The B Team

I'll get the B Team out of the way first - F1 on Sunday was fantastic. Button, Barrichello, Brawn and Branson (wonder if the crew's names all start with B too?) had a cracking day with Button taking his first win in a while. Congratulations to Brawn GP! Now for the other B (ird) news....
What a weekend that was! Friday was a waste of a day with a strong Northerly wind blowing which had us wondering if the caravan might blow away! It didn't so we're happy. The wind was still pretty fierce on Saturday morning and forecast to die down through the day. Saturday afternoon was like a Summers day, in comparison, and the birds were out to prove it. Four White-tailed Eagles soaring above the shop at one point and checking round the ridges produced another one with a male Hen Harrier not too far away. The Golden Plover flock hasn't increased any but they are looking splendid in their Summer dress.
We had the stick makers dinner on Saturday night and although we didn't win anything I did get a second place for a matching pair.
Sunday was a day of two halves with pleasant weather in the morning so a quick scoot round the loch to see what was on offer. This male Wheatear gave a brief opportunity to get a photo and the first one I have photographed this year. Only one Otter on the loch this morning but easy enough to find. The numbers of RB Merg are on the increase with at least 10 present.
We had lunch near the Seal colony and so did a Herring Gull. There were two Shag fishing in the shallows and one of them came up with a fish which the Herring Gull promptly stole!! Anything for the easy meal.

Gratuitous shots

Yesterday was a bit of an exceptional day with 63 species of birds seen. It was another windy one with a few showers in the morning and one of those days where you think it's going to be hard work. None of the photos in this post were taken on the day so I've used some gratuitous shots. Scanning any body of water round Mull will always produce a few birds so the best of the bunch on the water were 2 RT Diver, a couple of Razorbill, RB Merg, GN Diver and an Otter. We found a lone Dunlin on the shore of Loch Beg sheltering behind a rock but it was a distant view through the scope which was being buffeted by the wind.

A couple of Adders were seen while having lunch but raptors were a bit thin on the ground. All that was about to change......a Sparrowhawk made a brief appearance closely followed by a sighting of Hen Harrier. A short wait and plenty of scanning later and we had a distant Golden Eagle that landed on a rock before everyone got a view. Ten minutes later it was back in the air and heading towards us with a Raven mobbing it - a good size comparison.

A change of location to Uisken had a Sparrowhawk flashing past us and out of sight. Two Northern Wheatear were easy to spot sticking to prominent positions and 3 Common Snipe burst out from some vegetation as we walked along the beach. A cracking female Hen Harrier gave good views as we left the area.

Loch Pottie was holding 10 Whooper Swan and 4 Tufted Duck which were nice additions to the list for the day. Fidden was the next stop and was to produce the biggest surprise of the day. We'd had the WF Geese already and the flock of Barnacle Geese were just coming in to land as we arrived. Lapwings seemed to have increased their numbers with at least 200 birds present and the Golden Plover were holding steady at 100 birds. A couple of Mountain Hare were added to the list but didn't stay in view for too long. We were given some info that 3 Eagles were not too far away so off we went in search of this 'pot of Gold'. It didn't take too much time to find one of the Eagles and with the scope on the bird while it was sitting we got the ID - Golden Eagle! Another bird was picked up sitting not too far away and a third bird joined the group - 3 Golden Eagle together was a fabulous sight to behold. They were all young birds and presumably had a carcass in the vicinity. A Peregrine put in an appearance to try to distract us from the Goldies so we paid it homage and it eventually perched up on an outcrop - quality.

As we were leaving Fidden in driving rain we got some very close views of Mountain Hare that made up for the brief views we'd had earlier.

The drive back to base was disrupted by a shout of 'large raptor on the left!' - out of the motor to be graced with the presence of a juv Golden Eagle soaring round. There couldn't be much more surely.......a mile down the road and another shout 'two large raptors', another rapid exit to be faced with 2 adult White-tailed Eagle - what a way to finish the day. You never know when it's over!

Today it is mostly raining....

"Read all about it!!"

