Some chick !

The windy weather we have been experiencing this week has now begun to subside. Although it has been very breezy with alot of white water on the surface of Loch Ness it has been a warm westerly wind. No doubt the birds are pleased as they were really whirling around on the circular sunflower feeders as well as contending with the predatory sparrowhawk who was doing overtime for his family nearby. This young greenfinch chick was often seen enjoying a drink at the bird bath.

Loch Ness Lifeboat drama.

This report was forwarded this morning by the RNLI Press Officer for the Loch Ness lifeboat.
"22 September 2009
Gale force winds create Loch drama.
Winds at gale force 8 created atrocious conditions on Loch Ness today, swamping a canoe with six people on board.
Loch Ness RNLI volunteer crew launched just after 1pm on Tuesday 22nd September, to locate a group of holidaymakers from Yorkshire whose nine metre canoe had been flooded by waves during terrible weather conditions,
The canoeists had been able to make for the land but were isolated on a very rough shoreline at the bottom of a steep slope about a mile from the nearest road.
Two of the party set off to to reach an area where either their mobile phones would work or they could use a landline. It was about an hour before they were able to make contact with the Coastguard in Aberdeen via a 999 call.
The RNLI Atlantic 75 rescue boat, led by Helm Stuart Latham, with Drew Taylor and Joy Cameron as crew, headed for a location described as being opposite Invermoriston on the southern shore of the loch.
They came across a group of ten canoeists who had also been forced ashore but had decided to set up camp and ride out the sever weather. This group were tired but willing to fend for themselves for the night.
The missing four canoeists were found approximately 200 metres south of this location and were brought onto the lifeboat after crew member Joy Cameron swam in to the shore to asses the condition of the group.
The lifeboat was forced to stand-off the shoreline as the conditions were so severe. The four people were taken to Foyers and met up with the remaining two. They planned to stay the night in the Foyers area and re-asses the situation in the morning.
Loch Ness RNLI Helm, Stuart Latham, says :'The conditions were awful and required the crew to work very hard and as a team.' 'we often practice in similar conditions to prepare ourselves for events like this.'
The canoe, a bellboat twin hulled craft similar to a catamaran, was left on the shoreline for recovery at a later date.
The whole operation took about two hours and after which the lifeboat was returned to station and prepared for service."

Mountain rescue.

Whenever we hear the sound of a low helicopter approaching we wonder who the RAF,usually from Lossiemouth, have now been sent to rescue. As big as a helicopter is it can be virtually impossible to tell which direction the aircraft is coming from. This one passed overhead recently and stood out against the blue sky. Reading the papers today it could possibly have been to rescue a family of 4 who were attempting to descend Ben Eighe in Wester Ross. The Torridon mountain rescue team were alerted by one of the family and the helicopter was alerted to take them off the mountain. The weather has been bad the last few days with a low cloud base,very poor visibility and high winds. The RNLI lifeboat was out on Loch Ness today in a 40 mph wind. You have to wonder if some people on a day out just realise the other people involved in their rescue.

Walk to the 'wee pond'.

As the weather looked very promising this morning we took a leisurely stroll up to the 'wee pond' in Farigaig Forest. The reflection of the trees in the water was amazing. Sat on the picnic bench kindly placed there by the forestry folk and got chatting to a couple touring the Highlands on holiday. Carried on walking up to the viewpoint bench which has great views looking down onto Loch Ness with the small white cottages of Inverfarigaig in the foreground and Urquhart Castle jutting out on the opposite shore. A wonderful warm walk and the weather for the rest of the week looks good.

Farigaig Forest from the air

One of our guests took this terrific aerial shot of our house and the surrounding area whilst enjoying a helicopter ride over Loch Ness. You can clearly see a blue Loch Ness and several houses nestling in Farigaig Forest. Fortunately the weather was quite fair.

Wildlife update

The robins have been conspicuous by their absence but now the juvenile robins are bouncing about in the garden again. After two months out of the nest the young birds start to grow some reddish feathers on their light spotted brown coat and can look rather scruffy. During the next few weeks the red patch will gradually extend to complete the sleek adult appearance. Both male and female are similar in appearance. They now start to assert their territory and will be heard singing loudly throughout the autumn and winter.
The pheasant chicks are now as big as their mother and the one male pheasant is now showing a few red feathers in his plumage. Last Saturday they were boldly sitting on the wooden fence in front of the cottage. The osprey and most of the swallows are now on their long journey back to Africa with their young.
We have not seen many red squirrels lately as they are having their second litter. If there is a good food source they will have two litters a year, one in April and another in August. The success of the breeding season depends on the seed crop of the trees where they live [acorns,hazel nuts,pine cones]as well as people like us putting out a never ending supply of free peanuts. While we were up checking the holiday cottage on Saturday I saw a mother squirrel run across the driveway carrying a baby in her mouth, similar to a cat carrying her kittens. We are looking forward to seeing the youngsters in the next few weeks chasing each other round the trees trunks, exploring the garden and clinging to the peanut feeders.