2015

A steady start to the year with a bit of birding from the garden. White-tailed Eagle was the highlight but it was distant while in the garden there were plenty of Goldfinch...

...and a few Blackbirds too.

It was a bit dull today but as I was sent on an errand I took the birding equipment with me too. A cracking Golden Eagle was seen hunting by the road.

It's not too often that you see them perched on a post but it does happen...

...and if you are going to get yourself noticed you will get some unwanted attention!

No sign of the WF geese today but there was a 200 strong flock of Barnacle Geese.

Plenty of Rock Doves on show...

...plus lots of Rooks and a few Jackdaws.

I had driven past these Common Seals in the morning but I gave them a closer look on my way back.

Bright

There has been a bit of a hold up on this post due to the poor internet connection. A two hour attempt got me as far as the log in page and I'm not sure if I will have to retype this post. If you remember dial-up, think that but way more unstable!!
One of the local WT Eagles had a rest stop on a skerry...

...before moving on to finish it's breakfast somewhere else. Just look at the difference in size to the Hooded Crow!!!

A run out to check on the geese was productive in some ways like this obliging Buzzard...

...but there no sign of the Greenland White-fronted Geese. A few of the Barnacle Geese were loafing in one field...

...while the Greylags were in another with a couple of Canada Geese.

There was no sign of the Fieldfare but there were a decent number of Redwing scattered across the area,

The Lapwings can do a good job of staying hidden over the winter so it always brightens your day when you get a good view of them.

Turn

The weather is starting to turn a bit more autumnal now but the leaves are still clinging to the trees.With the dying breath of a hurricane about to hit our shores I don't think the leaves will last much longer. I had a quick trip out to ring the kids and I wasn't alone as this Golden Eagle sat on a rock nearby the whole time!

A 23 strong group of Whooper Swan dropped in for a rest. Nice to see but not a single youngster amongst them.

The Barnacle Geese have arrived too but there are only about 60 birds at the moment.

Golden Eagle

With an errand to do I traveled a bit further on this run out. I stopped to get a couple of snaps of this Redshank...

...but a bird flying along the hillside caught my eye. By the time I had parked the bird was not flying but perched on a rock. A Golden Eagle is always an exciting sight...

...but you can't beat a well marked first year bird when it takes to the air.

A Reasonably close Great Northern Diver was next bird to slow me down but by this time the light was starting to go...

...and it was raining when I located a few Barnacle Geese in a field.

A Song Thrush allowed a close approach which helped with this image.

It always seems to be the female Red-breasted Mergansers that are closest to the shore while the males seem to move off quite quickly.

A quick run out with Postie in the afternoon to look for the mum and two cubs was fruitless but we did see a couple of Golden Eagle and three separate Otters...

...and a pair of White-tailed Eagle.

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.

How big is that bird?

Doc and I on the road again. We found an Iceland Gull among a few other gulls, Common and Herring, and you pick out the colour of the bird, long white primaries and the size compared to the other gulls. When a Barnacle Goose wandered across it gave a whole different size comparison. Big gull or small goose doesn't matter but there is only a couple of centimetres difference, in length, between the birds. 

If I'd said I had seen a gull that was as big as a goose, I'm fairly sure you would be thinking what gull is as big as a Greylag or Canada Goose! A bit further along the shore there were a couple of Goosander - lovely birds to see.

A Golden Eagle was found sitting on the top of a hill...

...while another was seen to fly along the ridge and out of sight. It didn't look like things would get any better until a change of location saw another Golden Eagle flying past but this time it was below the road!

It did hang around long enough to get a much better view.

A family of three Otters were seen but too far away for photos and invisible in the choppy water so it was nice to get one crossing the road as it headed up the hill.

Another two Golden Eagles flying past was a nice finish the day. Thanks, Doc:-)

I'll wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wildlife filled New Year - all the best!!

Food

A couple of things that needed done saw me travelling from one end of the island to the other with a bit of wildlife watching along the way! Some nice sightings of Red Deer on the roadside and a group of Grey Heron looked nice as they roosted on a spit of land and the sun was rising behind them - no time to stop unfortunately. A quick stop on the way back to base was productive as an Otter was seen heading into the loch as I stopped, plenty of RB Merg, a few Goosander, a flock of Wigeon and a couple of Buzzard squabbling over some food. The action of the Buzzards drew the attention of the Hooded Crows which caught the eye of a WT Eagle...

...the smaller birds cleared off as the eagle swooped in...

...and made off with the food.

A brave Hooded Crow briefly perched on the back of the WT Eagle.

Not bad for a 10 minute stop but I had to keep going. Back to base for a quick lunch and then it was straight back out again and I had a bit more time for fun this time. A Hen Harrier was seen dropping into long grass so I hopped out and pointed the camera in the right direction just in time to see the bird come into view with it's catch.

It was obviously a day for feeding well as there was, just behind the harrier, a Buzzard sitting on the fence with food...

...a Stonechat catching flies...

...the PF Goose was grazing in the field...

...as was a juvenile Whooper Swan...

...and a single Barnacle Goose.

I spent a bit of time waiting for a Slavonian Grebe to come close - it never really came into range but it was a nice bird to watch.