A Goldeneye
This weeks drake Goldeneye was photographed on a Pennine reservoir where it is happy to spend winter before probably returning to Scandinavia. A small population do breed in the Cairngorms but most of the Pennine birds come from further afield.
During the last fifty years that I have been filming birds some years have been better than others, but 2014 was exceptional. Not only did I photograph two pairs of Nightjars, two pairs of Kingfishers, Hen Harrier and Buzzard all at the nest, I also filmed a pair of Barn Owls with six young that were nesting on the ground in a barn.One or two photos of this unique event are included in this weeks gallery. Click here
Whilst on the Fylde last week what should fly into the photo was this juvenile Purple Heron. Apparently it had been in the area since November and spent all its time catching Voles in the fields. It was the first that I had ever seen and was a weird looking subject. Sadly it never caught anything in the hour that it was in view.The Pink Footed Geese that I went for were very impressive and are also in this weeks gallery.
Wherever you go in the Caledonian forests you will find enormous dead trees that are hundreds of years old but are still standing. The dead wood provides last weeks star bird the Crested Tit with nest-sites. Many other birds and mammals like the Red Squirrel are to be found in the pines and boggy areas are home to the Large Raft Spider – one of the rarest in Britain. This weeks gallery has a variety of photos from the forests together with the Ptarmigan, which had a very poor breeding season last year. 
There is no doubt that the star bird of the Caledonian forests of speyside is the Crested Tit. Last week we made a January visit especially for them and also a touch of Burns night. We were not disappointed on either count with the Crested Tits active at all the places that we visited. January is probably the best month of the year to see them for after that, especially in mild weather, they commence their breeding cycle and are much more illusive.This weeks gallery includes photos from one morning session.