March - Out like a Lion

So much for the idea that if March comes in like a Lion it goes out like a Lamb - it's wet, windy and the ferries are cancelled again. Enough of that though.
Wildlife sightings have been pretty good over the last week. The Mountain Hares have performed well - poor picture but it was nice to see this one running about.

The WT Eagles will all be incubating eggs now but the final touches were still being added - the essential soft furnishings!

The good days have been awesome...

...the Red Deer seem to be hanging on to their antlers but they will be shed in the next couple of weeks.

A nice encounter with a Golden Eagle being mobbed by a Buzzard showed the size difference very well.

A particularly wet and windy day saw this Grey Heron sheltering on a river.

The feral Goats are still hanging around on the beach but they will soon drift off to the cliffs again.

Otter sightings have been difficult recently but it's not unexpected. Normal service will now resume!

I might be a bit quackers but not as quackers as this Mallard.

Nice weather for ducks

The weather was a bit changeable as I headed out to hunt down a certain pair of WT Eagles. A female Hen Harrier was hunting along the road so I stopped to get a few snaps - they never stay close for long but they are always nice to see.

A GN Diver was loafing near the shore so I gave it five minutes of my time. It was nice to see the bird is starting to change it's plumage - you can see the spots on the wing in this photo.

As you can see it was nice weather for ducks. The colours on this Mallard stand out well even in dull conditions.

I was kept amused by the Meadow Pipits that came quite close at times.

After about an hour of waiting a WT Eagle finally put in an appearance. This eagles closest species relative is the vulture - short tail, long broad wings, hatchet bill and a droopy neck.

I watched the bird disappear and then went looking for where it was. I wasn't expecting to find it straight away but when I got to the right area there were two birds on show. One bird changed it's perch and struggled to find a decent place to land - it's a withering look it's getting from it's mate!

A couple of Crossbills were making a bit of noise behind me so after a bit of searching I caught sight of one of them through the tangle of branches.

Patch ticks.

I went to scan the sea in the hope of picking up another tick or two for the patchwork challenge. Things will turn up when they are ready but there are birds starting to appear now with the odd Meadow Pipit to be seen and my first Shelduck on the patch. The Shelduck was too far away for a photo so a Mallard will have to do for now!

Male Hen Harriers don't get seen too often but just to prove they do pass by occasionally...look at that stunner!

I managed to pick up my first Greenfinch and Treecreeper for the year while getting some shots of a tame Grey Heron.

September gone already!

A great start to the day despite the heavy shower that passed through at the time - two WT Eagle and an Otter bringing fish ashore. A Guillemot was a surprise find...

...the BT Diver almost got away but we got good views in the scope eventually just before one of the WT Eagles flew over us!

After viewing the Tawny Owl we were starting lunch when a Golden Eagle appeared. Lunch was abandoned as the eagle came closer and closer - what a superb fly past it gave!

A change of location saw us watching the Goldie for another twenty minutes as it flew around with six Buzzards for company. Calming things down we clocked a couple of Mallard:-)

Hen Harrier had been talked about but we didn't see one until near the end of the day when this one flew right in front of us!

Just to make sure we weren't dreaming we had another female, a juvenile and this cracking male Hen Harrier!

A bit of a slow start to the next tour where we saw plenty of Buzzard, Grey Heron and Hooded Crow.

Three Otters gave the day a kick start. It was a real thrill to watch the two youngsters follow their mum while she fished and better still was one of the youngsters chasing a Hooded Crow across the top of a rock! The Tawny Owl was present, a Red Deer stag was found and a couple of Golden Eagle provided some entertainment.

Two WT Eagles and three Red Deer in front of the motor finished the day off nicely but, once again, the Hen Harrier stole the show - awesome!!

Well, September ends but it's a new month tomorrow - let's do it all again!