The show must go on.

The ankle is well strapped and it will take some time to heal but the show must go on. Setting off on the tour we immediately put up a male Hen Harrier from the side of the road. It was carrying prey so it wasn't long before it dropped down again far enough from the road to not be disturbed again.

A furry heap of three otters were found at our next stop and they were not going to wake up while we watched!

Four Teal had been seen and a couple of RB Merg before we came across one of the many Common Sandpipers - the only time I could keep the camera still enough for a decent photo.

The WT Eagles were seen at the nest and Golden Eagle not long afterwards. One of the Oystercatchers has hatched it's eggs but the second pair are still sitting on three eggs.

I made the effort to take the camera into the wood to see if I could get another Wood Warbler shot - I managed a few shots but they are not the best.

The usual stuff was seen in the afternoon with the highlights being Whinchat, Raven and 3 more Golden Eagle.

The happy couple.

There are still a few GN Divers about, first summer birds like this one...

...and I did see an adult bird again - perhaps a passage bird or maybe I'm blind! We had already seen the WT Eagle chick being ringed and had a trio of Otters when we came across the happy couple of Golden Eagle sitting beside each other on the ridge.

We hung around for a good while before we got flight views.

Another midge fest while watching the Wood Warbler.

We hadn't long left the Adder when we came across a Buzzard carrying a snake.

Another quiet afternoon in blistering temperatures - it was hot enough to melt a Buzzard;-)

The wanted.

Numbers for the end of May - Patchwork challenge 100 species 124 points....Year list 133.
The top of the wanted list was Otter on this tour so after weighing up the options we went for that species first. The weather wasn't too bad to start with but as soon as we found two Otters on the shore the heavens opened! Cracking views though.

Another difficult viewing of the WT Eagle but we managed. A few Grey Heron were fishing the shallows...

...and, it appears, there are only a few Great Northern Divers lingering and they are all first summer birds.

A Curlew gave us a close view as it sailed over the top of us.

Another species on the wanted list was Golden Eagle and they put on a superb display. We had them perched up, flying around, yelping, the chick flapping and finally one of the birds bringing a Mountain Hare in!

The Bluebells may look and smell fantastic but the Bracken will cover them soon - enjoy them while you can.

There are a few midges starting to appear so a walk for Wood Warbler will soon be off the itinerary.

The afternoon was spent soaking up the atmosphere of the varied landscape but the sightings were still relevant - Adder, Whinchat, Mountain Hare, Wheatear etc and the Rock Pipits are feeding young.

Silhouette.

Three Otters were on the list before we left the car park for this tour but by the time we made it round the loch they were looking for somewhere to settle down. We caught up with a WT Eagle in flight and a Golden Eagle at the nest. The Swallows thought it would be good to pose for a few photographs.

Cracking views of Wood Warbler were had and some nice photos were had by all - I did like the silhouette of this one.

Another couple of Golden Eagles were seen but nothing close enough for shots so the smaller birds got all the attention - Willow Warbler, Siskin and Whinchat were well received.

The small flock of Whimbrel are still around, the Redshank appear to have young judging by the performance when anything comes near them.

Mountain Hare was a sought after species so when we located one we decided to get a bit closer. As we  drove up the road to park we noticed a Mountain Hare out in the open so that one got all the attention!

Moysies day out.

It's a bit difficult to get people excited about Black-headed Gulls but I get less sightings of them than either of the eagles!

With the Moyes family on their annual trip to Mull and out on a wildlife tour you can be sure they will find something good. With all the guests on board we started with a WT Eagle at the nest and then straight onto an Otter. Just as the Otter was moving off another WT Eagle soared into view.

A Pied Wagtail kept it's eye on our antics - no doubt it will have a nest nearby.

The Golden Eagles put on a good display which ended up with both birds perched on the skyline.

The keen eyes of Ben were quick to find the Wood Warbler in the leafy trees...

...and once again the young lad was quick to pick out a pair of Hen Harrier circling above the trees. Having someone keeping their eyes open makes for an easy day of spotting! We'd seen lots of Razorbill, a few GN Diver, Guillemot, Crossbill, Spotted Flycatcher, Whinchat...the list just goes on. Another WT Eagle was located just as we found a male Hen Harrier - what do you go for? The eagle flew off and we manged to catch up with the harrier again - whoop! A Mountain Hare was seen on the heather covered hillside. At our last stop of the day we caught up with a flock of Whimbrel and Ben finally got his reward for the day when he found a lone Tree Sparrow - awesome!

Tiger.

A few Dunlin were wading in the shallows while I waited for the guests to arrive.

An Otter was found while we watched a couple of GN Diver at our first stop.

There wasn't much action from the WT Eagle nest but we fared better with the Golden Eagles as both birds were seen, one with a Mountain Hare, and the chick was seen too. The Wood Warbler looked superb in the sunshine...

...and just as good in the shade.

An Adder was doing it's best to stay in the shade and a Golden Eagle gave us a fly past but I wasn't quick enough with the camera.

The Green Tiger Beetle was easier to get to grips with.

 Plenty of other stuff was seen - Cuckoo, Whinchat, Whimbrel, Dunlin etc before we caught up with a couple of Twite. One of the birds was sporting some colour rings so the details have been sent in and we'll await a reply.

Funky.

There are quite a few photo in this one so I'll not have too many words. We started the day in fine style with a male Hen Harrier overhead.

A few GN Divers, a nice Whinchat, a Razorbill and four Otters came next.

While watching the Otters a Willow Warbler was singing in a bush next us.

A posing Skylark at the side of the road.

Two Golden Eagles were seen while we watched the WT Eagle near it's nest. Another two Golden Eagles were seen at their nest site.

A walk in the woods gave us superb views of Wood Warbler...

...and some funky looking Red Deer.

A WT Eagle flying across the loch was a good find while a Whitethroat posed in a bush.

Whinchat, Adder, Cuckoo, Turnstone, Dunlin and Sanderling were all seen well.

A Hen Harrier tried it's best to get it's photo taken but I wasn't up to the job!

A Mountain Hare was having a stretch.

Four Lesser Redpoll were feeding on the grassy part of the shore...

...while five Twite flew over with a couple of them landing on the wires.