Watching Cresties in Rothiemurchus
“What a glorious challenge the Spey Valley offers.” These are the words of the pioneering Scottish ornithologist D. Nethersole-Thompson in his book, “Highland Birds”(1971). I have been visiting the area regularly for many years and wholeheartedly agree, as the diversity of habitat is varied and picturesque, and this fulfils the wishes of both naturalist and photographer. Within this area we have the great granite Cairngorm Mountains with its sub-artic environment, home to such specialities as snow bunting, ptarmigan and dotterel (in summer). Game birds are to be found on the moorlands and hilltops of the Monadhliaths (pronounced moanaleeas), as well as golden and sea eagle, with the winter visiting whooper swans on the Insh Marshes. It is possible to see several rarities in the Caledonian pine forests which are home to Scottish crossbills, capercaille and crested tit.
My recent trips to the Rothiemurchus forest on Speyside , apart from other things, was to attempt to get some pictures of crested tits. Late winter seems a good time provided it is not too windy and wet. Photographers don’t like bright sunshine either, so when it’s cloudy and bright, calm and not too cold, off we go! A fellow photographer (www.neilmcintyre.com) who lives full-time in the area told me of a spot regularly visited by cresties . I stood about 5 metres away from a deeply fissured Scots pine that had a lot of dead wood, beloved by cresties, and waited. Standing quietly in such a place is not tedious; on this occasion I saw roe deer, woodcock and greater spotted woodpecker, as well as the changing light through the forest.
When cresties are about, you first hear a short purring trill, unlike the voice of other titmice, and then from the top of a pine tree the crestie flits down, through the branches, to take advantage of the easy food offered by the feeder. The main photographic problem is that the wee bird is still only for a fraction of a second, so even with 9 frames/second film wind, most images are an indistinct blur of wings and branches. I used Velvia 50 on this occasion as I needed transparencies for presentations. However, a few pictures show a delightful small grey bird with a distinctive black and white crest. They are a delight to watch and seem quite oblivious to the considerate observer.
A recent survey states that about 6000 to 8000 birds are present in the UK winter and their stronghold is the mature pine forests of Speyside. So where to go to see these rare woodland birds? I have seen cresties on several occasions in the forest alongside the many public paths that criss-cross the Rothiemurchus estate. If you walk south from the campsite at Coylumbridge towards Lochan Deo, then at a crossroads of paths, continue straight on, after about a kilometre you will have open moorland on your right and mature pine and juniper on the left. Pick a comfortable spot by the track and if your visit is mid-morning or late afternoon there is a good chance that cresties will be about. Listen for the purring trill and you could see the flash of a black and white crest amongst the branches. Be patient and quiet and they will come quite near, affording a good look. I have also seen capercaille and crossbills here, though the former seem to be rarer these days.
Rothiemurchus is an excellent centre for wildlife, winter and early spring are great times for a visit. Try www.rothiemurchus.net
Ian Short