Sunday 28th January

"If you can't beat 'em, join 'em." or so I thought on deciding to head back to Ken Dee Marshes to get a few snaps of the greenland white-fronted geese mentioned in my last post.

In fact it wasn't as simple as that.  On arrival at the RSPB car park, a returning couple reported that they had seen neither the geese in question, nor any willow tits - just lots of the usual tits, a woodpecker and some nuthatch.

Their evidence was proved partly correct when my first ever visit to the goose viewing platform revealed nothing but a couple of crows and some unidentifiable ducks in very distant flight.

There was a sign that prospects could be better when a small group of fieldfares took up station in a large tree near the main path.  However at the first hide I saw exactly what they saw, with the bonus that, while Mr Woodpecker was attached to one feeder, Mrs Woodpecker arrived on the other.

On regaining the main path, I saw a young red deer turn tail and make into the undergrowth.  Continuing bright, low sun and the first sight of this year's snowdrops made it a pleasurable stroll along through the trees to the furthest hide, where I settled down to eat, observing the feeder right next to the side windows.

It was only five minutes before a single willow tit turned up and made several nervous raids on the peanuts whiel evading the attentions of the other birds.  This continued for a good twenty minutes or so.

Willow Tit and Blue Tit

I went to take a bit of a look out of the main windows to see nothing at all.  On returning to the feeder I sat it out again for ten minutes, but tit willow did not reappear.  I must have hit lucky.

After another fruitless visit to the goose viewing platform, I was asked by a couple of new arrivals if I knew the best place to look for the elusive Greenland white-fronted geese.  I told them what I knew - but added that it must be their day off.

Then, taking a last look down the loch, there they were, a group of about thirty just visible in a fold in the landscape about four hundred yards away.  I was simply pleased to get a good enough photo to be able to identify them for certain.

Greeland White-fronted Geese

There was another skein of geese feeding on the road back to Glenlochar, but they proved to be barnacles.