THE RETURN OF THE PTARMIGAN

Ptarmigan in full croak

Croaking 

Snow and wind no bother

Good to see you again!

Final croak

Mountain Hare getting whiter

Does my bum look white in this?

Red Grouse, not a good camouflage spot

A light dusting of new snow

Icy ground

The west seemed to get more snow today

Still Autumn lower down, for now

A cold night and the summits well below freezing today in The Cairngorms. Some early sunshine but by late morning we got a few snow showers on a brisk wind and visibility dropping. Lower down in the coire it was quite pleasant with only slight winds so good conditions for wildlife photography. Great to hear plenty of ptarmigan croaking away throughout the day. It's been disappointing recently with only a very few ptarmigan spotted and hardly any in their 'usual' spots. They're just starting into their winter feathers, looking brilliant. A wonderful time of year. Today that had changed. I spotted at least 12 ptarmigan. I guess with the recent gales they've come in from high ground into sheltered corries. The Mountain Hare is also getting whiter by the day, shedding its Autumn pelage and getting prepared for winter.
The west Highlands seemed to get the best of any snow today. Tomorrow it looks that the Cairngorms will be getting a fair dump so will be looking a lot whiter and well into next week.
Winter is on its way.