Cairngorm Mountain and the Mouse.

 After arriving at our base for the week at Boat of Garten, and seeing snow on the top of the Cairngorm Mountain, we decided to have a day searching for the Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan.

Parking at the Cairngorm Mountain car park we put on the extra layers we knew we would need very quickly, as it was pretty chilly there, and with a steady breeze and more snow a possibility it was only going to get even colder.

With no Snow Buntings showing near the car park we started the long climb up, heading up one of several footpaths towards the summit. With the snow being quite deep in places it was quite easy seeing tracks made by the Mountain Hares and probable Ptarmigan.  However, as hard as we looked, both the Hares and Ptarmigan remained out of sight.  There was however, some stunning scenery on offer.

A view with plenty of animal tracks!!

A well wrapped up Lisa, and Lisa tracks!!

Family gathering high up!!

We had just made it to the Ptarmigan restaurant when the weather suddenly changed to almost blizzard condition. Although the building was closed we still managed to shelter from the elements until the worst had passed over. It was then back to a mix of sunny intervals so we then climbed a little higher in our quest for the Hares and Ptarmigan, following some of the tracks and checking in lots of areas that seemed just right for them. After what seemed like several hours of climbing and searching we decided we had better head back down as time was moving on and it would be dark by the time we got back to the car if we were not careful. It wasn't much lower than the Ptarmigan restaurant when I suddenly spotted 2 Ravens attacking a Mountain Hare. The Hare was defending itself by standing on its back legs and kicking out with its front legs, and then running and swerving as it headed to a rocky outcrop. Fortunately, it made it to cover, and although the Ravens sat on the outcrop for a minute or so, they eventually gave up and flew away.

Raven chasing the Mountain Hare.

At least we had now seen a Mountain Hare, although not quite in the way we had expected or hoped for.

Just a little further down the mountain we suddenly saw what at first I thought was a small bird moving about in the snow. My immediate thought was that it was a Snow Bunting. However, looking through the binoculars we saw it was a Long-tailed Field Mouse. We crept a little bit closer and saw that it was feeding on some of the grass that was sticking up through the snow. As we stood there watching it, the mouse ran from a grass clump to more grass much nearer to us. It did this several times, so we were able to observe it and photograph it at very close range. It was certainly the highlight of the day!!

Long-tailed Field Mouse feeding at Cairngorm Mountain.

After several very enjoyable minutes spent watching the mouse we then carried on down, only seeing a Red Grouse before getting to the car. The elusive Mountain Hares and Ptarmigan were still proving to be very difficult!!

Certainly, at the beginning of the day we would not have expected the highlight of the day to be a mouse.