HOT & BREEZY, THE DOTTEREL RETURNS

Fiacaill of Coire Sneachda under a hot sun

Female Dotterel

Hot and breezy along the Fiacaill

Male ptarmigan

Coire an Lochain

Willow Warbler

Reindeer enjoying the sun

Fiacaill ridge & Goat track area

Meadow Pipit

Dotterel

Cairn Lochan

Coire Domhain snow

The big continental high pressure system we've enjoyed has been replaced with more unsettled conditions but today in The Caingorms we had another lovely hot and sunny day. There was a stiff breeze blowing higher up. It wasn't too windy to cruise along the Fiacaill of Coire Sneachda though. A nice way to get onto The Cairngorm plateau and some wildlife watching. The Dotterel are one of the many wonderful birds you see up high in these mountains. From about May to August they arrive on our shores to breed. They winter over in North Africa and the Middle East. Like all ground nesting birds they are sensitive to disturbance. I spotted 6 of these guys in one of the windiest spots today! But they seemed quite happy contending with the breeze, unlike my camera which struggled in the winds! All my images are taken with a large telephoto lens from a safe distance and cropped. I spotted 6 dogs roaming and running around off their owners leads today. Loads of  birds and wildlife seen this afternoon, an absolute joy this time of year.
The snow patches in the corries and on the plateau are diminishing but Coire Domhain surprisingly still holding out and you can still see the snow hole entrances. There is no way near the snow cover as we had this time last year. It will be interesting to see what is left by August.