Laggan, a stoat and an osprey over Spey Dam

As you say, Mike, a brilliant end to a fabulous week! Thanks for letting us tag along :o)

So glad you had such a great visit to bonny Scotland and got to see some fabulous wildlife and bring us back such a treat in photos. You did very well to grab the photo of the little stoat running across the road and hope you get to see a red squirrel next time, otherwise it will be back to Penrhos Coastal Park for you. !! The osprey sighting must have been fantastic with that huge wingspan so well done Ang spotting it; I have to rely on Mike to spot and point out the wildlife (or did until I got my eyes fixed ! ) Hopefully I'll be able to spot the MH's at Leighton Moss in two weeks time :) See you there if you are still planning a visit, any other commitments allowing. Thanks again Mike for sharing your adventures in Scotland, really lovely to see.

Lovely to see the Osprey Mike, also the Stoat, they dash so fast always across the roads it is hard to get camera out fast enough for a pic. Scotland certainly turned up trumps for you, thanks so much for posting.

Hi Mike you might be back home now but with the photos you have taken they will remind you of a magical holiday and the wildlife you saw. Although I can’t think you would forget any of your holiday for one minute far too many good things to remember.

Very jealous Mike, like many other people we never got to the Highlands over the last couple of years and I'm not sure if we will get that far North this year either. We have a couple of farmers on the edge of the Dale that breed Highland  cattle but they look so much  better  in their home territory. Your  Osprey  shots  really  show the size of their  wings well. When you see them lifting  off the water with  their  catch you realise  why  they  need such  big wings

gaynorsl said:

Lovely to see the Osprey Mike, also the Stoat, they dash so fast always across the roads it is hard to get camera out fast enough for a pic. Scotland certainly turned up trumps for you, thanks so much for posting.

You're welcome.

I was just lucky to have my camera in hand as I was getting out of the car and the stoat raced across the road.

The Highlands of Scotland are possibly my type of scenery, remote and wild, and somewhere I could seriously consider moving to, if it wasn't for my son so far south and the rest of the family being so spread out across the UK.

Fear not Catlady, I'm nay moving any time soon.....

i love robins said:

Hi Mike you might be back home now but with the photos you have taken they will remind you of a magical holiday and the wildlife you saw. Although I can’t think you would forget any of your holiday for one minute far too many good things to remember.

Yes, a lot of happy memories from Scotland, and other places I've visited as well.

I was lucky to have enjoyed many years of mountaineering and wild camping before my big accident a few years back, having walked and camped responsibly (leave no trace, other than the flattened grass beneath my tent), in some really fabulous places. Many photos of those days are now in my personal photo albums and not publicly shared after the problems from when the first lockdown ended and folk were starting to explore the countryside, and in some cases, desecrate it.

So those places will remain unnamed and photos now withdrawn from public view to avoid any identification and help to retain their beauty.

Wendy S said:

Very jealous Mike, like many other people we never got to the Highlands over the last couple of years and I'm not sure if we will get that far North this year either. We have a couple of farmers on the edge of the Dale that breed Highland  cattle but they look so much  better  in their home territory. Your  Osprey  shots  really  show the size of their  wings well. When you see them lifting  off the water with  their  catch you realise  why  they  need such  big wings

Covid won't have helped not getting to the Highlands, it certainly held us back.

I quite agree over the highland cattle looking much better in their home territory, though there are quite a few farms in both the Yorkshire Dales and North York Moors National Parks with highland cattle, and likewise in the Peak District National Park also.

I vividly remember watching a scene in the film Ring Of Bright Water, where Bill Travers who played Graham Merrill who had to move from his London flat after buying an otter seen in a pet shop window to Camusfearna, which I think was actually Sandaig near Mallaig, and he gets off the rural bus to be greeted with open space and highland cattle.

It was a shame the osprey photos with identifiable features didn't come out, or they would have really shown the sizable wingspan. To physically see one was most definitely awesome, and even my wife Ang was awestruck at not just the size, but gracefulness of the osprey in flight.

Michael B said:

The Highlands of Scotland are possibly my type of scenery, remote and wild, and somewhere I could seriously consider moving to, if it wasn't for my son so far south and the rest of the family being so spread out across the UK.

Fear not Catlady, I'm nay moving any time soon.....

And here is me getting the spare room ready!! Oh well.

What a lovely selection Mike, the wee Stoat and of course on of my favourites, the Osprey. You have had a great time on your Scottish trip.