I caught sight of a male Hen Harrier clearing the forestry and gaining height at a rapid rate. It soon dropped like a stone and made a food pass to a female then just soared back into the sky before dropping low to hunt again - a masterclass in riding the wind and thermals off the forestry. Two Golden Eagles gave a fine performance through the day but no hunting going on.Thursday was another scorcher and a chance to do something different. We headed off in search of Hen Harrier but it soon turned into an insect fest. The dragonflys were out in force hunting down anything in their path - it's a ruthless killer but fantastic to watch. Too quick to photograph on the wing and we never got close enough to any feeding. A Butterfly that had seen better days turned out to a Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary. There were plenty of these on the wing but just look at it's eyes - they look like miniature footballs - cool!
Next on the hit list was a group of Four-spotted Chasers chasing each other across a small pond. They were a bit more obliging as they landed in the sheltered spots to pose for photographs.
Waterboatmen were ten a penny in the small pool and provided a bit of entertainment while waiting for the chasers.
A couple of species of Damselfly were present at the same location with Blue-tailed and Large Red doing their thing. These Large Red Damselfly were busy depositing eggs.
This Newt came from the depths of the pond while I was creeping round the back and provided a photographic opportunity.
A Keeled Skimmer gave us the run around as it patrolled it's territory and even seen off a Gold-ringed Dragonfly. A brave move as the Dragonfly is twice the size!
A change of location for the afternoon to get some flower photographs was a disaster for me. I just took one camera and no spare batteries. You can guess what happened. I managed to get a decent shot of St John's Wort....
...before chasing this Common Blue butterfly around. I got a couple of shots from a distance and left the camera on as I stalked a bit closer. I got within good shooting range, lifted the camera to find it was switched off. I tried switching it on but the battery was dead!
Friday was yet another scorcher but the wind was picking up. We had a slow start to the day but a dramatic view of a Merlin with a Meadow Pipit in it's talons being seen off by another two Mipits was superb. Lunchtime provided the biggest drama of all though. Two Golden Eagle were cruising around trying to stop us eating lunch - they succeeded, of course. One of the birds disappeared but the one that stayed was really on the hunt. It cruised over the top of us and decided we were a bit too big to tackle or it didn't fancy a sandwich!
It decided to try it's luck on the hillside instead......
....it was difficult trying to keep track of the bird but all of a sudden it dropped down low and sank it's talons into the back of a deer calf!!!!! The calf was screaming in alarm and kicked at the Eagle managing to get out of it's grip as the mother approached. It's not the best photo but you can see the calf on the right, the Golden Eagle in the middle and the adult Red Deer on the left.
There is no way you can top that kind of drama but what a sight to behold! Otters were next on the list and we weren't disappointed as we located the mother and cub at reasonably close quarters. Good news on the WT Eagle front too - the youngster has been satellite tagged so we will be able to follow the fortunes of this bird after fledging. A very strange sight on the way back was a 3 antlered Red Deer - two on it's head and one growing from it's backside! Seriously though, these are both Royals (12 points on the antlers) - fine looking beasts.
Next on the hit list was a group of Four-spotted Chasers chasing each other across a small pond. They were a bit more obliging as they landed in the sheltered spots to pose for photographs.Waterboatmen were ten a penny in the small pool and provided a bit of entertainment while waiting for the chasers.A couple of species of Damselfly were present at the same location with Blue-tailed and Large Red doing their thing. These Large Red Damselfly were busy depositing eggs.This Newt came from the depths of the pond while I was creeping round the back and provided a photographic opportunity.A Keeled Skimmer gave us the run around as it patrolled it's territory and even seen off a Gold-ringed Dragonfly. A brave move as the Dragonfly is twice the size!A change of location for the afternoon to get some flower photographs was a disaster for me. I just took one camera and no spare batteries. You can guess what happened. I managed to get a decent shot of St John's Wort.......before chasing this Common Blue butterfly around. I got a couple of shots from a distance and left the camera on as I stalked a bit closer. I got within good shooting range, lifted the camera to find it was switched off. I tried switching it on but the battery was dead!Friday was yet another scorcher but the wind was picking up. We had a slow start to the day but a dramatic view of a Merlin with a Meadow Pipit in it's talons being seen off by another two Mipits was superb. Lunchtime provided the biggest drama of all though. Two Golden Eagle were cruising around trying to stop us eating lunch - they succeeded, of course. One of the birds disappeared but the one that stayed was really on the hunt. It cruised over the top of us and decided we were a bit too big to tackle or it didn't fancy a sandwich!It decided to try it's luck on the hillside instead..........it was difficult trying to keep track of the bird but all of a sudden it dropped down low and sank it's talons into the back of a deer calf!!!!! The calf was screaming in alarm and kicked at the Eagle managing to get out of it's grip as the mother approached. It's not the best photo but you can see the calf on the right, the Golden Eagle in the middle and the adult Red Deer on the left.There is no way you can top that kind of drama but what a sight to behold! Otters were next on the list and we weren't disappointed as we located the mother and cub at reasonably close quarters. Good news on the WT Eagle front too - the youngster has been satellite tagged so we will be able to follow the fortunes of this bird after fledging. A very strange sight on the way back was a 3 antlered Red Deer - two on it's head and one growing from it's backside! Seriously though, these are both Royals (12 points on the antlers) - fine looking beasts.
