A Good Start to the Year

 So we are 12 days into 2023 and this is our first post of the year. I''ll start with a short walk at Loch Leven on New Years Day from the Kirkgate car park to the screen overlooking the Loch. It was actually very quiet with not a lot to report, some Mute Swans of course, a few Goldeneye, a flock of Lapwing racing around the loch edge from the viewpoint. But the highlight was a very confiding Goldcrest near the screen:

Sadly by the car park was a poorly Pink-footed Goose;

The aforementioned Lapwing:

and some trees!!

On the 2nd we took are annual winter pilgrimage up to Braemar. Lots of snow when we arrived, the Glenshee Ski Centre car park was rammed, so we passed on through down to Braemar, we usually stop to look for Mountain Hare and Snow Buntings but too many people!!

The following day the weather wasn't great so we took a drive down the Linn of Dee, again it was very quiet, but we did manage to find a Dipper on the Dee.

We did go looking for Crossbills at Invercauld but to no avail. We had wanted to go for a walk but the weather precluded that.

Next day we headed over the Lecht and visited Loch Garten to look for Crested Tit, these have surprisingly eluded us on our last two visits, but this time they came out to play!

We also saw Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper which was nice,

as well as the usual Tits, Robin and Chaffinch,

After Loch Garten we dropped by the hide in Boat of Garten overlooking a frozen Milton Loch on the edge of the village, the only things on the Loch were Mallard, so I thought I should take a photo!

From there we drove up to the Cairngorm Ski Centre to see if anything was about and were rewarded with Snow Buntings by the car park:

 By now it was starting to get dark so we started the drive back to Braemar.

Next day we went walking locally around Braemar and along the Old Military Road at the back of the village, but little was seen.

Our next day out was to Glen Muick on the Balmoral Estate for a longish walk. Again we saw very little, some Red Deer, Rabbit and a Raven flying through, but no Grouse, we usually see Red and Black but neither this time. We stopped for a for a coffee at the end of the walk at the visitor centre, when we heard load "chip chips" and a flock of birds descended on the tops of the Scots Pines, Crossbills!! Unfortunately the light was terrible, so I won't bother with adding a photo of the Crossbills, but here's some scenery instead!

Finally we had a day out at Loch of Kinnordy and Loch of Lintrathen over in Angus. There was still a lot of ice on the Lochs that the ducks were using:

We also saw our first Pintails for a long time (left of the Swan!)

Kinnordy is always reliable for Red Squirrel,

a Robin posed nicely,

while a Buzzard did a fly past,

Long-tailed Tits are an absolute delight,

and it was great to get our first Tree Sparrows of theyear,

So a nice start to our birding year..... 49 species so far!