Dawn at Loch Garten - Day 2

An early alarm call led us out through the ancient pine forests around the stunning Loch Garden. On the way we stopped at a couple of places hoping to find an elusive Capercaille. These birds are now deemed the hardest to find in the highlands by all the local guides however luck was on the side for both Peter and I who just happened to be looking at the right place at the right time. The views were just for a few seconds but clear enough you could see it was a large male. The Capercailles are really struggling to survive with populations plummeting to levels where they could be extinct within twenty years. Dogs running through the forest floor when chicks are on the ground is creating a major issue for the species.

Once arriving at the reserve the feeders were occupied with two Red Squirrels having breakfast. Good numbers of Coal Tit's were all taking their turn when the opportunity arose. A Crested Tit came in from our left and hung around above our heads before taking off. We knew that better opportunities would be coming to see these beauties.

From our view point at the side of the loch we observed a flock of Goosander, a Goldeneye and a flock of Pink-footed Geese flew over us.

A substantial breakfast awaited our return from the session before we set off for the rest of the day.