Smart

A few showers helped with the year list as I managed to catch up with Blackcap, House Martin and a Tree Pipit that was displaying in the garden!

There are a few White Wagtails around now but none close enough for a photo yet so a Pied Wagtail will have to do.

The Common Scoters are still hanging around.

I didn't actually see an Otter but this Dogfish didn't haul itself out of the sea so it could be a GBB Gulls dinner!

There are plenty of Northern Wheatear around now and I have seen them pairing up and exploring nest sites.

The Shelducks are doing the same thing - how smart does this bird look?

Most of the Lapwings are on the nest so it won't be long before the chicks are on the go.

Other year ticks have included Short-eared Owl, Knot, Cuckoo and Treecreeper - 116 species for now.

Surprise

A quick trip out turned up a nice surprise. There wasn't much around when I parked the motor, a few Common Snipe had come out of the iris bed at the side of the road so I thought I'd scan around to see if there were any more. I put the bins up to look at a small wet area and there was a bird bobbing up and down in the irises - Common Snipe don't do that so it had to be a Jack Snipe but I couldn't see much of the bird. I stepped out of the motor with the camera, pointed it in the right direction and managed to get a couple of snaps.

A run out with Aly and Dave the following day turned up another surprise. A pair of RB Merg were quickly followed by a pair of Northern Wheatear. The female bird was the first one I'd seen this season...

...and the male was doing his best to win her over.

A herd of Red Deer were seen and a small group of stags before we had some stunning views of White-tailed Eagle.

This Adder is lucky to be alive as I nearly ran it over!

A Golden Eagle was flying around as we parked up for lunch - I was a bit slow with the camera though.

A bit of a search around gave us views of another three Adders including this handsome beast.

A trip to the beach produced good views of Rock Pipit...

...and a pair of Shelduck - that's a seriously square head!

Another beach visit gave us Common and Grey Seal, Reed Bunting, Skylark and then this stunner dropped in beside us. This Lapland Bunting was real surprise and a pleasure to see at close quarters.

We had to search around for the Mountain Hares and we found three distant ones - this one was close to the motor when we returned!

Sun

There was promise of some sunshine so I headed out to add a few birds to the year list. It was nice to see the sun again but there were ominous clouds in the distance. There was no chance of getting closer to any of the ducks on view. A couple of Shelduck and a few Wigeon in the same place...

...while a flock of 30 Teal were a bit further away. I had picked up Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, a couple of WT Eagle, Kittiwake, Razorbill, Rook and Rock Dove before coming across a single Skylark.

The rain had started by this point so I had a quick look around but there was little else on show. A group of 4 Skylark on the roadside were nice to see...

...while a few Rock Pipits were either bathing or feeding along a stream.

As good as it gets.

The weather was pretty poor for this tour but you can't let that spoil your day. A WT Eagle at the nest was the best we could have as the rain came down but you couldn't complain about the views of GN Diver. A good search for Otters eventually paid off as we located one beast lurking in the seaweed and by the time everyone latched on there were three Otters heading across the loch. A Golden Eagle was seen at it's nest but there was no let up in the weather. A couple of Red-throated Diver were a nice find while we had lunch.

With the main attractions in the bag the afternoon was quite relaxed. The Whooper Swans were still in attendance...

...a single Black-tailed Godwit...

...Shelduck (always nice to see)...

...and a good size group of Golden Plover.

There was plenty of other stuff seen on the day but I think we were all happy to be heading home!

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!

Roller coaster.

On the way to pick up the guests for the day I found 6 Lesser Black-backed Gull among the Herring Gull. It's another sign of things on the move as the LBB gulls are still migrants up here.

With the guests on board we went on to have a busy day starting with plenty of Lapwing, 4 Golden Plover, a
single Snipe, a back end view of a Mountain Hare and a couple of Shelduck.                                              

White-tailed Eagle was the top priority for the day and at our next stop we had one fly past - excellent! Rock Pipits are always well received by land locked birders so we had good views of those. Bird of the day for everyone was probably the Water Rail that flew in front of the motor at close quarters, easily the best view I've ever had of one in flight! A male Hen Harrier was a good find and we manged to find an Adder basking in a sheltered spot.

We broke out the lunch and almost immediately a Golden Eagle appeared (I'm sure they are keen to share the spoils) and flew past in nice light.

He gained height and started to display by flying upwards and then closing the wings to screaming down...

...then open the wings at the bottom of the arc to start heading back upwards for another roller coaster ride.

A fly past Great Spotted Woodpecker was too quick for the guests but the 3 Otters we located five minutes later showed very well as they fished just offshore and hauled out onto the rocks. Another two WT Eagles were a welcome sight at the days end and a female Hen Harrier rounded the sightings off nicely.

Delayed.

I woke up, looked out of the window and saw snow on the hills and thought this might be a chance to get an Adder in the white stuff. I was quick enough off the mark but I got delayed by something. I did get good views of a Shelduck...

...and a GN Diver that was coming into summer dress.

A couple of Golden Eagle put on a display, a Hen Harrier was seen and it was that warm in the sun that the Adders were seeking the shade after a while!

What was the cause of the delay? I came across a large bird that wasn't aware of being watched due to not looking in the right direction!

I doubt I will ever get that close to a White-tailed Eagle again.