Country Diary: Strathnairn

The rowan trees in the strath are now drooping under the weight of the dense, flat clusters of berries that vary in colour from a rich orange red to dull red. This show of glorious colour makes the trees conspicuous and shows just how widespread they are from roadside verges to narrow ledges on cliff faces. The berries have ripened early this year by about 10 days, earlier than anyone in the strath can remember and it is also the biggest crop they can recall. The problem is that nobody seems to have told the birds that this feast is ready for eating.

Normally by now packs of brown juvenile starlings would have come out from Inverness and be attacking the berries. The exception is where the trees are being guarded by family parties of mistle thrushes but these have yet to put in an appearance. Even the chaffinches, normally the first to attack the berries, have failed to materialise. One can only think that other food supplies are still available. Unless all these birds suddenly arrive it means the imminent invasion of thrushes from Scandinavia will find they have never had it so good with such a bumper harvest untouched. Normally these fieldfares and redwings make short work of the berries and soon move south or west but this year they could stay around. Perhaps this will mean a few may stay and breed next spring, which would be very unusual.

The other name for rowan is mountain ash, which is because it grows at a higher altitude than any other native tree apart from juniper and small willows. It has been said that the golden eagle will only build its nest on a cliff ledge with a rowan. In fact if the ledge is wide enough to support an eagle's nest it is wide enough to support a rowan.