted a flock of snow bunting near the car park but didn't hang around too long.  I took Mick to the place where I had seen Crested Tits last time I visited and after a short walk we spotted two.  Didn't manage any photos but will go back before we leave on Saturday and hopefully see them again.

Loch Morlich

Drifts up to Cairngorm

Snow Bunting in the Snow

What a beautiful day

Our first visit of the year to Smardale Gill was probably on the best day of the year so far.  The walk was lovely, blue sky, hardly any wind and quite warm.  

We saw the Red Squirrel in its usual area and the Ravens have their nest built under the viaduct.  We did not see them on the way down but on the way back they were on the hillside and cliffs.

View along the way

Lime Kiln

Old Packhorse Bridge

Blue Sky

Smardale Gill Viaduct in the distance

Raven

Red Squirrel

We could not come home without looking for the parrots in Kirby Stephen.