Articles, papers, notes and reviews.

Articles & Short Notes menu | SBSG Home |

Notes on a Scotland trip via a County Durham Black Grouse Site.
Jim Sherwin, May 2001.

Photograph Copyright © Jim Sherwin

Leaving home at 4am on 14th May for a four day bird-watching break in Scotland I arrived in Langdon Beck, County Durham, at about 6am. The Black Grouse lek was already underway and I could see 13 males spread out below me. After about 15 minutes one of the males broke away from the lek, flew towards the road and disappeared. Shortly afterwards I rolled the car down the hill a short distance and realised there was a female on the grass verge. I took a photograph from the car and then noticed, a little further down, a male displaying to the female. I again gradually dropped the car further down, taking photographs as I went until I was close enough to take the photographs shown above and below.

Photograph Copyright © Jim Sherwin

This got the trip off to a good start and I was later [the same day] to get a Black-throated Diver at Lochindorb and 2 Crested Tits at Forest Lodge. Talking to various people it seems that the latter were proving elusive this year and I met nobody who had seen Scottish Crossbills. Apart from the Ospreys, the next day I got a glimpse of two Capercaillies at Loch Garten a couple of days before they stopped showing and 2 more Black Grouse at Tulloch Moor.

If anyone is thinking of going to the Cairngorm for Ptarmigan or Dotterel be warned [at the time of writing at least] the ski lifts are closed and helicopters were running shuttle services up the mountain carrying materials for the new funicular railway being built. Peaceful it is not!

I then went over to Mull picking up 2 Sea Eagles, Golden Eagle, Hen Harriers, Great Northern Diver and Black Guillemot. The highlight of the trip, however, was standing on Iona in the evening on the way to the pub watching an Otter in the sea, yards from my B&B, with 2 Corncrakes calling behind me.
Last updated 17th June 2001.

[Top]

Articles & Short Notes menu | SBSG Home |

Information provided by Tony J. Morris
Copyright © Sheffield Bird Study Group