Monday was a complete blow away day and that included the washing that had been hung out! Despite the high winds I made an attempt to get out as it wasn't raining. As soon as I had got myself in the motor and I was waiting for some traffic to get past a large bird appeared.......an expletive was uttered......White-tailed Eagle labouring against the wind......only about 50 yards away and no chance of getting the camera - what a sight though. I had just enough time to get Little Yin outside for a quick view before it disappeared round the trees. About 4 hours later we noticed the birds on the near shore leaving in a panic and it was the White-tail crossing back over the loch.
It was looking like a pleasant day when I stepped outside this morning but it clouded over and the heavens opened - hmmmm I'm still going out! Checking out Loch Beg was a real treat as the water was flat calm, the Curlews were displaying and a few Snipe were calling too. Rock Pipits chasing each other about, a Pied Wagtail chirruping to itself on the shore, 3 female RB Mergs with a single male were 'grazing' the shallows for fish and I call this my office!! A Red-throated Diver put in an appearance but wouldn't stay up long enough for a bad photo never mind a good one. Great Northern Divers were visible for miles down the loch with at least 10 counted in the view that I had.
An Otter was soon on the list and heading away from me so I moved on to get in front of it and just waited.........just enough light to get a snap!
The Heron at the start of this post flew in as the Otter moved off. I followed the Otter as it made it's way towards the middle of the loch at speed and I was surprised to see a Common Seal surface right in front of it. They don't interact too much but I was pleased to see the Seal just carry on swimming. I turned back to the Grey Heron on the shore and he was at full stretch and looking good. They look absolutely splendid in these light conditions but the photographs never do them justice. It takes something for a bird to shine in dull weather but these guys manage it.
It's nice to see a bit of Summer plumage coming through on the GN Divers and you can make out some of the spots on the back of this bird. It won't be too long before there are some tasty looking birds around!

No sooner said than done!

Not a great day to be out on Sunday with a strong Westerly blowing and the prospect of rain but you have to do the best you can. Most of the tops were sporting 'woolly hats' that didn't look like they would be coming off through the day. I started the day down at Fidden which tends to be a bit clearer than the more mountainous parts. The WF Geese were in the fields for all of 20 seconds as our arrival coincided with the feeding of the sheep so the quad bike had the geese flying off and we couldn't relocate them. The flock of Barnacle Geese were showing reasonably well with a Canada Goose keeping company with them. A Mountain Hare was lying low in a natural form and an Otter was scampering around in the shallows looking for fish.
The 100 Golden Plover were still in the fields so I made the attempt of getting a photo of one of the male birds. The wind was howling which didn't help but this is the best of a bad bunch.
A very brief glimpse of a Wheatear was bettered a little later on with 2 birds (a male and female) keeping close company. Lunch was spent cloud watching more than anything else with the tops out of view more than anything else. A brief flurry of activity livened things up when a Golden Eagle cleared the ridge closely followed by a Hen Harrier. The Harrier was a male, flying with a purpose, that was joined by a female coming out of the forest and a food pass was made. The male headed off immediately and was joined by another female bird and eventually all 3 birds were seen together - result!
A group of 6 Ringed Plover at close quarters were nice to see and another Otter asleep on the rocks had me reaching for the camera but I achieved nothing in the strengthening wind. A GN Diver feeding close to the shore was nice to see but I wasn't going to be thwarted again so the camera stayed put. Grey Herons aplenty along the shoreline were favouring the more sheltered spots and the Primroses are now starting to flower in good numbers. Two White-tailed Eagles finished off a day of difficult conditions but it shows you can still have good sightings on a bad day.

Divers delight

I had a chance to check out the GN Diver numbers on Thursday night before heading off to the stick making class. A tremendous sunset was a pleasure in itself but the 40 GN Divers that had gathered together was the treat that I been looking for.The run up to the class was fairly productive with 2 Barn Owls, 1 Tawny Owl and at least 5 Woodcock seen on the journey. Just as a matter of interest and a lack of Owl photos here are the sticks that we are busy working on. The smaller shiny crook is Little Yins stick and the 2 larger ones are mine and they should be finished next week in time for the annual competition at the end of the month.

Yesterday was another cracking day with some interesting sightings through the day. A small group of 10 razorbills were absolutely steaming up the loch probably following a shoal of fish. It was great to watch the lead bird just tipping up and disappear like a sinking ship with the other birds following close behind. A Great Northern Diver showed very well feeding in the shallows but the camera decided that the hazy conditions were not the best for photos and wouldn't focus - drat!

