Last Friday was a landmark day for Dazza and I when after flying up to Aberdeen on Thursday evening we collected the keys to our new property. We'll be situated in Kemnay, a village 16 miles west of Aberdeen in Garioch, Aberdeenshire.
However, it's likely to be a couple more years yet before we become landlubbers once again and make the permanent move north to Dazza's home territory.
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| Bennachie ~ Aberdeenshire |
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| A population of Red Squirrels at Bennachie |
We spent the weekend settling in and exploring our new surroundings. The property has stunning views looking across to the hills of Bennachie and the ancient tops of Mither Tap and Oxen Craig. Just a 10-minute drive to the Nature Centre, we spent a short time exploring the hills and woodlands.
Crossbills were plentiful and there's a feeding station for the small population of
Red Squirrels.
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| Razorbill |
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| Fulmar |
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| Guillemot |
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| Kittiwake |
On Saturday we took a 30-minute drive to Stonehaven for lunch, where a couple of
Black Guillemots were just offshore, then onto RSPB Fowlsheugh just further along the coast. The specular cliffs here are home during the summer months to thousands of seabirds and already in residence were
Guillemot,
Razorbill,
Fulmar and
Kittiwakes. A single
Puffin has arrived back but unfortunately, we were told we'd missed it by minutes. I'm sure there'll be many more by the time we return at Easter. Several
Rock Pipits,
Meadow Pipits and
Skylarks were also a feature.
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| A least four Dippers along the stretch of the River Don |
The River Don, which rises in the Grampians and flows eastwards out towards Aberdeen and the North Sea is just a five-minute stroll from the property. On Sunday morning we took a long walk along its banks before flying back to Birmingham later in the evening. The highlights here were at least four
Dippers, two female
Goosanders,
Grey Wagtails and
Kingfisher. The woodland was awash with
Wood Anemone!
I look forward to returning at Easter for a fortnight of exploration!
