The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
FORFAR LOCH REVEALS ITS HIDDEN TREASURES
A little watery oasis, just off a busy road but full of surprises – including an otter showing off its superb fishing skills
The omens suggested it was going to be a good day by Forfar Loch, for within a few minutes of my arrival I had glimpsed gadwall ducks out on the water and watched a red squirrel scamper through a tangle of birch and hazel branches in a nearby woodland margin.
Gadwalls are scarce ducks in Scotland, but this part of Angus is one of their strongholds.
They prefer shallow, nutrient-rich bodies of water in lowland areas and Forfar Loch suits their needs perfectly, where they can up-end for submerged plant leaves and other aquatic vegetation.
The drake is an especially handsome duck, and if the sun is shining bright, his greyish plumage transforms into a sparkling, silvery sheen.
As ever, the red squirrel was a joy to behold and was busy at work burying hazel nuts and acorns for later retrieval when winter’s cold grip takes hold.
Red squirrels are faring well in many parts of Scotland, possibly because pine martens, which are expanding their range, are predating upon competitor grey squirrels.
I continued my circuit of the loch, glimpsing between gaps in the trees many moorhens, mallards and mute swans.
Dabchicks haunted some of the reedy margins, but they were perpetually
wary, and would always quickly dive under whenever there was an inkling of having been spotted.
On the decaying stump of long-dead oak, a magnificent miniature forest of glistening inkcap mushrooms clung to the soft and yielding bark.
They were fawn in colour, with wonderful bell-shaped caps, which will eventually flatten out with age before melting away into a sticky black ink.
When young, the cap is coated with fine grains that glisten like specks of mica and give the mushroom a glittery appearance.
The track I followed took me to the edge of the busy A90 Aberdeen to Dundee dual carriageway, and then looped back down the other side of the loch.
About halfway down, the corner of my eye detected an unusual swirling out on the loch, which appeared different from the ripple pattern typically created by a diving duck or cormorant.
From where the commotion had occurred, a linear string of bubbles moved slowly across the surface.
Then, a furry full-whiskered head surfaced – an otter! It had caught a small fish, which it chomped on furiously before diving under again in a smooth, roll-backed action.
I watched the otter for another quarter of an hour or so as it fished out in the middle of the loch, continually diving under.
It seemed to be a productive hunting trip and more times than not, there would be a small fish in its mouth upon surfacing.
Eventually, it had consumed its fill and swam quickly towards a reedy part of the shore, where it would hide up for the rest of the day.
There was a spring in my step as I resumed my loch circuit – nature perpetually delivers truly special surprises, and this little watery oasis by Forfar had proved no exception.