Loch Beg was continuing to produce some interesting sightings with 2 Shelduck showing well, a female Goosander that was cruising the river outflow and an explosion of feathers that had to be the remains of a Peregrine kill. This White-tailed Eagle was posing quite nicely on the rocks and showing off his shiny yellow wellies, an essential fashion accessory up here! It was very windy at this point and the tag never dropped into a position where I could read it but it's a bird from 2006.Two Adders were on show today but one moved off before I could get the camera ready. One of the things that always catches you out is stopping for lunch. You settle down with a cuppa in one hand and a sandwich in the other, your backside hits the seat.........and something appears.....drop everything and grab the bins for a brief view of a Golden Eagle reasonably close. The beast in question disappears so you go for the sandwich again then there it is sitting on the ridge with a Raven for company, sandwich down, the bird disappears, sandwich up, the bird reappears on the ridge again this time showing really well. I went for the camera but the bird was off again, I'm starving to death at this point and thinking about eating my lunch with my eyes closed! You can't do that though and a good job too..........over the ridge comes the Eagle and heads straight for us checking out what we are having for lunch......it's under 50 yards above us for a quick look before heading back to the ridge and performs a couple of stoops to show us who owns the territory here. We finish lunch, thanking the Goldie for the use of his garden, and head off.A few interesting sights down at Fidden with the Lapwings displaying furiously to each other. The birds flying around, black and white in appearance, the sounds of the calls and the whup, whup, whup of the wings as they race past is just fantastic. Then when they land they turn into into green jewels with one of the best haircuts around....... I'd been tipped off about the presence of a Northern Wheatear down here so it was a great pleasure to catch up with this stunning bird. I couldn't get a photograph and a verbal description wouldn't do justice so here is a shot of Northern Wheatear from a previous encounter.

There were quite a few waders on display but the star of the show was a Common Snipe that was sheltering from the wind with just the head and bill on show. They had been heard calling at a few locations but this was the first one we had seen on the day. A flock of 100 Golden Plover were watched in flight then alighting in a field filling the air with their plaintive calls - superb. I hope I get the chance to get some photos before they head off to the breeding grounds. A Buzzard sitting on a post was the only chance I had to photograph something so here it is!
On the trip back to base we managed to add 20 Eider, 2 Common Scoter and a female Hen Harrier was a welcome addition to the list of the 53 species we saw on the day.

SSDD

Yesterday was one of the best days we've had this year - proper T shirt weather! There was very little wind and the sun was beating down and I start flagging if it gets above 12C but I soldiered on. The Otter in Loch Beg should be an easy hit in flat calm conditions but there was barely a ripple to be seen and so flat you could see Divers on Loch Scridain with the naked eye about half a mile away! A small troop of Skylarks kept us amused and then a female Hen Harrier was spotted patrolling the far shore but heading our way and then the tell-tale ring of bright water - an Otter at the mouth of the loch. A drive round to get a better view improved things with this female Merg sitting pretty in front of us.

You could hear a pin drop it was that quiet so a bit of a splash off to the right had me waiting for something to surface not too far away.......another Otter and this time close enough for a quick shot.A Red-throated Diver still in winter plumage, but reasonably close, was a nice bird to see but getting the camera out put paid to that. They can travel a reasonable distance under water and this one gave a prime example of that as it headed for open water - maybe next time. We took in the WT Eagles and a few Stags along the way but a group of birds on the loch, backlit, were worth a second glance. A group of 11 Whooper Swan had dropped in for a short rest before moving on North again.Another location was looking pretty dire until an explosion of birds from the forestry had me diving for the scope. First bird in the scope was a male Hen Harrier with a Kestrel mobbing it. I checked the rest of the birds and was surprised to see it was 2 male and 2 female Hen Harriers with a pair of Kestrel mobbing them - quality! A White-tailed Eagle sitting on a rock gave us the opportunity to check the plumage of a sub adult bird with the bill all yellow and the plumage fairly plain it was a 3 year old bird. I was just reaching for the camera when it flew off.

Lunchtime gave us our first sighting of Golden Eagle with 2 birds circling round and gaining height rapidly and soon lost to view. I checked out the frogs spawn which has all hatched now.

In the same pool were 2 Palmate Newts which were nice to see but no sign of any Adders anywhere. I guess they had warmed up early on and were out feeding. I had to go back there this morning to check for Adders and also to get the photo of the wee tadpoles! A nice stroll on the beach produced nothing more exiting than a few Rock Pipits and our last call of the day bagged another Hen Harrier and also my first Mountain Hares of the year in the daylight.
Here is the Adder from this morning.......
......and some Primroses that are now starting to show.

