Cottage Diary - Aspenwood self catering luxury Holiday Cottage overlooking Loch Ness in the Highlands of Scotland.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

SEASON'S GREETINGS TO ALL


During 2008 we really enjoyed meeting and greeting all the guests who came to stay in our cottage. Some were new to us, some were old friends but you all helped change Aspenwood from being just a house into a happy home.
So our very BEST WISHES to;-

Sue & Neil,Lisa & Chris,Nigel,Margaret,Alex & Harriet,Steve & Barbara, Barbara,Phil,Andrew & Adam,Sharon,John,Megan & Cathie,Nigel,Sue & Kieran,Wayne,Rosie & Edward,Lynda & John,Chris & Annette,Pat & David,Liz,John,Alex & Dani,Simon & Nicola,Ravinder,Jasvinder,Kiren & Surinder,Ian & Liz,Carl & Marcia,Fiona, Gareth,Gareth & Laura,Mark,Tina,Sylvia & Eddie,Mike,Victoria,Max & Tess,Paul,Sarah,Adam & Lauren,Brian,Tracey,Scott & Hayley,Gill,Graham,Yasmin & Ethan,Richard,Gillian,Austen & Marcus,Tom & Mary,William & Julie,Kevin & Carol,Hazel & Russell,David,Jayne,Sean,Lauren & Naomi,Andrea & Tony,Elaine & Ian,Michael & Phoebe........not to mention all the delightful dogs some of you brought with you.

2008 really was the year of the red squirrel so thanks to all those who enjoyed watching their acrobatic antics from the lounge window and kindly donated to their nut fund.

Also to everyone who has stayed in Aspenwood in past years - and to those who just enjoy keeping up with the Cottage Diary - we wish you all GOOD HEALTH AND HAPPINESS FOR 2009.

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posted by Lyn @ 3:52 PM 0 comments

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Goldfinch.

A colourful goldfinch visited the nut feeder on the fence at Aspenwood on Saurday morning...a welcome sight as we do not see many of these although they are now becoming more common as garden birds. There are several bird books as well as a pair of binoculars in the cottage for guests to use to get a closer look at the various bird life that visit the table and feeders and bird bath. The goldfinch had a good feed and totally ignored the numerous playful red squirrels chasing each other along the fence and feeding on the adjacent feeder. The collective noun for goldfinches is a charm...what else could it be ? Another cheeky squirrel really enjoyed the peanuts that were scattered on the ground by the side of the bird bath. The deer didn't say much !

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posted by Lyn @ 4:19 PM 0 comments

Bookmark a squirrel.

Thanks to the kind generosity of all the guests who 'Bookmarked a Squirrel' there is now enough in the Nut Fund to purchase a 18kg sack of nuts. This will help to keep the squirrels well fed throughout the winter months. Unlike the grey squirrels - which fortunately do not inhabit this far north - the red squirrels do not hibernate in winter so we have to keep all the nut feeders stocked up. We have seen them burying nuts lately in the grassy bank behind the cottage to dig up and eat in the future - possibly when there is less cover of leaves on the trees and they are easier prey for the pine martens.

They are also partial to anything left out for the birds,maybe we spoil them.

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posted by Lyn @ 8:35 AM 0 comments

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Tufty

The characteristic ear tufts of the native red squirrels are becoming more prominent as winter approaches. They moult their tufts once a year in late summer and grow them again in preparation for the cold weather. Unlike the grey squirrels the reds do not hibernate and so we will be keeping all nut feeders full throughout the cold winter months when the pine cones and hazel nuts have disappeared from the trees in the surrounding forest. The squirrels are still very much in abundance around the cottage and it is very amusing to watch their antics.

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posted by Lyn @ 4:58 PM 0 comments

Thursday, September 25, 2008

Nut Fund Grant needed!.



The red squirrels are really lively this year in Farigaig Forest and the area around the cottage and Lower Birchwood. It has been the best year for breeding in the 12 years we have lived here. Fascinating as they are to watch they do have an expensive taste in food if you want to view them at close range. In August this year we purchased 2 sacks of peanuts weighing 1.8 kg each and they have almost gone. Apparently there is a world shortage and the peanuts now come all the way from Argentina [are we all spoiling our squirrels?].
Went into Inverness this morning to buy another 2 sacks and filled their dustbin container to the brim as you can see.

Desperately in need of a Nut Fund grant!

We have even been foraging for local hazel nuts to add to their diet.

Also had to purchase some new nut feeders with stronger steel mesh [squirrel teeth proof] as they bit through the old feeders which were designed for more delicate lightweight birds in their desperate quest for more peanuts.Our recent guests also saw a pine marten wrapped around one of the feeders twisting it out of all recognition and totally wrecking it.

Saying all this we really enjoy seeing them here throughout the day and laughing at their antics. This video was taken as I sat on the garden table about one metre away from them.

