Our return to the Highlands in search of Scottish Wildcat
The Highlands of Scotland have got to be one of my favourite places to watch wildlife. Following a successful visit in 2006 when I saw most of the Scottish bird specialities including Crested Tit and Capercaillie, Sarah and I returned in 2008 to seek out some mammals.
Nothing is guaranteed in wildlife watching and that’s part of the fun. I have had some incredible luck in the past seeing some exceptional animals and birds in the wild, often with little skill or hardship on my part. However, on this trip we seemed to have to work for what we saw (with a couple of exceptions). None of the target mammals gave themselves up easily and the holiday climaxed with perhaps my most frustrating nature encounter to date.
For the first three days of the holiday we stayed in Carrbridge, Speyside at the Dalrachney Lodge. The hospitality and food at this hotel is excellent, while the location allows easy exploration of the surrounding area.
The first mammal target of the holiday was Mountain Hare and we spent most of the first day searching for this animal.
We started our quest in the Findhorn Valley, well known among birders as a reliable place for Golden Eagles. On the morning of our visit we didn’t see any eagles, but we were entertained by a dog fight between a pair of Ravens and the local Peregrine Falcons. As we enjoyed the birds, the sound of Red Deer stags echoed around the valley, while a particularly large herd of hinds looked down from the hillside.
Looking through the scope failed to produce any hares, not even of the Brown species that apparently reside in the lower parts of the valley. Not feeling too bothered we decided to drive to Farr, taking the road that cuts through prime Mountain Hare territory.
The wind at this point had increased in strength, resulting in most wildlife hunkering down in the heather. Only Common Buzzards and Red Grouse were seen, despite careful searches at every possible stopping place.
I had always thought a giant, white rabbit would be relatively easy to find, especially after several hours of searching. This was obviously not the case and I decided to try my luck in another suitable area.
Early afternoon saw us driving the road between Grantown-on-Spey and Bridge of Brown, searching the pasture and heather clad hills around Lynemore for our elusive quarry. The nearest we came was a rather large Rabbit that was sheltering from the wind behind a stone wall.
Almost ready to give up for the day in place of some regular holiday activities, I parked in a rather large lay-by on the A939 and set up my scope. Looking across the valley I quickly found a large group of rabbits feeding in a pasture. Sighing, I moved my scope up towards a huge area of heather that cloaked the top of the hill and found several more rabbits, only this time they were bigger and obviously in the latter stages of turning white. Result- my first Mountain Hares!
We spent the rest of the day doing more normal things. Later in the evening a Brown Hare crossed the road, just outside Boat of Garten.
The next morning I was up early and headed to Loch Garten for some pre-breakfast birding. Sarah, as always, opted for a more leisurely start to the day and stayed in bed.
Once at the reserve I noted a couple of Goldeneye in the loch, before walking the track seeing nothing but Coal Tits. As the main attraction at Loch Garten is an active Osprey nest, out of season the visitor centre and hide are closed and visitors discouraged.
While visiting the reserve in 2006 I was extremely lucky to see a female Capercaillie while walking the exact same path and memories of this special encounter came flooding back. I have friends that have struggled to see this cracking bird, despite having far superior birding skills and putting in a considerable amount of effort.
As I reached the hide and still thinking of my previous visit, I casually scanned the area in front of me, using the building to break my outline.
Not expecting anything, I was amused to see a log that had more than a slight resemblance to a male Caper. In fact it was very realistic, almost the exact shape and colour. I very nearly walked away, but part of me had to be sure. I slowly set up my scope, refusing to feel the smallest ping of excitement.
There before me, in the early morning mist, sat a stunning male Capercaillie, totally oblivious to the fact I was watching it (at least it seemed that way). Again, I had put no effort into seeing this elusive creature and there it was, for only me to see. I don’t know what the opposite of a Bogey Bird is, but I certainly have had a phenomenal amount of luck seeing the Scottish Caper! Smiling to myself, I left the bird in peace and returned to the hotel for a delicious breakfast.
As the previous day had been hard work, searching for Mountain Hares on the moors, I was looking forward to a relatively easy UK mammal tick with the resident Bottle-nosed Dolphins that inhabit the Moray Firth.
Reading around, it seemed that Chanonry Point on Black Isle was a reliable enough place to watch for the dolphins, so we headed there, first stopping at Munlochy Bay. From here we had a couple of fly-over Red Kites together with Fieldfare, Redwing, Buzzard (below), Hooded Crow, Oystercatcher, Wigeon, Redshank, Dunlin and Curlew.
Once at Chanonry point we added Knot, Shag, Rock Pipit, Ringed Plover, Turnstone, Guillemot and Long-tailed Duck. Unfortunately a lengthy seawatch failed to turn up any mammals apart from the occasional Grey Seal.
A decision was made to drive to the opposite side of the firth where Bottlenose Dolphins are often reported from Fort George. Unfortunately we failed again, adding only Red-breasted Merganser to the trip list.
Nearby Culbin Sands RSPB was disappointing, mainly as it was full of chavs and dog-walkers. Lifting a piece of board produced a sleepy Common Lizard which was a surprise. Several species of bird were seen on the beach, including Brent Geese and Bar-tailed Godwits.
As we headed back to Speyside I made a last minute decision to stop again at Fort George. Through my bins I could make out a small crowd assembled across the water a Chanonry Point. A flash from a camera confirmed what I suspected- they were watching a dolphin!
Although I was at the other side of the firth from the dolphin, I was able to watch it for a good while as it performed in the fading light. Ideally I would have been stood with the crowd on the other bank but at least I had seen my target mammal for the day!