A Mistle Thrush decided that it looked really smart in the sunshine and that we should photograph it. They normally see you coming and give you the 'bum shot' but this was worth the wait.
While watching a cracking male Stonechat a male Hen Harrier gave a superb performance and even came back for seconds. The only thing that puzzled me was it was flying upside down;-)
Saturday was written off due to F1 qualifying and a need to catch up with paperwork. I did see the dodgy Greenshank again and tried photos but with the grotty weather and distance it was no better than the first efforts. The bird is looking better proportioned now and the bill is upturned.
We located the mother and cub Otters and watched them feeding while keeping an eye on the approaching weather. As the weather hit we left - very wise! A very obliging Snipe was sitting patiently on a post waiting for us to arrive. This bird was sporting two legs so must be a different one to the one legged bird I saw at the start of the month;-)
We rattled in the sightings through the day scoring with an Adder despite the rain, a flyover Crossbill, Cuckoo, Reed Bunting, Whinchat and plenty of Mountain Hare at the end of the day.
Now it's going to be too hot for things to move around. It was too hot for me and I didn't want to move around! I was alerted by the Common Gulls screaming that something was amiss, I grabbed the bins just in time to see a female Hen Harrier lift from the ground and escape the angry mob of gulls - that was before I set off! Timing was impeccable for the WT Eagle as it launched itself from a tree and flew off over the trees never to be seen again. A Golden Eagle gave us the run around by flying about then landing below the ridge. Whoever had the scope at the time could see the bird but it was like a magic eye puzzle to a blind man for everyone else! It's all good fun though. We located the dog Otter with a fish that must have been as long as he was - it took a good half hour for him to consume it and then he fell off the rock and sank. Well we didn't see where he went anyway. While we watched the big breakfast we had a male Hen Harrier over the ridge and another Golden Eagle - you don't know where to look! Another dragons tale from lunch....we located this female GR Dragonfly depositing eggs in the stream. It was fascinating to watch this beast laying her eggs in the water but she was kidnapped, before she was finished, by a passing male who just came out of nowhere and grabbed her, taking her off in to the bracken to show her how the birds and the bees thing works!
The foxgloves are stunning at the moment. It's amazing to see big swathes of these giants half way up a hillside looking like a big patch of heather. 
A soaring female Hen Harrier was a nice surprise. It cleared the ridge, showing well, but once it started to climb it really went up quick. Every time it swung into the wind it was a hot air balloon getting a blast from the burner - whoosh!
Mother with TWO cubs and yes, I shouldn't fiddle with the camera settings/zoom etc. in fact I should give up the cameras!
Tuesday started off with a bit of rain and cooler conditions but a stiff breeze that was creating white horses on the lochs. I took some snaps of Ragged Robin that was blowing in the wind but nothing that was worth keeping hence the rubbish cropped shot below. I'll get a better one soon! 
The cooler conditions encouraged the Snipe to get up and display. Watching these birds diving down with the tail feathers spread and hearing the 'drumming' effect is just fantastic! A female Hen Harrier performed reasonably well in poor conditions. It was a challenge to keep it in sight as it made it's way along the hillside in the rain but everyone got to see it eventually. The guests were not confident that we would see Adders on a cool day but we managed to get two - result! Another challenge for the day was trying to get onto a Red-throated Diver that was close to the shore but in very choppy conditions. Surprisingly difficult to see but stunning when you found it. The young WT Eagle is preparing for the great outdoors by waddling around the nest, exploring his small world. The chick is as big as the adults now and very impressive when it flaps it's wings but it's got to be careful. We watched as the youngster stood tall and nearly toppled over backwards - another lesson learned no doubt!
The windier conditions always gets the birds moving on the sea. Gannets are always out there and are spectacular to watch as they dive into the sea like great, white arrows. We located a couple of Fulmars passing by while looking out to sea - not a common sight for me. A female Hen Harrier was out hunting as we made our way back up the road from Uisken beach. Lunch was a challenging affair as we could see the rain approaching. A quick look for Adders before the rain started only produced a single Common Lizard but it was off before anyone else got to see it. We took shelter from the rain, had lunch and waited for the sun to come out. We went to look for the Lizard again and scored with the wee beastie sunning itself on the same rock it was on earlier.
Two Adders were seen but again they were disturbed and off like a shot. We gave it a bit of time and approached the area quietly to see one of the Adders slithering through the grass before disappearing. Two Common Crossbill flying over, calling, chip chip chip as they went on their merry way. The dodgy looking Greenshank is still in attendance outside the shop but it was partially obscured. Three Otters were a real treat today. A mother with two cubs. The cubs are going in for the wrestling championship as they are constantly rolling about and chasing each other. Another grand day out though with more to come today!