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posted by Lyn @ 3:49 PM 0 comments

Monday, September 15, 2008

Blondie

We have recently had regular visits from a new young squirrel with a noticeable lovely blonde bushy tail, not the usual dark red variety....hence the nickname Blondie. She also has striking ear tufts which they apparently moult once a year in late autumn and they moult their coat twice a year.... read more interesting squirrel facts. After a quick drink from the rain water left on the garden bench she goes off in search of food at one of the nut feeders. She also amazingly climbs up onto the bird table using her sharp claws and is rather partial to a little bread and cheese. Caught in the act here!
We realise that there is another drey, apart from the one near Aspenwood, in the woods beyond our garage. We watch her acrobatically descend from the table and scamper off to the woods which are full of delicious hazel trees...squirrel heaven.

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posted by Lyn @ 10:28 AM 0 comments

Sunday, September 14, 2008

Wildlife at Aspenwood.

It's a wonder we got any work done at the cottage on Saturday as every time we looked out of the lounge window more squirrels appeared. Managed to get this photo of three of them before they chased each other along the fence and up the aspen tree. As we went out of the back door we noticed a deer standing by the garden furniture munching away and quite unfazed by our presence.
Our American guests staying at the cottage came down to see us on Friday afternoon for a chat and showed us a video they had taken of a pine marten running along the fence at Aspenwood the day before and eating ferociously from one of the nut feeders. Needless to say the squirrels were nowhere to be seen as they are the pine martens favourite food. Our American guests are on an extended holiday in the UK so I will post the video here when I receive it as promised.
We checked the nut feeders on Saturday and found one of them needed extensive repair work as the wire had been crushed by the pine martens very sharp teeth in his effort to extract the peanuts. So now we supply peanuts to birds, squirrels and pine martens - costing us a fortune!!

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posted by Lyn @ 8:43 AM 0 comments

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Synchronised Squirrels.

The weather this past week has been quite gloomy with a low cloud base, showery, murky and generally miserable. Today it is pouring with rain and I can just see across to the other side of the loch where 'The Fingal' activity barge is progressing slowly back through the mist heading for Inverness. The weather doesn't seem to deter the hardy sailors out onto Loch Ness and several yachts and cruisers have braved the elements. Sunshine is promised for tomorrow ! The cruise liner 'Lord of the Glens' has been busy taking passengers from Inverness through the lochs of the Great Glen down to Fort William and beyond to the islands.
During a break in the wet weather the wildlife can be seen. The brown mountain hare has been spotted on the driveway eating the grass on the side verge. The two year old male deer has emerged from the forest on his own for the first time. His velvet antlers are nearly one foot tall now and he looks very healthy and in his prime. No sign of any female deer with offspring yet.The bird life is abundant and the predatory sparrowhawk has been zooming about hoping to catch his lunch on the wing but usually goes away hungry. The young red squirrels have been keeping us amused as they chase each other in circles around the tree trunks. Had four of them in the garden yesterday and for a long time two of them were performing synchronised nut feeding - I think they deserve a gold medal at least !

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posted by Lyn @ 11:26 AM 0 comments

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Red squirrel heaven.

Numerous red squirrels are still regular visitors to the nut feeders hanging on the fence outside the lounge at the cottage. They have even enlarged a hole near the base of one of the feeders to make for easier access to the nuts. You can really see them at close hand - about two metres away from the window and observe their very delicate but extremely sharp claws. These are very useful for hanging upside down if needs be.
Watched one feeding frantically as we stood on the decking on Saturday....great fun to watch.



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posted by Lyn @ 12:14 PM 0 comments

Monday, August 04, 2008

On the fence.

The lilac buddleia bush beyond the fence by the cottage decking has burst into life. It is also known as the 'butterfly bush' although it has not been attracting many butterflies this year. Further along the fence at the nut feeders the red squirrels eat,drink,scratch and generally enjoy life.
The weather over the weekend was warm and breezy with the odd refreshing shower which enticed more colourful yachts and cruisers onto Loch Ness.

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posted by Lyn @ 12:44 PM 0 comments

Friday, August 01, 2008

Cyril the squirrel.

After a very warm humid week we had refreshing overnight rain which pleased all the plants in the garden. Today is about 15C with a very low cloud base...unable to see Urquhart Castle on the opposite shore through the mist.Showers throughout the morning and the cats are having a 'sleep in'. Whatever the weather the wildlife has to be fed. Cyril the squirrel is a constant visitor to the nut feeders during the day and chases off any other potential diners to his personal 'restaurant'.

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posted by Lyn @ 12:17 PM 0 comments

Monday, July 21, 2008

Squirrel lunches at Aspenwood.




Saturday as we were cleaning the cottage we looked out of the lounge window and noticed Cyril the squirrel helping himself to the nuts from the bird feeders.He stayed for about twenty minutes,delicately removing the outer husks and then chomping on the nuts inside.After a drink at the bird bath he scampered back into the forest at the side of Aspenwood....a magical sight.

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posted by Lyn @ 12:07 PM 1 comments

Saturday, July 12, 2008

New Red Squirrel video......