Luck o' the Irish

As promised I made an attempt to count the GN Divers on Monday evening and failed miserably. The loch was very choppy and it was almost dark but I was gifted with a juv White-tailed Eagle flying over and also a Pipistrelle Bat.
St Patrick's Day was a day spent with guests and I got a flying start with a stunning male Hen Harrier. We managed to get a good tally of 50 species of birds throughout the day with nice views of the White-fronted Geese (32) and cracking views of the Skylarks, Lapwings with a couple of Common Snipe zig-zagging to keep us on our toes.
A distant view of 2 Golden Eagle whetted the appetite for closer views and a close female Hen Harrier was photographed but not by me! I've got to get one of these Lumix FZ18's. Male Sparrowhawks seemed to be out in force with 3 seen through the day but the entertainment prize has to go to the Eagles.
We picked up a group of 4 Golden Eagle youngsters that were building their aerial skills by dive bombing each other and talon touching. This was viewed over some distance but the spectacle was superb. We headed off for lunch when all 4 birds settled down otherwise we would have been there all day! I picked up another 3 Hen Harrier and a Golden Eagle at lunchtime but again distant views. With all this activity it wasn't going to be long before a White-tailed Eagle was on the list and sure enough I picked one up but again distant. This was to be the sighting of the day for me. The WT Eagle was initially on it's own as it cleared the ridge but another bird soon followed. They dropped in front of the ridge so we could see that these birds were not adults and I was stunned as they cleared the ridge again and got them in profile and they touched talons - it was a young WT Eagle with a sub adult Golden Eagle!! I'm doubting there was any animosity as it was the White-tail dropping down on the Goldie and normally you get the Goldies chasing off the White-tails. Who knows what was going on but it was a superb sighting anyway.
Another stop produced 2 White-tails a juv bird and a stunning adult that filled the view of the scope - could we take any more? Well we still hadn't seen an Otter so that was next on the list.......the photograph tells it all zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz! We checked on this beast about an hour later and he was still in the same position.

A visit to a WT Eagle nest site produced another surprise as a young bird from 2005 was standing on the nest! Obviously the owners of the nest were not in attendance so we waited for a while and eventually the youngster took to the air because...........the adults were returning. The adults were touching talons while the youngster watched probably picking up tips for later in life. A Common Buzzard joined the fray and proceeded to bomb one of the adult birds. A superb size comparison and great to see the Eagle flip over and show the Buzzard what it might get if it's not careful. They started to drift off but it wasn't over yet as 2 Golden Eagles appeared from nowhere and circled round with the WT Eagles! The WT Eagles touched talons and the male Golden Eagle was doing the stooping display - fantastic!!
Today will be different I'm sure but no less exciting so let's start with the sun up!!

Migrants

Saturday was a fairly overcast day but I still bagged a couple of Golden Eagle that were out enjoying the wind. They would gain a bit of height then turn tail to the wind and go screaming into the hillside then head skywards to do it all again. One of these sorties bagged me a male Hen Harrier who, I'm sure, got the wind up with two Goldies coming at him!!
Migrants are still few and far between but you can see the change in numbers of birds if nothing else with the likes of Lapwing and Skylark very noticeable now. It was nice to see these 6 Whooper Swans that probably dropped in last night and no sooner did I have them photographed they were on their way again. The ringtail Hen Harrier was quartering the area around the Whoops but I'm sure it wasn't responsible for seeing them on their way!
After putting up a new shop sign this morning I thought it might be an idea to see if there were any Wheatears around. These birds seem to appear along the Eastern side of Mull a couple of weeks before I get them on my patch so I was heading for Loch na Keal. It was hard to miss these two White-tailed Eagle sitting in the conifer trees. A lovely couple, side by side, with the female bird just about to give the male bird a cuddle (or a slap for eyeing up some other bird - what's he looking at anyway?).
It was blowing a bit of a hoolie on Loch na Keal but it was a pleasant afternoon of birding. We flushed a Redwing from the side of the road that just didn't bother stopping once it took flight and then a couple of Mistle Thrush that did the same thing. I had to get out the motor to see if there was someone strapped to the front chasing everything off - there wasn't though. The birds on the water were behaving in a better manner with some cracking views of Wigeon, Red-breasted Merganser, Great Northern Diver, Slavonian Grebe and Black Guillemot. The Oystercatchers on the side of the road are absolutely stunning and so are the Curlew that are starting to grow in numbers now. A decent number of Shelduck (10) were fighting against the stormy wind near Inch Kenneth
A rare bit of shelter gave me an opportunity to get the camera out for this Raven that was working it's way along the rocks with it's mate.

