Went for a short break in the Highlands this weekend to celebrate my wife putting up with me for 4 years. Based near Aviemore, but not really a birding trip, more about whisky tasting and fine dining. But I did get up at 4 in the morning to go to the RSPB Caper watch at Loch Garten where a fine male Caper was on view on the remote camera screen but unforunately refused to walk in view of the hide. Slightly frustrating as  the warden said it was only about 150 m from us but screened by some trees.
The real highlight was chancing apon a presumed Parrot Crossbill, a male with a stonker of a bill and neck muscles along the minor road at Glen Feshie.

Ok, I know technically that in the Highlands if you don't have a large billed xbill  give the diagnostic excitement call that separates Scottish from Parrot then you can't be 100%. Unfortunately it only gave some chip calls in flight and no alarm calls when perched, even though it did appear to fly in to 'check us out'. However given the depth and shape of the bill, and the huge head plus musuclar neck, my money would be on a male Parrot.

The view from our hotel room wasn't bad either. Osprey seen too.

On the return south we diverted off the A9 along the scenic Glen Truim.