Jet stream

The jet stream is responsible for all this rubbish weather we are having up here. It looks like it's going to be causing havoc for a bit longer yet so at least I have been warned! Friday wasn't too bad a day but it was breezy but we didn't have any problem finding the Mountain Hare and the Whimbrel are still hanging in. Finding the Adder was a struggle but we got it in the end and the Golden Eagles showed eventually too. The Eider are showing well regardless of the weather...

...and some stunning views can be had of the Whimbrel.

There are still quite a few GN Diver about too and they are all in Summer plumage now and the WT Eagle chicks are doing well too.
Saturday was another windy day with showers pushing through just to make life difficult. The WT Eagles showed well but we struggled to get views of the Golden Eagle on the nest as the bird was sheltering from a vicious wind. Good views of an Otter were had...

 ...with Whimbrel close by. A very brief view of a Golden Eagle were had but not everyone got on to it but we'd been happy enough with the Adder, Whinchat and Mistle Thrush just prior to that. We bagged the usual waders and Mountain Hare in the afternoon before having one last attempt at Golden Eagle. It was a bit of a wait for the big bird to appear but the views were worth the time we put in.
Sunday was a day off and the weather was poor but Monday was worse again with persistent rain. You have to take these days in your stride and work a bit harder but the rewards are there for the taking. Cracking views of Stonechat, Common Whitethroat, Eider, Whimbrel and Great Northern Diver were had before we picked up an Otter which showed very well too. The WT Eagle was difficult to see but with a bit of effort we got decent views. Everything was soaking wet  as you can see from this shot of a Common Sandpiper.

We had to wander about for the Mountain Hare but again the effort paid off. We picked up quite a few Common Terns in the afternoon and also a couple of Red-throated Diver. With about 40 species on the list for the day it hadn't been a bad effort.