The last day of our Strathspey trip dawned cold and misty. However the weather cleared during the drive north to Strathnairn. Had a limited amount of time to spare, but picked up 20 species during a short walk near Farr. Highlight was a male Mandarin which flew upriver, just above tree height. Also notable were two male Goosanders and a single Fieldfare, the latter probably a migrant, but just possibly a breeding bird.

Several Brown Hares were present in the area. Then back on the A9, a Mountain Hare was a road casualty just north of Sloch'd.

Spent the middle of the day in Glenmore, where the highlight was a female Sparrowhawk which scattered the Chaffinches on the feeders outside the Glenmore Cafe.

Heading home, the bird of the trip was Kestrel with singles over the road at Blackford and Stepps (the latter carrying prey).

Impressions of Strathspey in May:

(1) Its noisier (with singing Willow Warblers and Chaffinches almost ubiquitous)

(2) Its busier (with lots of walkers, particularly around Nethybridge and Glenmore)

(3) Its still cold, and spring is noticeably later than further south

(4) Its still predominantly grey, yellow and brown with many trees only just coming into leaf (with the obvious exception of the conifers).