A family of a mother and her young 3 red squirrel 'kittens' have been regular visitors to the nut feeders here and at Aspenwood Cottage for the last few weeks...even saw one of them this evening on the nut feeders as we were welcoming our new guests into the cottage and they were thrilled. We have never seen so many red squirrels in the local area as we have in 2008 and they are now regular visitors to the nut feeders every morning... still can't stop being captivated by their cheeky antics.

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posted by Lyn @ 9:40 PM 0 comments

Monday, June 30, 2008

Just hanging around.....


The red squirrels can be very acrobatic and entertaining in their quest for food and are often seen on the nut feeders in the early morning.
They have rather short front legs but long hind legs which are a great aid for leaping about among the branches and away from any danger. They also have amazing sharp claws which can be extremely useful when hanging almost upside down as this cheeky one demonstrates.

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posted by Lyn @ 5:07 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Playful red squirrel.

A cheeky red squirrel had fun and games in the garden early this morning. He had a good look at all the colourful garden ornaments under the bird table and even sat on the head of the concrete squirrel, knocking it over in his quest for peanuts. He quickly found the feeders above him and enjoyed his nutty breakfast. After a long feed he raced down and seemed to look for mischief, his beautiful long tail flying behind him in the breeze. He ran around for a while and then scampered up onto the green garden bench. Now he knows where the food source is he will return and I shall be ready with my trusty tripod. I've placed a bowl of nuts in their shells under the bird table and hope that he will find these and stay eating for a while longer...we will wait and see.












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posted by Lyn @ 2:45 PM 0 comments

Friday, May 16, 2008

Wildlife around Aspenwood Cottage.

Red squirrels have been spotted in the woods surrounding Aspenwood Cottage and appear to have great fun chasing each other up and down the trees and playing amongst the bluebells in the undergrowth. They are very quick and do not stop to pose for a photo!

The resident deer have been frequent visitors around the cottage and most guests have seen them during their stay.
The mum and her offspring enjoyed being the stars of their own movie.....hope you enjoy it too.

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posted by Lyn @ 1:12 PM 0 comments

Saturday, February 02, 2008

Aspenwood in the snow













Lots of snow overnight, making Aspenwood look very cosy nestling in Farigaig Forest. Found deer prints criss-crossing the paths and very near to the cottage. Even Cyril the red squirrel was covered in a smart white coat as he sat guarding the property on the front doorstep.

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posted by Lyn @ 3:47 PM 0 comments

Monday, October 01, 2007

Hazel nuts for breakfast.

There must be a bumper crop of hazel nuts on the trees as we have never seen so many red squirrels in all the years we have lived here. There is a drey very nearby and we often notice the branches of an individual tree swaying violently and then catch a glimpse of these little red acrobats leaping from branch to branch. This one ran along the side of the garage towards the house and leapt into the forest behind the bird table. He emerged a few minutes later with a mouthful of hazel nuts and sat on the tree stump about 5 metres away from us enjoying his nutty breakfast. After a good wash and brush up he sprang into action and disappeared back into the forest. Read more about the red squirrel.

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posted by Lyn @ 10:55 AM 0 comments

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Squirrels and sailing boats.

Seen numerous native red squirrels dashing across the road as we drive into Inverness and seen a few even closer to home. Several have run across our driveway with their bushy tails flying behind them and then up into Farigaig forest beyond. One came very near to the house and sat on the old wheelbarrow by the side of the garage and posed for this photo. The next minute he dived up into the hazel trees and came down with a bunch of hazel nuts in his mouth which he took back to the nearby drey. He returned and did this nifty performance several times to stock up his larder. Plenty of hazel trees in the vicinity so will have to keep a look out for these little acrobats.
Weather quite fair yesterday which attracted several of the sea-faring brigade onto Loch Ness. A few cruisers are still going up and down and we see boats of all different sizes....I know out of these two which one I would rather be on!

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posted by Lyn @ 3:36 PM 0 comments

Friday, September 07, 2007

Red squirrel

Found this little fella inside the cats kennel by the back door. I noticed that their mat inside the kennel was strangely ruffled up so I put my hand in to straighten it up. What a surprise I got ! In the back corner sat a rather frightened red baby squirrel. The fur had not yet fully grown on its body and top of its tail and the ear tufts were not very prominent yet. It did not move at all and seemed frozen to the spot, wishing it had shot up a nearby tree instead of hiding in the kennel. We were carefully carrying the kennel nearer to the surrounding forest when it suddenly shot out and made a bold bid for freedom into the forest. I now check the kennel every day just in case it returns.




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posted by Lyn @ 12:36 PM 0 comments

Sunday, June 03, 2007

Red squirrels

On our travels recently we were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of our native red squirrel in the conifer trees enjoying the sunshine. Easily recognisable by the striking orange-red fur with white underfront, ear tufts and the long bushy tail which is almost as long as its body. The Highland region is the only part of Scotland where the red squirrel thrives and the grey squirrels, which were introduced from North America, are absent. After a sunbathe and a quick glance at us the squirrel rapidly scuttled away to the safety of the top of the tree.

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posted by Lyn @ 1:13 PM 0 comments

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