A week ago

I'm still a bit behind with the blog so it'll be a quick run through these and then a catch up in the next post. The WT Eagles are showing well at times but they can be hard to see on some days.

The nesting birds on the shore are doing well with the Oystercatcher and Ringed Plover sitting tight.

There are a few Early Purple Orchids to be seen.

There are a few Eider around but most of them are keeping out of the way so it's nice to get them close.

We have picked up the occasional Whinchat but there doesn't seem to be too many around at the moment. The Golden Eagles are performing well but the Adders seem to be keeping a low profile. There have been quite a few sightings of Crossbill but you don't see them in the deciduous trees very often.

The last of the summer plumaged Great Northern Divers will probably be away at the end of May so enjoy then while you can.

Nesting

A similar tour to the last one with most things easy to find. The numbers of GN Diver are starting to diminish now but there are still enough to get good views. A pair of WT Eagle were good to see as were a couple of Otters curled up on the rocks. A single Golden Plover was seen but there were a few more in the area staying hidden - I have seen 5 birds. There are plenty of Oystercatchers on the nest and they are easy to see but a bit more difficult is trying to see a sitting Ringed Plover. I have found a few nesting birds but they are either too easily disturbed or too far away so one bird that is easy to see and will sit tight is a bonus. I was surprised to find the bird off the nest but there are only three eggs, so there is still one more egg to be laid.

We managed to get a Golden Eagle flying around before we came across this Common Snipe sitting on an electricity pole.

Cuckoo, Dipper, Whinchat plenty of Rock Pipit and a few Northern Wheatear were seen in the afternoon.

A couple more Ringed Plover that haven't started nesting yet were loafing on the rocks.

We managed to get fairly decent views of 15 Whimbrel, 3 Mountain Hare and a male Hen Harrier at our last stop.

Finally

Finally, a nice day! I had to put some fuel in the car so that gave me a chance to go a bit further afield. No sign of the WT Eagles on the rocks above the Common Seals.

I came across a couple of Jackdaws in a group of Rooks and there were a few Tufted Duck on the loch.

A 130 strong flock of Barnacle Geese...

...were in the same field as 25 Greenland White-fronted Geese.

A bit of a wander around was worthwhile as I came across this Mountain Hare enjoying the sunshine and keeping out of the breeze.

A flock of Wigeon were flying along the shoreline...

...as the hare decided to move off.

It didn't go too far but it kept an eye on me as I headed in the opposite direction.

A small flock of Ringed Plover stayed put as I walked past them.

Best sighting of the day had to be a Woodcock flying over the house at dusk.

Parapet

A very windy day with showers kept the expectations low so we set off to find anything that was brave enough to put it's head above the parapet! The Ringed Plover were roosting on a sheltered bit of shoreline so we got good views of those.

A diver was seen from a distance so when we got closer to get better view we were delighted to find it was a Black-throated Diver.

Cracking views of an obliging Sparrowhawk...

...and a Dipper at the mouth of a burn.

Plenty of common birds were seen along the way including a view of a Reed Bunting but a distant male Hen Harrier provided a nice distraction. All too soon the bird was out of sight - a stroke of luck meant we bumped into the bird again at close quarters!

Lunchtime saw us getting views of a distant Golden Eagle that looked like it was going to come closer before it drifted off again. Ten minutes later we heard the Ravens sounding the alarm as two Golden Eagle flew overhead while another circled lower down.

The WT Eagles had been elusive in the morning so it was nice to catch up with this adult bird sitting in the conifers.

The one thing we needed to complete the day was an Otter - we weren't disappointed. One was spotted fishing in the shallows, eating it's catches and making it's way towards us.

A slightly larger fish was caught and it was taken onto a seaweed covered rock right in front of us!

The day isn't over until everyone has been dropped off so another Hen Harrier was seen, Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Greenshank, Wigeon and plenty of Red Deer to round the day off nicely.

Gold amongst the jewels.

Another day of poor weather meant mixing things up again but no lack of sightings. I started the day with a nice Common Snipe at the side of the road...

...and a Redshank in the same location about an hour later when I was heading off to get the guests.

A young Eider had caught a crab...

...while it's mother looked on.

The WT Eagle was almost impossible to see so we left that for later in the day. The Golden Plover were still by the road and they looked like gold amongst the jewels in the wet conditions.

Most people try to avoid the poor weather but it's always an exciting day. We were driving along with the window open and I heard the squeaking calls of an Otter so we stopped for a look and we got good views of two Otters on the shore! We headed off for Mountain Hare (four were seen) but the waders stole the show. A couple of young Redeshank were wandering about...

...and the Lapwing young are looking splendid.

The flowers are finally starting to come through in numbers - plenty of Water Avens...

...Fragrant Orchid, Common Spotted Orchid and Northern Marsh Orchid were seen.

Some of the Whinchat are feeding young now...

...while others appear to have not bothered yet.

A WT Eagle, Golden Eagle and a female Hen Harrier were seen at lunch and another three Otters were seen. A Ringed Plover was nice to see.

We had a good view of a Black Guillemot and cracking views of a WT Eagle right at the end of the day as it flew overhead before it circled around a bit further away.

Water.

A trio of Otters were spotted on the way to pick up the last of the guests for the day. We didn't stay for too long but we got good views of them.

A few showers came through in the morning but it didn't spoil the views of the WT Eagle but it was a bit more difficult to get the Golden Eagle at the nest. We also managed to relocate the three Otters along the way and got a bonus dog Otter at the same location! An Oystercatcher on the nest must be close to hatching the eggs so these views will be more difficult to get when the chicks are on the go.

A search in the woods meant we could hear Wood Warbler singing but it was a bit too windy to locate the bird. Cracking views of a Great Spotted Woodpecker were had though. Lunch provided some good views of a male Hen Harrier, an Adder, 3 Golden Eagle and a superb Whinchat.

Buzzards had been a scarce in the windy conditions but we did get good views of a bird hunting beside the road.

The waders are still showing well so, as usual, good views of Turnstone...

...Dunlin...

...and Ringed Plover.

On the run back to drop the guests off the tide was a bit higher so the Eiders were quite close. There were two males...

...and a single female.