Loch Garten & Abernethy Forest

A few weeks ago we went to Loch Garten to see the ospreys. This time we went to see the lochs and the forest. The day was cloudy with occasional brief bursts of sunshine and patches of blue sky. In the woods it was calm and quite warm but a cool wind swept over Loch Garten and Loch Mallachie, sending waves lapping on the shores. Goldeneye floated out on the water, one pair quite close by until my voice disturbed them and they skittered away, low over the loch's surface. Huge beds of water lilies spread out from the banks, green and white. The lochs were a mix of colours, green from the trees, grey from the clouds, blue from the sky.

The woods were silent. Just once a bird called and then a flock darted through the trees, probably tits and finches though they never stopped long enough for a good view. More clearly we watched a treecreeper spiraling up a pine tree. Wonderfully camouflaged against the bark we only spotted it when it moved. Deeper into the forest a large wood ants nest was crawling with activity, its surface a mass of movement. Sadly, a fence surrounded this nest and a notice asked for it to be left alone. Two other nests had been destroyed, it said. Who would come here and so such a thing?

Ospreys & Otters: A Visit to Loch Garten

Loch Garten

Out on the loch beyond the water lilies a goldeneye duck and duckling floated in the sunshine below the cloud-dappled blue sky. A peaceful scene. The only sound the gentle ripple of water on the shore. Abruptly a duck, a mallard, skittered out of the reeds and across the water, wings flapping, legs thrashing wildly, quacking loudly. Just behind it a fluffy duckling paddled frantically, trying to keep up. Something dark surged in the water behind the duckling. A rounded head emerged briefly then a curving body slicing through the water. An otter. There was flurry in the water. Otter and duckling vanished. The duck continued alone. Further out the goldeneyes drifted serenely. Within seconds the scene was calm again, the brief life-and-death drama over.

Loch Garten

This was the one moment of excitement on an otherwise tranquil wander beside beautiful Loch Garten and through the pinewoods of Abernethy Forest on a lovely sunny day. Everything glowed with warmth and life. White water lilies spread round the edges of the loch, more than I’ve ever seen here before. The first blaeberries were appearing in the woods. Nature at its most relaxed and welcoming. Then there was that sudden flash of violence, the sudden ending of a duckling’s brief existence. A reminder of the reality of how much of nature works.

Live video of the osprey nest in the visitor centre.

Earlier we had visited the RSPB’s Loch Garten Osprey Centre not far from the loch, our first visit of the year and rather later than usual. The three young ospreys were almost ready to fly, standing on the edge of the nest and flapping their wings. Their mother perched on a nearby tree, watching.  Using the powerful centre telescopes we were able to watch them and marvel at their grace and power. There are also live videos in the centre that show them closely. Like the otter these are hunters as the piercing eyes and hooked bills showed. Soon they will leave the nest and then Scotland, heading south to West Africa for the winter. Seeing the ospreys and reflecting again on their return to the Highlands and the work that went into protecting them is always inspiring and gives hope for the future of wildness and nature.

Spring at Loch Garten

The return of the iconic ospreys to their nest at Loch Garten in Abernethy Forest is an event I look forward to every year and I always go to see them soon after their arrival. For me they are a symbol of wild nature and a signifier of the coming of spring. Hearing that both birds were back (the RSPB reports in detail with http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifa daily blog and live videocams here) my partner and I headed for Loch Garten on a day of warm breezes, cloudy skies and touches of sunshine. Sometimes both birds are away from the nest before eggs are laid and sometimes one is there but low down in the big bundle of sticks. There can be a long wait to see the birds. Today we were in luck and arrived to find the female, EJ, on the nest and the male, Odin, perched on a branch just below eating a fish EJ had brought for him (a rare event as usually the male brings fish for the female). They both looked magnificent, birds of prey in their prime.

After viewing the ospreys from the RSPB hide we had a quiet wander through the pine forest along the edge of Loch Garten and then onto Loch Mallachie. Two red squirrels entertained us chasing each other in and out of the branches of a big pine, stopping occasionally to watch us warily. Their reddish fur and the reddish coloured tree were well-matched, both catching bursts of sunlight. Out on Loch Garten we could see distant flocks of ducks, small black bobbing dots on the water too far away to be identified. Then in a calm bay, where water lilies appear later in the year, a few came close to shore – beautiful goldeneye with their distinctive plumage and ringed eyes. In a flooded marshy area in the trees two mallard paddled. Out on the main body of the loch the breeze rippled the water and the reflections of the clouds shimmered. Beyond the water and the forest the hills rose, dark against the sky as most of the snow has gone.

The forest was calm and quiet, with just the gentle rustle of the wind in the tree tops and the occasional calls of woodland birds. In the distance came the soft murmur of doves. Just once a loud “chrr” broke the peace, a great spotted woodpecker warning of our presence. The forest floor was starting to green over with bilberry bushes and other low shrubs. Soon there will be flowers and more colour.

The photo shows Loch Garten, April 8, 2011.