Too much

Lots of photos in this one so I'll not do too much writing! Nice weather again and plenty of close sightings on this tour - Swallows are everywhere now.

There had been rain overnight so it was no surprise to find a Dipper at the mouth of a stream.

This 2 year old WT Eagle gave us a nice fly past...

...and a pair of Golden Eagle were flying around...

...above an adult WT Eagle.

We saw plenty of GN Diver but some of the views were like this!

A Greenshank was a surprise find as I haven't seen any for a couple of weeks.

Finally we have a few waders arriving - Dunlin on the beach.

We also picked up a Sedge Warbler singing on the fence.

A Black-tailed Godwit flew off...

...as this Brent Goose wandered down to the sea. This bird was ringed on 21st March at North Bull Island, Dublin.

Plenty of Rock Pipits to be seen...

...and the Lapwing chicks have hatched.

I've not had Rock Dove on the blog for a while so here it is.

There are not too many Golden Plover around at the moment and this single bird was very confiding.

Skylark - I'll say no more.

Cone munchers.

I tried a few different settings on the camera and managed to fluff most of the shots but the sightings remain the same. A couple of Golden Eagle were seeing off this WT Eagle at the start of the day.

All the favourites were present with 1 Otter seen, several GN Diver, male Hen Harrier, Whimbrel, a WT Eagle at the nest where we had a young Golden Eagle being chased by a Raven.

An Adder was difficult to spot but we all seen it, a Slow Worm was found in the middle of the road and plenty of other stuff. Just after the guests had left this chipper chap turned up to munch some cones - a Common Crossbill.

The following day we got straight into things with a Brent Goose being found feeding on the tide line.

There were Ringed Plover and Dunlin on the beach, GN Diver in the bay and a Snipe dropped into the Iris at another location. A superb Red-throated Diver in summer plumage performed well while we had lunch. A male Common Crossbill was seen having a bath in a trickle of water.

A day flying Pipistrelle Bat was a good find...

...and it was nice to see the pale Buzzard again.

WT Eagle, Golden Eagle and Otter were seen in the afternoon plus Red Kite and Wood Warbler.

Too late.

The tour started in fine style with four Bullfinch making their way along the roadside trees and two WT Eagle at the nest site. The only request had been for Otters but the understanding that wildlife does what it does and when it wants actually helps you stay alert - just keep your eyes open. A few GN Diver were seen and a single male Eider was resting on the shore.

An Otter was seen shortly after that and good views were had as it came ashore in a couple of places. The rest of the day was fairly relaxed with good banter and some excellent sightings of wildlife and the scenery was enjoyed just as much. Five Brent Geese were found on the shore of the loch and gave good views.

Lunch was a pleasant affair with a Golden Eagle appearing just after we'd finished eating so there was no panic of grabbing binoculars for a better view. As we drove off an Adder was seen crossing the track...

...and the Golden Eagle came in for a closer look at us with two more birds circling in the background.

The small birds were appreciated as much as the large ones - a Robin singing it's heart out, Northern Wheatears everywhere, a Stonechat perched up and a Song Thrush that serenaded us down at the beach.

The views across to Iona were splendid with the red granite and blue sea shining brightly and a couple of Shelduck resting on the shore.

My first Whimbrel of the year were at the next stop.

Three Mountain Hare were blending in with the landscape, Lapwings flying around and a small flock of Golden Plover were seen too.

A check for SE Owl was fruitless but there was one perched in the open as I headed back home - too late for the guests!

Fluffy.

The weather continues to be unsettled but as usual it doesn't make too much difference to the wildlife. We started the day with an Otter sharing a point of land with a Grey Heron. The Otter left the shore, caught another fish and headed straight for us - awesome!

A good haul of waders with 12 Dunlin, 6 Ringed Plover, 2 Golden Plover and a Greenshank in attendance. An adult WT Eagle was sitting in a tree as two youngsters flew around - one came for a close look.

Another Otter was seen in the bay before we moved on. A Grey Wagtail was foraging in a small stream at our next stop.

Another Otter, good views of Hen Harrier and another two WT Eagle kept the interest going. One of the WT Eagles was in flight and heading away from us, we lost sight of it but we managed to relocate it a mile or so further down the road.

Plenty of excitement all the way to end of the day as we located a Pale-bellied Brent Goose...

...and a cute, fluffy, Mountain Hare!

Looking good.

Saturday was due to be the last of the nice weather so enjoying the sunshine was a must. Prior to picking up the guests I had cracking views of a Short-eared Owl but failed to get a close shot of it.

Top priority for the guests today were WT Eagle and Otter - the eagle was no problem as we watched one adult feeding the young as the other adult headed for the pub off hunting.

Next up was an Oystercatcher on the nest - looking good and not long to go!

The usual group of Eider were hanging around, looking good.

An Otter sleeping on the seaweed covered rocks took up a bit of time as I took photos with the guests cameras through the scope. It really is a pleasure to see the Swallows back but they are still lacking any great numbers - only one pair at the shop!

The usual script for the end of the day but the only posers were this Pied Wagtail...

...and a bunch of Dunlin.

Sunday was a complete wash out but, thankfully, I wasn't out!

Monday I was back on the road starting the day with a noisy Redshank.

A few more waders kept us going with Dunlin, Snipe and Whimbrel...

...being the best of the bunch while we looked for Mountain Hare. A stiff northerly breeze was keeping the small birds quiet but it didn't bother the Red deer much. I think this one has had a few battles by the looks of his ears!

Nine Pale-bellied Brent Goose were a good find and took the year list to 139. I wasn't going to bother with a photo as they were too far away but they manged to put themselves in the picture by flying down the loch.

The Curlew is still sitting on eggs but they can't be far from hatching now. The SE owls continue to put on a good show and the Otter sightings are improving a bit - close enough for a photo. Well, you can tell what it is...can't you?

The Great Northern Diver numbers seem to be dwindling now as they head off to Iceland to breed but they really do look good.

I was keen to get a look at the WT Eagles after the previous days wind and rain. All of the parking areas were full so we couldn't get a good look at the nest and I couldn't make out a bird in attendance. Was it bad news? We pressed on to look for Golden Eagle and have a cuppa. Nice cuppa, no Goldie but we did get an adult WT Eagle in flight. A quick dash back to the nest to find an adult present feeding one of the chicks and before too long we had two chicks being fed - a great relief! On the way back we managed to get a single Golden Eagle and a very obliging Common Sandpiper was wandering at the side of the road.