Posted on by David Miller

Christmas Walk

I am not aware of what is the general routine in your household on Christmas Day, but with us it is up & have a small breakfast, get the Turkey in the oven & then go for a walk, before coming home to a welcome glass of bubbly. Christmas lunch (if just the two of us) between 1 n& 2 pm , finished in time for her maj.

With no snow underfoot it was an easy walk up into Glen Fender,though I took the car up the steep section & SWMBO walked up to meet me.

This was the shot from home looking North at first light.

The view from Glen Fender looking south west with Blair Castle just in view lower middle left.
The wife walking up to me, not spotted when I looked back at her, just out of shot, was a Roe Deer
By the time the wife joined me the deer was in sight & had spotted us.
It made a quick getaway, then stopped & gave us another glance.

Such enjoyment by just seeing the deer, but we walked on up towards Loch Moraig , though we didn’t go quiet that far, (my excuse was got to get back to baste the turkey) we did have a very enjoyable ramble up the road. Normally we meet our normal herd of cows, but they had moved on, so, on the way back, the wife carried on home, while I took a small diversion. This was mainly to see what was on the small pond on the way to Lude House, but as I approached the resident Heron gave out an alarm call, flew off & frightened the dozen or so Mallard into the weeds, hence no shots of them.

But opposite the pond is a field & that was full of all Ludes bulls (5 in total). Now I am a semi country boy & I was always under the impression you could not keep bulls in a field together, yes young ones, but not fully grown ones. But wherever they house these bulls, they always seem to get on well together. here are just three of the herd, the two big boys & my “Little White Bull” (a reference to a Tommy Steele song for the youngsters of you) (Who is Tommy Steele they are asking now). I have a fair few shots of these magnificent creatures & have never looked at them as steaks, though I do look at the deer as venison. 🙂

Not bothered by me just kept on eating.
What a beast
Tommy Steele you say??????

On the way down I spotted the sun shining on these distant hills & the contrast between the dull meadow in front of me & those hills was wonderful.

The hills of Glen Tilt.

Back home after a wonderful Christmas dinner captured a flock of Goldfinches eating the seeds of our Potentilla (not sure about the spelling) , took this & the next shot through the double glazing so the quality is not as good as I would have hoped, but a wonderful sight.

At least another 6 birds elsewhere on the shrubs.

To finish, one of my absolute favourite birds the Long Tailed Tit always pay us a visit especially in the winter. Over this Christmas we have had 4 or5 visit daily & you cannot do anything but smile & admire such a delicate fabulously coloured bird as this.

All that is left is to wish you all a wonderful 2020 & as I have seen elsewhere may you have that perfect vision for the year ahead.