The Highlands, mid-November '24

The Moray coast - heavenly, as ever, and as birdy as always

For two weeks in November, I was once again back in the Highlands of Scotland, for the third time this year (after Schools of Birding in February and April). The second week was for another School (see next post), but before that, I had a week as guest guide and speaker at the hotel, a tradition I've been fortunate enough to maintain for the last seven years.

Masses of Fieldfares heading down the Findhorn Valley

For most of those years, this week at the hotel has been themed as Seaduck Week, and I once again had the pleasure of guiding the hotel guests to seaduck hotspots as well as giving a Seaducks of Europe talk to kick the week off.

Atlantic Salmon spawning in the river below

I had lots of downtime inbetween BWWC commitments and, with good (and often unseasonably mild) weather during the week, I roamed my favourite birding spots both inland and along the Moray coast (as well as getting in a lot of highly enjoyable trail-running in Anagach Forest, behind the hotel).

A late Barn Swallow perched up (with a European Starling) on a yacht in Lossiemouth harbour

The birding was great (as it always is up here at this time of year) and there were many highlights, a few included here. As well as the classic, iconic localised species, the most show-stealing highlights were provided by the massive numbers of winter thrushes.

Peregrine, just before a successful catch

Every day involved encounters with large flocks, and several days involved genuinely biblical numbers; during one particularly fabulous session in Strathdearn, I'd over 5,000 Fieldfares, including a megaflock of 2,500+.... as well as both Eagle species, and lots of other raptors - including a Peregrine that I watched smashing a Fieldfare out of the sky right above me.

More thrushes (above), as watched by Red Deer (below)....

... and Red Squirrels

Wigeon at Lossiemouth