We left Speyside the next morning, but not before calling at the Landmark Centre, Carrbridge, where we saw good numbers of Red Squirrels but no Crested Tits. Dipper and Goosander were noted on the River Spey.
En route to the west coast we stopped at the information centre at Insh Marshes. On the last visit in 2006 we saw a ringtail Hen Harrier from here, but today seemed void of birdlife apart from a Grey Heron. Good numbers of Roe Deer were dotted around the wetland making the visit worthwhile.
Heavy rain made the rest of the journey uneventful and we arrived at Glenfinnan in good time. We stayed at the Glenfinnan Hotel, a pretty decent place with excellent bar meals. Unfortunately the mammal hotspots of the Ardnamurchan Peninsula were over an hours drive away, much to my dismay.
The next day we wasted little time exploring Ardnamurchan, first driving to the lighthouse at the point. On the way we called in at the Glenmore Natural History Centre to find out about any recent mammal sightings. Unfortunately the woman we spoke to hadn’t seen an Otter in over ten years of living on the Peninsula! I didn’t dare ask about Wildcats.
Just after lunch, we had nearly reached the lighthouse when a Noctule Bat suddenly appeared over the car. Probably taking advantage of a rare period of dry weather, it hawked for insects over a cottage garden and was seen well. I even managed to quickly set up my bat detector and get some clicks around the expected frequencies.
Once at Ardnamurchan Point I failed to see any whales, despite the fact the peninsula is probably one of the best spots for cetacean watching in the UK. The rough seas meant I didn’t waste too much time looking. It was also too late in the season, hence the reason most whale watching trips end in September (Ardnamurchan Charters (01972 500208) have been recommended to me by several people and I will definitely consider using them on future visits).
We spent the rest of the day watching Whooper Swan, Red Deer (above) and the occasional Golden Eagle from the B8007. On the way to Strontian we also called in at the Garbh Eilean Hide where we saw Common Seals but no Otters.
Darkness fell and after a satisfactory evening meal at the Ben View Hotel, we headed back to the B8007 between Glenborrodale and Kilchoan where we used a spotlight to search for mammals along the road. Unfortunately the only animals seen in a couple of hours were sheep and plenty of Red Deer of various sizes. The long drive back to the hotel produced much of the same, despite high hopes of something better.
One Scottish speciality missed on our 2006 visit to Scotland was Ptarmigan. For this reason we planned to spend the next day driving up to the ‘Pass of the Cattle’ on the Applecross Peninsula to try and finally see one, although a combination of very bad weather, long distance involved and sat-nav (don’t ask!) meant we ended up on the Isle of Skye. The bad weather resulted in poor seawatching conditions from the ferry. A possible Black Guillemot and Eider were the best I could manage, apart from a Common seal.
Once on land a Merlin flew across the road near Armadale and Whooper Swans were seen on a small loch from the A851.
We decided to visit Otter Haven at Kylerhea as lack of time before the return ferry ruled out exploring the other side of the island. After half an hour in the hide we were rewarded with our only Otter of the trip. This was a great result, especially as we had spent many hours looking for them the previous day. We watched it for several minutes as it searched for food along the seashore.
The last day of the holiday was spent back on Ardnamurchan. Slow drives along the lochs produced more Common Seals, Wigeon, Teal and Little Grebe, but nothing else of note. The weather was slightly better then previous days allowing us to do a little exploration on foot.
We had a rather poor evening meal at the Strontian before heading back to the scree slopes and rush fields of the peninsula for another spotlighting session. Again we drove the B8007 paying particular attention to the area between Glenmore and the junction with Kilmory Road.
Full of anticipation we worked the area more carefully than we did two nights earlier, making sure to cover all areas with the light beam. While the rain held off, there was a fine mist that only added to the eerie atmosphere that comes from driving in such a remote location in total darkness.
After seeing only sheep and deer, I spotted some eye-shine obviously different to that of an ungulate. Much more calculating and ‘intelligent’ this creature watched from under a bush, often blinking and turning its head. The eyes were close together, smaller and brighter then those of a sheep or deer. They were also closer to the ground.
Struggling to see the animal in my bins, I was able to make out the oblong shape of a large, stocky cat, before it slunk off over the brow of the hill and out of site.
To say I was frustrated is a gross understatement. While I can’t rule out hybrid Wildcat, I am confident I had some type of large cat in my spotlight. I know of at least three people who have recently seen pure looking Wildcat in the exact same area adding to my exasperation.
The long drive back to the hotel was pretty eventful with a hedgehog seen crossing the road near the Natural History Centre and a probable Natterer’s Bat spotted near Acharacle. In the same area, a Pine Marten ran in front of the car just within range of my car headlights, providing an enticing glimpse of this great mammal. Fortunately I have had much better views of Pine Martens at the Speyside Wildlife mammal watching hide in 2006, along with Badgers and Wood Mice.
We left Scotland the next day in torrential rain that lasted the entire journey. Throughout the drive my thoughts kept returning to the previous night. I vowed to myself I would return to Ardnamurchan again and not leave until I get better views of a Scottish Wildcat. Until then I will just have to accept that I came within a whisker of seeing the rarest and most charismatic of British mammals in the wild.
For any mammal watchers visiting Scotland I would recommend:
Moores R (2007) Where to Watch Mammals in Britain and Ireland. A&C Black, London.
The following book is great for birds, but also has information on other wildlife including mammals:
Hamlett G (2005) Best Birdwatching Sites in the Scottish Highlands. Buckingham Press, Peterborough.
Finally more information about Scottish Wildcats can be found on this excellent DVD. Half the profits from sale go towards Wildcat conservation.