The group of Stags that I saw yesterday were still grazing the same area so another photo of them was had. It won't be too long before they lose the antlers and look a bit strange for a while. I'll have to try to get some shots of this transitional period but don't hold your breath!
A quick check to see if the WT Eagles were still cuddling up but the tree was bare. The birds were just in the process of leaving, so watching them circle round before disappearing from view was a treat.

Loons

Just a quick run out this morning before the rain comes back in. No sign of the 2 Whooper Swan from yesterday so they must have left early this morning before I was awake. The Lapwings are displaying well and the Mistle Thrush are in fine voice so it's getting more spring like every day. This Common Buzzard was perched up quite nicely keeping it's eyes open for an easy meal no doubt.
About half a mile further down the road a large raptor cleared the ridge and set off a couple of Great Black-backed Gull. You always run the risk of these birds dropping out of sight before you can get a good look but this bird just sailed along the ridge and gave me the chance to get it in the scope. A cracking view of a first winter White-tailed Eagle.
This Great Northern Diver was fishing in the shallows and provided an opportunity for a close look and a few snaps. A real beast of a bird and the beam of the bird is just immense! How wide do you need to be?

Look at the size of that bill too. There were at least 10 GN Diver, 6 RT Diver, 4 Razorbill and numerous Shag out on Loch Scridain. The forecast for the weekend looks a bit breezy but Monday night might be just right for another count of the Divers.
A view out towards Staffa and the Treshnish Isles produced another year tick in the shape of a single Gannet scything through the increasing wind with ease.

The clouds were gathering on the tops and the bank of rain was visibly encroaching but I probably just had enough time to get a few snaps of the Stags. As you can see from this beast it's a hard life out on the hill, skinny hind legs and protruding bones don't look good but he might make it yet.

Donald & Charlie

Tuesday was a pleasant day, as the previous post explains, but these calmer conditions give me a chance to count the GN Divers on Loch Scridain in the evening. The birds spend the night in a group or two so a late visit gets a good count plus a nice sunset etc. I managed to get to the loch just before dark but the telescope manages to save the day. There was a real haze over the surface which hampered the count too. A group of 8 took a while to find but once the general area was located it was easy to find some more. The next group contained 8....no....9....no....12 and one further back? Still wrong!! I settled on 12 including the 'one at the back' after they strung out heading for the first group. A total of 20 isn't too bad for this time of year and there could be more further down the Loch - I'll keep you posted on that one.
Wednesday was a bit of a wash out but the Golden Plover, Shelduck, various waders were all still present and a Yellowhammer was singing out the back of the shop. I spent most of the afternoon staking this bird out and never seen it once!
I stepped out this morning to see if the Shelduck were still present and found they had morphed into 2 Whooper Swan overnight - it must be funny water out there!

I spent the rest of the morning watching the final touches being made to the White-tailed Eagle nest - a pleasant way to while away a couple of hours. A Golden Eagle giving an all too brief burst of displaying was a nice supporting act.
I guess I was inspired by the WT Eagles doing housework and I went home to do some chores (I'll get some ribbing for that) and watch the feeders in case the Yellowhammer put in an appearance. Chaffinches are abundant up here the same as most places but a treat to watch as they squabble over the dining table and they aren't keen on any other birds joining in. The Coal Tits dash in and dash back out again, Great Tits will stand their ground but are usually beaten by the numbers and best of all is watching a Collared Dove being harassed by a Chaffinch!

Cheeky Charlie

My favourite bird in the garden is the Dunnock. He scuttles along the ground or in the undergrowth like a feathered mouse. I watched the Dunnock doing his thing for about 15 minutes (while doing the dishes - that's about one item per minute) and thought that I had better give him a mention on the blog. Out came the scope and the camera and in went the birds.....next doors cat had the birds scattering again but Boris has no interest in birds he just wants some dinner, Sunny was out on the prowl somewhere so I was hoping he wouldn't come back just yet. Then I caught some movement in the Honeysuckle and sure enough it was the Dunnock, skulking at first...

.....and then showing well....a stunning bird when you get a good look but most of the time he's overlooked so let's hear it for Donald Dunnock!!!!

Adder nice day...

I was up with the larks this morning as the forecast was ideal. I'll not bore you with the view from the door this morning as there are enough photos of that for now and some nice ones in the rest of the post!

