I'm back

It's been a long time but I lost the will to live with blogger due to the internet problems. It took seven months to get it fixed - Facebook was easier to upload to so that has been a big help. I'm jut dabbling at the moment so here are few photos from earlier in the year - March to June in no particular order...

Buff-tip

 Common Sandpiper

 Golden Eagle

 Golden Plover

 Golden-ringed Dragonfly

 Male Hen Harrier

 Female Hen Harrier

 Montain Hare

 Otter

 Puffin

 Razorbill

 Redshank

 Common Seal

 Skylark

 Common Snipe

 Stonechat

 Treecreeper

 Whinchat

 White-tailed Eagle

 Yellowhammer

The wrong day?

A trip to Lunga was good in some respects and bad in others. Maybe I was there on the wrong day! The Shags provided good opportunities for photos and they seemed to have plenty of nests with youngsters.

The Puffins performed for the crowds which always puts a smile on your face but I saw very few birds bringing fish to the burrows.

The Kittiwakes appeared to have done well with most of the nests having two chicks and the rest just a single youngster.

Guillemots didn't seem to be doing very well either despite there being plenty of birds...

...with the bridled variety looking particularly dapper.

I only spotted a few chicks in the seething throng.

There was no sign of any Razorbill youngsters but there were plenty of adults around but I never saw any of these birds with a fish either.

Some of the Puffins were still digging burrows!

A few Arctic Tern were seen among the more numerous Common Terns while the Great Skuas patrolled the skies.

WTE

Another cracking day out with not very many photos taken. We struggled a bit to start with but it soon got going with Yellowhammers, RT Diver, a couple of Common Scoter all seen before we picked up a flock of 5 WT Eagle. A Golden Eagle put in a brief appearance beside the bigger birds too. A distant male Hen Harrier was appreciated before we headed off to lunch where we saw another Golden Eagle and a single Adder. There are plenty of Skylark singing but it can be difficult to see them when they gain a bit of height.

A decent sized flock of Golden Plover were seen while we looked for Mountain Hare...

...and a decent view of WT Eagle right at the end of the day!

I did manage a few photos on my way back home - the RT Divers were a bit closer in.

We'd had Guillemot and Razorbill (below) but the closer ones had been feeding so they didn't stay on the surface for long.

The next day the male Hen Harrier was hunting along the side of the road...

...and the Turnstones that we couldn't find the previous day were in plain sight.

Beaver patrol

We had a trip off island to visit some friends but just before we left the island four Whooper Swans dropped in - there is a Goosander in the background too.

We just happened to be staying close to Beaver country so we had a wander round the area looking for signs of them. There was no intention of attempting to see them but it was nice to see the area and the lochs that they inhabit.

A lodge was seen but it was a bit obscured.

There was plenty of evidence of the Beavers recent activity as can be seen below.

A tree stump that had been removed with a saw showed all the classic signs of gnawing round the stump to fell the tree.

The chips of wood around felled trees were quite large and you can see how the teeth work as chisels.

Felling the trees gives the Beavers access to the high branches that they will strip off bark for food. The favoured trees are Aspen and Willow - the photos below shows part of an Aspen branch that has been stripped of bark. You could see faint teeth marks along the branch where the bark had been stripped off.

It wasn't a birding trip so very little was seen - Crossbills in the forestry, a female Bullfinch...

...and a Razorbill were the highlights.

Bite

I'm still not getting that far from home so short trips out are the order of the day. Plenty of sightings of both type of eagle, as long as you keep your eyes open, but nothing close enough for a photo. Guillemot numbers are starting to rise and if the wind is strong enough there is always the odd bird close to shore.

There are lots of Red Deer close to the road and easy to view and you could spend all day with them. It has to be something different for the camera to come out so this one antlered beast was the chosen subject.

The Otters are showing well in various locations so to find this beast close to the road was no surprise.

It was a decent sized fish it had but it was keen to bite the head of this one despite the fact there was still fleshy bits left!

There must be plenty of Starfish around the shore and I wonder if the rough seas wash a few closer in at which point they become easy prey for the plunge diving Herring Gull - good catch.

A proper blue sky day saw us heading out to look for Adders again but there was no sign. Not sure if the ground is too wet or there is another problem - we'll find out in time. A Grey Wagtail was nice to see as we had a look across the patch...

...as a brutish looking Razorbill was sailing past.

We were just about ready to go when an Otter put in an appearance so that is always going to slow you down. We left it fishing in the bay after a wave of the tail.