....and a photo of Duart castle (a first for me!)...
.....and the folly too.
Saturday we went to Iona to do the tourist thing again. Far too late in the day for Corncrake photos but we did hear plenty. Here is the wee ferry that does all the hard work..
The weather looks great on the photo but it was chucking it down when we arrived. A cuppa sorted out the time we had to wait for the rain to stop. The flowers were nice...
....Corncrake?....nah just a Song Thrush....
...Black Corncrake?....Starling...
....baby Corncrake?......baby Northern Wheatear.....
......and some nice views too.
Sunday we did the birdwatching thing taking in WT Eagle, Golden Eagle, Arctic Tern, more Golden and WT Eagle and some flowers....Lesser Butterfly Orchid...
...and Bog Asphodel.
Monday was back to work nicely refreshed and looking forward to a change in the weather. It was raining this morning but not windy - ideal midge weather and boy did they enjoy it, OUCH! It soon faired up and the sightings rattled in. Otter were high on the priority list today but they weren't happening to start with. We did see both the adult WT Eagles and also got to see the young one give a half-hearted flap - superb stuff. This Telegraph Eagle didn't want to be moved on so we all took photos of it...
Monday was another day of sunshine and some easy hits on the wildlife. We'd visited the WT Eagle nest and only saw the young bird. We headed off to look for the Otters and scored with the mother and cub at close quarters. While watching these I picked up the female WT Eagle sitting on the ridge. As we focused our attention on the Eagle she took flight and gave a good display of the 'flying barn door'. We bagged a pair of Golden Eagle sitting on the ridge and one of the birds in flight over us. The job was done really but we carried on with our sightings picking up a family party of Stonechat, 2 Adders, a Slow Worm, Whinchat and a Yellowhammer before picking up another WT Eagle. Superb views of a silent Cuckoo sitting on the wires and a collection of waders to finish the day off.
While scanning the shore outside the shop we located a strange looking Greenshank? sporting strong colouration, thin bill and extra long legs. Any comments on this bird are welcome as I've not seen anything like it before. The more I look at it the more it looks like a Greenshank though.
We located two more Dippers, an adult with a youngster, in more suitable habitat of a mountain stream. Three Adders and a Slow Worm were keeping spirits high but we were struggling for Golden Eagle. Photos of flowers won't cover the disappointment but they look pretty.
A great day out but we didn't connect with the Goldies despite the effort put in.
We actually bagged another 5, yes 5, Golden Eagle through the afternoon - bizarre but that's wildlife for you!
The Hen Harrier are starting to show again with chicks on the go they are starting to hunt regularly. We picked a male bird circling round and then he dropped his legs to reveal the prey he was carrying. The female came into sight and the food pass was made then the birds went their separate ways - fantastic. The guests were desperate to see Otters and we came up trumps with the mother and cub settling down to have a nap before moving off to do some more fishing. The best was yet to come though. A visit to the WT Eagle gave us good views of the female circling above us before flying off over the trees. The male bird was at the nest feeding the youngster. You couldn't ask for anything more. A WT Eagle appeared in the sky quite close to and we suspected the female returning but this birds tail was all wrong. It was a young bird from 2007 sporting white tags. Would this set the male off? Not a chance, he was sticking with junior. Another bird appeared - WHAT? The second bird was white tagged too. They flew around together with one bird turning upside down to touch talons with the other a couple of times before soaring up into the blue sky. A stunning display and my camera was nowhere to be seen. It was caught on video by someone else who was there though. Maybe my chance will come. I'm off for the weekend and I'll probably end up chasing the wildlife with the camera but it'll probably rain!
We set off on an eagle extravaganza next - you never know what you are going to get but this was a bit of a treat. Two Golden Eagle on one side of the road and one on the other with Whinchat and Sedge Warbler vying for attention too. The next stop produced another Golden Eagle plus good views of 2 Adders. We needed a rest after all that but we had to press on. A lone female Crossbill was quiet showy at the top of a tree just before we picked up another Golden Eagle! Strange how we hadn't picked up a WT Eagle with all the activity but they would get their turn too. We arrived at the nest site just in time to see the female take flight so we watched her soar around until she cleared the ridge and disappeared.
The title for this blog entry is the lead in to the next part of the day....read on. There were certain folk that wanted to spend a bit of time watching Golden Eagle so we went somewhere different. On arrival all was quiet so we wandered off to get a better viewpoint of the area. While scanning around I picked up a small flock of Lapwing that had got up in alarm so I got everyone focused in the right direction. Initial expectation was to see a Hen Harrier clear the rise but nothing prepared us for what really happened. The Lapwings wheeled around then a cloud of other birds appeared just before this monstrous bird cleared the rise and burst through the scattering birds - GOLDEN EAGLE!!! real close too! One lady was in tears it was that exciting. It gained height at a rapid rate being mobbed by a Raven before being joined by last years youngster. It was good to see the juvenile plumage bird as a comparison with the brilliant white patches on the wings and tail.
There now, it doesn't get any better than that.