The Lochs were flat calm this morning so it was ideal for spotting things without trying too hard. Loch Beg gave up an Otter across the far shore and as it was freezing cold all the equipment fogged up so no photos of that one. Another mile or so down the road and another Otter heading for the near shore but out of sight! I could see bits of movement but not all of the beast so I was going to move on when a head popped up to see what I was up to. I waited....and waited....and waited until it was time for more breakfast.

I called in on a pair of White-tailed Eagle and I wasn't disappointed as both birds were sitting side by side - ain't that sweet? No photos of the Eagles but this Kestrel will make up for that.
A Black-throated Diver was next on the hit list and he was playing hard to get. A bit of perseverance got this shot. The usual suspects were around but nothing photogenic. The Black Guillemot numbers seem to be rising daily or it could be the summer plumage is easier to spot. A total of 4 RT Diver today with only the one in summer dress.
Another Otter was making a bee line for the rocks not too far away from me so I set up an ambush and got a nice shot as he crested the rise. Only one shot as he went straight back in the water - digiscoping is great for things like that!
I did get a nice profile in the water though.
As I was heading for my next stop a juv WT Eagle was flying in the opposite direction - cue handbrake turn and back down the road. Sadly it landed out of sight and despite trying from a few vantage points it had found the ideal hiding place.

I've been trying to get back to the Adders for a while but with the poor weather it's not been worth it. True to form with a bit of sun there's always one on show and he was well warmed up. It was a careful approach as I didn't want to disturb it.
I had a walk around to see if there were any more but it seemed he was the only one. The waterfall was looking good after all the rain and a Golden Eagle was patrolling the ridge in the distance. A strange one that I did see near the waterfall was a hovering bird with little or no tail. A look through the bins gave up the Kestrel but it sure looked strange without a tail!

I checked the few pools in the area for frogspawn and it was there but not in any great mass. You can see the frost damage on this clump but the rest of it is quite far on with half grown tadpoles already - marvellous!
I checked out the Common Seals on the way back and counted at least 70. With the wind blowing in my face it was carrying the sound of the seals moaning with the odd call from a GN Diver out on the Loch - very atmospheric. A check of the distant ridges here produced another Golden Eagle.
No real changes with the numbers of birds on Loch Beg at the minute except the arrival of 2 Shelduck and the Rock Pipits have started their parachute display flights. I just need a Wheatear to say it's Spring!

Awesome!!!

First off an apology for the photos in the last post. None of the images will open so it kind of spoils the effect and I can't seem to fix the problem without going into the HTML. I don't have the time for that so I'll just have to post better photos - hurrah I hear you cry!
Saturday night saw the weather break briefly and the wind dropped too so an opportunity to get a nice reflecting image from the doorstep. It's an awesome sight every time and you have to get an image - I could probably fill a book with the selection I have!
Earlier on Saturday I had been volunteered to help out with someone moving house. As I was waiting for the wagon load of furniture I was parked overlooking Loch Scridain with the rain lashing against the windows when something caught my eye. What I had seen was something akin to a torpedo flying through the water which I knew would turn out to be a duck of some sort. I cleared the windscreen and peered through the bins to find a female Goosander that was hunting fish. I'm sure most folks have seen the likes of Mallards powering themselves through the water in a similar fashion. What was awesome about this was watching the fish leaping out of the water in front of the bird! It certainly kept me amused while I was waiting.
After unloading the furniture and on my way back I saw this Buzzard on a telegraph pole drying it's wings. It would have been a better shot from the front of the bird but you can't win 'em all.

This mornings outing was pretty fantastic too. A quick jaunt out to try and dodge the squalls and see what is out there. I got soaked at the first stop which was nice and I didn't notice the camera getting a soaking too - oops! It really was windy so not too much to tell but here we go.....5 GN Diver were no surprise but the summer plumage Red-throated Diver was a cracker and too distant for photos. A distant Otter was soon lost in the choppy water and 3 Shelduck, 2 Eider, 3 Black Guillemot wasn't enough to hold me. Just as I was going to pack everything away I had one last glance out over the water and there was a large bird approaching rapidly. An adult White-tailed Eagle was flying straight towards me, binoculars up, stunning, then almost too close, binoculars down and watch it sail by 30 yards away about 20 foot off the ground. That would have been a good shot but I was stunned - AWESOME!!!! I grabbed the camera to get some hand held shots but I knew it would do no good. I took a few shots in the 45 seconds or so it took for the bird to ride the updraft of the cliff till it was a speck in the sky. I got the bird in the scope, full extension and pointing vertical, and I swear it was laughing at me. Anyway here is a cropped shot of a bad photo - I'm still grinning though!