View towards Aviemore on the decent down from the Cairngorm Plateau

One last chance to visit the Dotterel?

Last night my friend took the long walk up to the Cairngorm plateau with the hope to see for the last time this season one of my favourite birds, the Dotterel. We expected there departure to sunnier climes would be fairly imminent, but with a heavy heart I have to report that, within the past week it looks like they've taken flight and headed south. 

We left the car park at 17:30 and headed for the Cairngorm plateau, we literally searched high and low and found nothing. As the evening progressed the cloud base lowered and the wind chill factor dropped to one degree, I was very glad of the hat and gloves I'd taken. By the time we'd made our way off the mountain it was almost dark.

Dotterel arrive around the mid to late April and after a brief time taken to refuel and re-energise they get down to the serious business of pairing up, establishing territories and mating. Once the females have laid their eggs all the incubation and brooding is done by the dowdy looking male bird. the female then departs. That's equality for you!

I wish them well on their journey to Africa and look forward to there return next spring.