So much news to report since my last entry.

A great day at Coignafearn was topped off with a dusk sighting of one of the most difficult mammals of all to track down - Sika Deer.
I snapped this famously secretive species feeding - very unusually - in a small herd at the edge of a plantation. Sika deer are normally known to be solitary outside of the rut, so this was highly unusual behaviour, perhaps prompted by the lack of suitable rich feeding pastures just now.


Elsewhere, birds galore have been invading the Highlands, with the first true migrants such as Ring Ouzel already being spotted by guests during their travels. Golden Plovers are making their beautiful plaintive call on the moors and floodplains, whilst Red and Black-throated Divers have been turning up on many different lochs, already showing off the best of their breeding finery. The Slavonian Grebes are refusing to be left out too, with 9 already seen on Loch Ruthven!

The first Osprey was seen over a week ago, an incredibly early sighting, and, the best news of all...it has just been confirmed that the breeding female Loch Garten female Osprey from 2008, EJ, has returned safe and sound from her winter in West Africa and is already busily scraping out her nest! First 'CaperWatch' for 2009 just two days away!

I received a great e-mail with photos from Tim Wells which summarises perfectly the great diversity of wildlife which our guests can see even over a few days...

Red Grouse and Red Deer on the moors, rafts of Eider Duck and Bottlenose Dolphins on the Moray Firth, and Snow Bunting in the mountains. Just another day in the Highlands, really.

Thanks for those, Tim.

Spring has arrived! Over the past few days a raft of guest sightings have been coming in to confirm what we already suspected: the breeding season is upon us!

There have been numerous sightings of divers of various hues - Red-throated on Loch Morlich, Black-throated on Lochindorb and in the world of wildfowl, displaying Goldeneye on both Loch Garten and the River Spey.

To add to the excitement, the Slavonian Grebes are back at Loch Ruthven and it's a great time to see them, as some stubbornly retain full winter plumage whilst some have visibly started to make their costume change into their summer fright wigs and associated finery.

Finally, the action is starting to hot up at the Speyside Wildlife Hide, with both a male and female Pine Marten delighting our guests at a recent watch - thanks to Phil and Barbara Collins for the photo!

So many guest anecdotes of amazing wildlife encounters that it's hard to remember them all...2 Pine Martens seen at the Speyside evening hide, displaying Golden Eagles still seen daily at Findhorn Valley along with Blue Hares and massive herds of Red Deer, a male Capercaillie spied behind the main hide at Loch Garten, 2 Ptarmigan and a flock of Snow Bunting seen from the Viewing Platform at Cairn Gorm at nearly 4000 feet...

A veritable parliament of Brown Hares were boxing on the estate where I live last night and the Short-eared Owl is still being seen daily at RSPB Loch of Strathbeg.

A great all round guided walk in Anagach Wood saw us take in Red Squirrels, a Roe Buck and Doe, three Grey Wagtails and a female Goldeneye on the River Spey - but arguably the highlight was the 10 minute show put on by two Stoats, still partially in ermine, frolicking on the river bank before they tried to cross the old Packhorse Bridge on which we were standing! They crossed halfway over before spotting us, freezing for a moment, and deciding against it. Great Stuff!
Highlights from guest sightings in the past few days have been a cock Capercaillie in Abernethy Forest, Badger at the Speyside Wildlife Hide and 2 Ptarmigan seen from the Viewing Platform at Cairngorm Mountain.

A positively balmy day in the Highlands, with perfect blue skies and amazing panoramas of the Cairngorms. The bird activity is really starting to hot up now, with waders everywhere. It's easy to forget what a beautiful bird the Lapwing is in the full glory of its breeding plumage with its dark green back and glossed purple and copper wing edges - enough for me to forgive their relentless a-wheep wheep! song through the dead of night keeping me awake!

It was a great to get a couple of sightings of the elusive Woodcock on our Woodcock walk last night, and the three displaying Kestrels at Layby 151 this morning - better known as a favoured spot for Ring Ouzel - put on a great show. The "mountain blackbird" should be making an appearance any time now...

Yet more signs that spring is well and truly here - Lapwings, Oystercatchers and Curlews are starting to invade Strathspey in ever-increasing numbers and roding Woodcock can be seen and heard at dusk over Grantown-on-Spey golf club. No doubt the drumming Snipe will be next! It must also be the easiest time of year to see Crested Tits - really coming into song now as they establish their nesting territories and significant numbers are still coming into feeders at visitor centres and even gardens. Thanks to Frank McKay for the photo taken at Glen Feshie. Oh yes, and the Waxwings are back again!

There's definitely something in the air today. Call it the melted ice and snow, or possibly the skeins of Icelandic Greylag Geese who have suddenly departed the Strath, but either way, it's starting - just starting - to feel a bit like Spring.

The woods and forests are really coming alive with birds, and birdsong. Great Spotted Woodpeckers are busily drumming away in Anagach and it is noticeable over the last few days how many Common Toads have emerged from their winter hibernation. Is this related to the increased sightings of Barn Owls on the highland estate where I live?

Whatever, the reason, owls of all kinds are being seen more regularly, like the Tawny Owl I photographed on the way home from work, or the Short-eared Owl spied from my car on a day visit to RSPB Loch of Strathbeg before I had even parked my car!

With large numbers of Gannets already massing at Troup Head and roding Woodcock emerging from the woods at dusk, is it possible that Spring has sprung?