This May I returned to the Cairngorms as a volunteer for the second time, drawn by the potential for beautiful weather and the prospect of tiny hoof prints. Whilst there is so much I could tell you about my week, with every single day being amazing, I think there’s one day that might stay in my mind for a while.
The day began with a trip up the hill with Lotti, Daisy and Maisy (the herders have such beautiful names!). Lotti and Maisy went to check on the latest arrival, a sweet little boy calf whose identity is currently protected to allow for more formal announcements to expectant adopters.
Daisy and I went on to do a full inventory of the herd in the enclosure. This involved some facial recognition (no apps involved, just the catalogue held in Daisy’s head) and then some ear tag number checking and ticking off against the list held in the office.
Why is this done? Well, at this time of year any of the herd that has decided to go solo is likely to be a Mum-to-be and may either be ‘faffing’ (which when witnessed is just like it sounds… that day you spend getting nothing done because you just can’t settle) or might be with calf in a remote corner of the enclosure.
After identifying the location of all the herd, including a faffer in the distance, Daisy and I went into the area where Lotti and Maisy were with the newborn, as the decision had been made to move them into their own space for a little while. Now, this might sound simple but moving a worried mum and a very teeny wobbly thing with back legs that seem almost twice the length of its front legs is not an easy task. It took 4 of us… although I was mainly the emotional and photographic support.
There was a very steep hill to climb and little baby needed a little help, whilst mum was constantly checking, encouraging and teaching. There were multiple suckling stops, an occasional poop on baby’s head and lots of encouraging grunting. Daisy’s back must have hurt as she had to pick up baby on the steepest parts of the epic journey but keep the calf in sight of mother at all times, which meant adopting a stooped position and walking in the side eyeline of the adult reindeer.
At one point the previous year’s calf came to chat with mum, a slightly heart wrenching moment as we all realised that the yearling must now become independent and was nuzzled out of the way to make room for the new baby.
When we got to the final destination, we all stood back to watch mother and baby and, after a quick lick of all crucial parts, baby was settled down for a rest with mum guarding him. She was such a good mum!
And so we returned to Reindeer House for a cuppa.
I then spent a little time helping mix feed, checking on the paddock, watering some newly laid turf which the 3 boys in the paddock were greedily eyeing, and sweeping the inside and outside of the centre. I checked Santa’s Bothy but he was still out….
After lunch I went with Kate and Maisy to help with the afternoon Hill Trip – a great bunch of people who told me of their road trip plans and experiences whilst I helped identify reindeer and shared the few facts I have picked up.
Whilst Kate was talking to the group, one of a nearby female reindeer’s antlers popped off in front of us all! And a few minutes later one of our visitors found another antler, but not from the same cow. This casting of antlers happens when the females are pregnant and no longer have to fight off the advances of the males. We put the antlers safely in the rucksack as sometimes adopters like to buy them.
We then laid out a little feed to supplement the natural feed for the new mums, which is done from a distance so as not to disturb them and their calves too much, though we did check that each little calf was standing or chose to stand while we observed.
On our way back to reindeer house we drove up towards the Cairngorm Mountain Railway car park to check on the free ranging reindeer. Lotti and I had moved them away from that area the day before, down the valley quite a distance. They had seemed happy to follow us and stay there at the time. But guess who we found crossing the road? It seems the new grass covered with salt on the verges is as tempting to a reindeer as a salty snack is to us!
Out of the van we jumped. The strategy formed was to move them upwards this time. Maisy (part mountain goat I suspect) was sent up the steep rock face to call from above, whilst Kate encouraged the herd to move out of the road.
I was sent to the bend in the road to slow down and explain what was happening to oncoming traffic. “Yes, we came to watch!” was one of the responses, with most people intrigued or happy to drive slowly past and take some good holiday snaps. The free rangers weren’t being entirely cooperative and soon Daisy and Sheena came to help, with a chain of herders up the hill calling and persuading.
When at last the final reindeer was moved safely onwards, Sheena took our photo in the middle of the clear road until we were surprised by a camper van rounding the corner, and scattered, giggling.
That evening, straight after work, Daisy took me for a walk with her dogs on the banks of Loch Morlich. It was a stunning evening and showed off the beautiful surroundings that Daisy is incredibly proud to live and work in.
In fact Daisy had to use her fire prevention knowledge to help put out a fire that had been made illegally that afternoon and it was clear how much she cared that her local area was not put at risk. Seeing the beauty of the woodland, and experiencing the peace of the beach by the loch, I understood completely.
Editor’s Note: Sorry to hijack your blog Kathy… This wonderful blog was written back in May, before the horrific wildfire that hit Glenmore in July. It goes to show how important this bylaw is. It’s wonderful to share the reindeer’s home with so many people that love and respect the outdoors – so please help us protect it in future.
We met Maisy on our way back and stopped at the Pine Marten bar for some refreshments and much needed sustenance. While the others had soft drinks, I wanted to try a local ale which went well with a very good burger with fries (my salty snack of choice)! We chatted about the day of adventure and reminisced about road trips to lands of northern lights and reindeer.
Feeling thoroughly contented, I took a small detour on my way back to my lodgings, popping up to the top to look at the sunset over the loch. And who should I see on my way up? A small group of salty snackers at the side of a car park, watched by a lady from Germany who looked at me with tear filled eyes and said “It’s just magical!”
And I agree. What a day. What a week. I can’t wait till next year….
Kathy