A week in the Cairngorms.

Back in late November Joyce & I were joined by Dan & Mary ( son and daughter in law) for a weeks holiday in the Cairngorms NP in Scotland, a region we really love and have visited on a few occasions. We were based in a nice cottage near Granton on Spey which was ideal for getting to some of the sites I knew should provide us with good wildlife and scenery, I tend to drag them around with me but they have learned to trust me to take them to some nice places (mostly).A really nice week ,the weather was kindish (though they had snow a week later which would have been nice) and we managed to see some of the wildlife on the agenda, although we tried to find Capercaillie without any luck, saw Crested Tits but no photo and I decided against the Pine Martin hide (so a good reason to return in the future)

Cairngorms National Park

View behind the cottage

Roe Deer Buck

Roe Deer, pretty common

Red Grouse near Cairngorm ruffling wet feathers

Red Grouse calling in the rain

Red Grouse ,Cairn  gorm

Red Grouse in the Heather

Whooper Swan at Boat of Garten

Whoopers Swans at Boat of Garten

Scots Pines at Loch an Eilein

Golden Eagle at Findhorn Valley

Three of the five Golden Eagles seen together at Findhorn Valley

Golden Eagle-Findhorn valley

Golden Eagle joined by a White Tailed Eagle at Findhorn Valley

White Tailed Eagle-Findhorn Valley

View over Findhorn complete with Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare portrait

Mountain Hare, some of the whiter ones stuck out like sore thumbs

Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare

Findhorn Valley-Joyce walking on the right.

Red Deer Stag at Findhorn

Red Deer Stag by the roadside.

Red  Deer on the slopes

Trees in the mist-near Granton on Spey.

Lesser Yellowlegs

This Lesser Yellowlegs has made Copperhouse Creek in Hayle, Cornwall its home for the past week or more, so we had a day out down west. I found the bird after a bit of a search, but it was never really close enough for any decent photos , so a few record shots only,and the light was terrible. This was the third time I've seen one of these American waders, the others being at nearby Drift resevior.
While here I also photographed a Grey Heron with a very large flatfish which very unHeronlike it eventually gave up trying to swallow it and left it in the water, also a Curlew was very close. 

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs

Lesser Yellowlegs silhouette

Grey Heron with catch

Grey Heron

Grey Heron

Grey Heron, the fish is just too big

Nearly down but that was as far as it got.

Curlew

Chough

Choughs

We then went on down to Cot valley where some Choughs were resting on the rocks and I was able to photograph them from the car, although again the light was poor and the sky a white out,but a nice day out.

Autumn Fungi

I've been photographing any fungi I've come across over the past few weeks, seems to be quite a good autumn for it, and nice to get a few decent shots of the Fly Agaric.

Stagshorn fungi at Lanhydrock,Cornwall.

Bracket fungi at Broadwoodwidger,Devon.

Earthball,Lanhydrock

Fly Agaric at Lewdown Devon.

Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric

Fly Agaric

Unknown fungi on our front lawn

Fungi on our lawn,I made the mistake of wiping my mouth after accidently touching this,I can still taste it , not nice.

As above,on our hedge

Another growing on the lawn

Magpie Ink Cap at Lanhydrock

Porcelain fungi at Lanhydrock

Porcelain fungi again at Lanhydrock.