Thursday 27 June 2013

The Begbie bonanza.

A bit windy and a trickle of rain all day didn't make for the best of conditions. The Begbie family were up for it with the main target for the day being WT Eagle but everything else would do too! We started the day with an Otter sleeping on the shore...
...and another Otter appeared from the water to eat it's catch before dropping back into the choppy water. It was certainly difficult to catch sight of the Otter in the water but it did come ashore again to give us another good view. Reasonably close views of a Red-throated Diver were had but the light was challenging.
It looks like it may have just swallowed a fish in this shot.
A visit to the WT Eagle nest was productive but a bit wet. With no sign of the adults to start with we had to wait for one to come in so we waited for about half an hour. Better still was the bird leaving as it flew straight towards us...
...and over the top - awesome!
No great show from the Golden Eagles but we did get views of the adult and chick. A request for Hen Harrier was soon fulfilled as one gave us a fly past.
With the weather being a bit damp it was no surprise to see the Snipe on a post...
...and a Curlew in the field a bit further along the road.
A real bonus for the day was meant to be a quick stop to look at the Common Seals but the presence of two adult WT Eagle kept us there a bit longer. They were feasting on a carcass and getting harassed by the gulls and oystercatchers - quite spectacular to watch!
We finished the day with another male Hen Harrier and some good views of Red Deer.

2 comments:

Bobbster said...

Good selection again Bryan looks like a very productive day. Your header image is first class.

Anonymous said...

...a.k.a the Begbie family said...

An unforgettable day Bryan, many thanks!

Best wishes :)

The Begbie family... A, J, C & A