Arrived in Sutherland

After a week spent near Aviemore attending hill skills and 4x4 driving courses in preparation I have finally arrived in Sutherland ready to start my summer job working as a research assistant with the RSPB looking at the impact of a wind farm upon breeding Golden Plover. The role will involve lots of surveying in the wind farm and two neighbouring control sites as well as catching adult Golden Plovers and their chicks and fitting them with tiny radio transmitters to allow their foraging behaviour to be tracked.

Since arriving the recent spell of unseasonably mild weather has broken bringing extremely poor wintery weather meaning that we have had to delay surveying as many birds and the Golden Plover in particular are spending their time feeding at lower altitude where the weather is not so harsh. Snow was not expected and will have certainly prevented the Golden Plovers from establishing their territories on the blanket bog where the wind farm is located and flocks numbering 50-60 birds have been observed feeding on sheep fields in Strath Brora though which the River Brora runs.

The down time has however, given us time to familiarise ourselves with the local area and birding hotspots. An interesting selection of species have been seen within the first week of being up here with a couple of locations being particularly productive. Brora harbour and the surrounding beaches have been good for sea birds with small flocks of Long-tailed Duck being present most days along with varying numbers of  Common Eider. There was talk of a male King Eider having been seen in the area but it proved elusive. Sandwich Terns have started arriving whilst Gannets can usually be seen offshore. A few Razorbills can often be spotted bobbing on the waves with the odd Fulmar almost touching the sea as it glides between the white horses. On one visit a large flock of over 100 Knot were seen using the rocks just north of Brora harbour mouth as a high tide roost, endlessly jostling for position as the high tide lapped the rocks they stood on. One day a Peregrine was seen hassling the Redshanks which come into the harbour mouth at high tide.

Looking north from Brora beach

Loch Fleet a few miles south of Golspie on the A9 is a National Nature Reserve and a component of the Dornoch Firth and Loch Fleet SPA and RAMSAR sites. The reserve consists of a fresh water lagoon separated by a sluice from an estuary with extensive tidal mudflats used by waders and a population of grey seals. The lagoon has been packed with birds on recent visits with highlights being Greenshank, Bar-tailed Godwit, Pintail and the first Osprey for the year. The river flowing through the estuary has held over 30 Red-breasted Mergansers and numerous Goldeneye.

 View towards the mouth of Loch Fleet

Ringed Plover on the beach at the mouth of Loch Fleet

A variety of inland sites have provided gems such as Black-throated Diver, Raven and Dippers which can be found on many small burns throughout the area. One of the first wind farm visits produced a female Goshawk but with small flocks of Fieldfare being seen at lower altitudes as well as the Golden Plover being seen foraging in the sheep fields in Strath Brora, it is clear that sadly, the cold snowy weather is not over just yet. It does seem odd though to be seeing Fieldfare in the same view as newly arrived Wheatears. Hopefully we have seen the worst of this brief return to wintery weather and we'll be able to start surveying up at the wind farm