The last year at Tollie has seen quite a bit of change.  Firstly, back in February the ‘Tardis’ arrived with the installation of the evaporating toilet and so far all seems to be going well with it, though I have yet to give it its first service.  Then in April we had the official opening, with Dave Thompson MSP performing the ribbon cutting, assisted by  Alex Matheson of the Brahan Estate and George Campbell, RSPB regional director.  Also present was the fantastic team of volunteers who feed the kites on a daily basis and members of staff from the RSPB office in Inverness.  For a change we ate venison instead of giving it to the birds and even sampled a bottle of Red Kite Ale from the Black Isle Brewery.

In May we had reports of a White-tailed eagle in the area and it was spotted over Loch Ussie, though sadly, as far as we know, it never made it to Tollie for a feed, so it could not be added to the Tollie list.  At the beginning of the year I set a target of 100 birds for the year, we made it to 69, one of which was a first for me a Brambling, so let’s have a go for the 100 this year.

By this time we had noticed one particular bird was spending a lot of time at Tollie, we knew it was the same bird by its wing tags, blue left, pink right with a black triangle.  On further investigations we discovered that this young fellow had got himself a female and they had built a nest in the area, the nest was not visible from the visitor centre, but his favored perch was.  Blue/pink black triangle was proving to be a bit of a mouthful for the staff so after a consultation with the volunteers this bird was named Tollie.  By the end of the breeding season we learned that Tollie and co, had successfully raised one chick, one is the norm for a first time breeding pair.  Let’s hope for a repeat this year.

A photo of Tollie our resident male bird, thanks to Ronald for this and many of the great photos in the gallery. 

By the autumn kite numbers were picking up and it was in November whilst I, along with one of the volunteers, were watching an impressive display by the kites when we were visited by the UK’s second largest bird of prey a young Golden eagle.  The eagle accompanied by a kite flew over the car park, the eagle was seen regularly seen in the Contin area for the next few days.

So all in all a good year at Tollie. 

2013 has already got off to good start, with increasing numbers of kites coming in to feed and an appearance, albeit brief, on the BBC Winterwatch programme.

Tollie sightings for 2012.

Red kite
Buzzard
Great spotted woodpecker
Great tit
Blue tit
Mute swan
Whooper swan
Greenfinch
Chaffinch
Goldfinch
Long tailed tit
Raven
Rook
Hooded crow
Carrion crow
Mallard
Fieldfare
Yellowhammer
Starling
Wood pigeon
Common gull
Black headed gull
Blackbird
Mistle thrush
Coal tit
Skylark
Curlew
Jackdaw
Pheasant
Shelduck
Cormorant
Hen harrier
Jay
Grey partridge
Grey heron
Dunnock
Red-legged partridge
Redwing
Pied wagtail
Robin
Wren
Siskin
Bullfinch
Meadow pipit
Chiffchaff
Osprey
Swallow
Bewick swan
Moorhen
Oystercatcher
House martin
Kestrel
Willow Warbler
Tree creeper
Peregrine falcon
Song thrush
Twite
Tree pipit
Swift
Sparrowhawk
Whitethroat
Tawny owl
Pink foot goose
Merlin
Rock dove/Feral pigeon
Brambling
Crossbill
Herring gull
Golden eagle 

Small Tortoiseshell
Pine marten
Field vole
Badger
Toad
Slow worm
Gravid lizard
Stoat
Grasshopper
Weasel
Bumble bee and nest
Red squirrel
Wasp and nest