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Cairngorm Wildlife Diary for 2012

by Allan Bantick

Unless otherwise explained all the badger sightings mentioned here were made at the Strathspey Badger Hide.
If you would like to go, click here to email me.  Locations of sensitive nests and dens are kept deliberately vague for obvious reasons. If you have a bone fide reason for more detail please let me know.  Enjoy the diary and please do get in touch if you have any comments.

For the record, Cairngorm Wildlife supports the Scottish Wildlife Trust.  Please watch this video to see why.........

 

The diary will be updated roughly once per week, usually at the weekend. Apologies in advance for when circumstances cause this to slip. For more immediate brief updates follow me on Twitter @AllanBoat.

Sat 4th Feb
Spent much of the day working on the papers for an RSWT Governance Review meeting next Tuesday.

Fri 3rd Feb
-8 degs C this morning - nothing stirred on the moor. Bought more peanuts (£45 for 25kgs) Topped up most of the village feeders. Some feeders still had plenty in so I left them alone; at current prices I do not want to waste peanuts by having them go rotten. Wrote the Chairman's report for the next SWT Council meeting.

Thurs 2nd Feb
The dogs and I accidentally disturbed a buzzard by walking too close to its tree, at which it flew off to vent its irritation on two jackdaws in the next tree. When we got home there was a great spotted woodpecker on the lorry park feeder opposite our house. Installed a new peanut feeder at the Angle in the woods and went back in the shed to start making another one.

Weds 1st Jan
Spent part of the day dealing with a variety of wildife related issues, mostly governance stuff.

Tues 31st Jan
Conservation Committee meeting at Leith.

Mon 30th Jan
Train to Edinburgh, then a meeting at SWT HQ, Leith. Over night at Dalkeith.

Sun 29th Jan
In the morning, 11 videos on the Bushnell cam but all of dog walkers. Later I managed to complete the new BoGWiG website.

Sat 28th Jan
0900 Swapped the cards in the Bushnell cam. Frost on the lens was a problem again but we were able to discern a couple of dog walkers and a rabbit. Bobby and I went round the village and filled up all the feeders - there was a red squirrel at the Community Hall. I then fixed up the Olympus cam on a tree by as feeder near our house. In the evening I worked on the BoGWiG website again.

Fri 27th Jan
This morning the Bushnell cam was covered in frost so there was not much to see.   Later, lots of RSWT and SWT phone calls and emails.  Finished making the video for YouTube (mentioned yesterday) and uploaded it, then emailed the link to various people.

 

Thurs 26th Jan
On the moor in the morning 3 roe deer passed behind us. In the afternoon I set up the Bushnell cam on the fence along the far side of the moor.  Started making a video from the best few clips from the camera at the Angle this week.

Weds 25th Jan
Fox dung right beside a corrugated iron sheet on the moor where we know there are voles living. More videos at the Angle of red squirrels, a woodpecker and some mice. We removed both cameras from the woods and will try them in some new places. In the evening I worked on the new BoGWiG website.

Tues 24th Jan
Great start to the day - a crested tit in the garden and a buzzard on a fence post on the moor. The trail cam at the Angle had taken 70 videos, mostly of red squirrels but one of small birds and one of a woodpecker. I'll put a video together for YouTube later in the week.

Mon 23rd Jan
We took the cards from both cameras - nothing of interest on either of them. I moved one of the cameras to the feeder at the Angle to try to confirm what is using it and later went back to add more hazelnuts.

Sun 22nd Jan
Filled the village bird feeders and checked both cameras. No surprises on either cam but not easy to examine the pictures thoroughly in the field - we'll maybe switch cards next day for a proper look at home. Good news - the squirrels may have at last found the feeder at the Angle because most of the hazelnuts are now missing.

Sat 21st Jan
Snow virtually all gone.    More fox dung on the moor at NH 9344 1925. In the evening I spent a couple of hours at the badger hide to test the new lights. Excellent No badgers turned up but I don't blame them in the foul freezing gale that was blowing.

Fri 20th Jan
4 inches of snow overnight but it soon began to thaw. Fox and deer prints on the moor this morning and a crested tit in the garden. Checked the Olympus cam in the woods (nothing to report) and added a second camera.The snow was shifting fast by nightfall when the temp was +5.4C.

Thurs 19th Jan
The snow returned today, big-time.

Weds 18th Jan
Fresh fox dung near the bottom fence on the moor again. In the evening Bea and I attended a reception organised by SNH at the Grant Arms in Grantown. A most useful evening.

Tues 17th Jan
Bea and I took the new floodlights to the badger hide and installed them. Very pleased to get it done before more bad weather strikes and before I get busy with meetings again.

Mon 16th Jan
SWT Admin and phone calls to do with squirrel projects, TV filming and upcoming meetings. Filled all the village bird feeders. There was a strange hand written sign at the woods entrance by the grebe car park - something about "Hands Off Our Woods" and "Capercaillie Have No Negative Effects. Poachers Welcome". Weird! Checked the Olympus Camera - nothing of interest.

Sun 15th Jan
Had hoped to go to the badger hide and fit the new lights but the frosty weather made it inadvisable due to the risk of sliding off the roof as well as the painful prospect of handling metal objects in below zero temperatures. Filled a bird feeder in the woods and sprinkled nuts in front of the Olympus cam. In the evening worked a bit on websites.

Sat 14th Jan
0900 crested tit in the garden - brilliant. Wired up another LED light unit ready to go to the badger hide. Collected the Olympus camera from The Angle and moved it to another animal track between the discrete path and Kinchurdy Rd houses. No cats so far.

Fri 13th Jan
RSWT Review Group telecom in the morning. After lunch a meeting at CNPA HQ with Bob Grant re mitigation proposals for capercaillie in our woods. A difficult day.

Thurs 12th Jan
Sleeper arrived home on time. Met with TV producers concerning possible involvement with making a film about winter wildlife.

Weds 11th Jan
Tour of the Sennedd (Welsh parliament) which is - equivalent to Holyrood in Scotland and is designed with a similar flavour. Most interesting. We then held the RSWT Countries Committee meeting in the Millenium Centre - a very full agenda. Caught an early evening train to London in time for the sleeper north.

Tues 10th Jan
Train to Cardiff via London. Arrived in time to join the other delegates and the Welsh Environment Minister for dinner.

Mon 9th Jan
Fed the village birds; discovered a problem with the lid of one of the feeders. While out with the dogs I set up the old Olympus camera on a small animal track near "The Angle". On the way home I fixed the problem feeder. At home did some plotting with Bea regarding adverts for the badger hide for the coming summer - decided to make better use of websites rather than send posters out.

Sun 8th Jan
Weather much drier - it seems odd to have no snow in the Scottish Highlands at this time of year. While out with the dogs I watched a red squirrel feeding at one of the feeders. It has been a fairly inactive week but next week will be very different. Travel to Cardiff, then eventually back on the sleeper in time to meet a TV producer with a view to helping with wildlife filming later in the month, then two more meetings at the end of the week. Looking forward to it all.