Duck weather

It's the usual January weather - mostly overcast. The sunny days do make up for it though. A quick trip out in the sunshine didn't produce a great deal but it was nice to see the Oystercatchers wandering around protecting their mates and making a lot of noise.

The local WT Eagles were sitting out on an island too far away for a decent shot but still an impressive sight.

The usual signs that spring is approaching Robins singing, Starlings in subsong...

...and the RB Mergs doing a lot of displaying.

The rainy days have been good for the ducks like this Common Teal standing in a slightly sheltered spot.

Just to make sure that you know that winter isn't over yet we get another covering of snow - it'll soon be spring!!

Newcastle

A trip to Newcastle had to include a bit of birding. It was nice to catch up with a few old faces (you know who you are). We don't have Moorhen and Coot on Mull so it was nice to catch up with them. Plenty of Tree Sparrow, Goldfinch, Stonechat, a couple of Common Whitethroat...

...and a nice Whinchat.

A flock of about 70 Lapwing had 25 Dunlin and a single Black-tailed Godwit sharing the space.

There were five Snipe close by while an Avocet fed in the shallows.

Little Egret is a regular sight in Northumberland now but it's been a while since I'd seen one.

These Swallows have already featured in Ipin's blog so it was nice to see that they were still there but definitely ready to go.

Just outside the hide we could see 7 Ruff but there was only one close bird and that was hard to see!

A Caspian Gull a bit further up the coast was a must see bird.

Eider ducks were plentiful in the harbour...

...as were the Starlings.

Plenty of other common birds were seen so it wasn't a bad haul for  a couple of hours in the field. Got to have an Oystercatcher in because it'd be rude not to.

The reason for the visit to Newcastle was my daughters wedding so the father of the bride has to be there!

Comb

An interesting morning was had with plenty of GN Diver, a couple of WT Eagle, a single Swallow, 3 RT Diver and a single Otter being the highlights. While having lunch a Golden Eagle put in an appearance and it wasn't too long before it came in for a closer look at us - unfortunately it decided to circle above us with the sun directly behind it!

There was a good showing from the Adders with four seen but they were blending in well with the surroundings.

A pair of Hen Harriers were seen displaying as were a pair of Kestrels. The usual collection of Rock Pipit and Starlings were seen...

...along with a few, newly arrived, Sand Martin. Other highlights in the afternoon were an 80 strong flock of Golden Plover, Northern Wheatear, Willow Warbler and plenty of Mountain Hare. Bird of the day for me was this scruffy looking Great Northern Diver - could do with a comb to get those loose feathers out!

Dark days

A short run out in the morning and another in the afternoon - the overcast weather continues. A female Hen Harrier provided a great start to the day.

A Sparrowhawk was spotted wheeling over the forestry but by the time I had stopped it was fairly distant - good to see though.

I spent a bit of time watching the Hooded Crows breaking into shells on the shore. An interesting way to pass the time. No photos of the action, just some shots of them in the trees - blinkin' useless!

Even the Raven didn't want to play.

A Curlew was making it's way along the shore...

...while I watched a Black-throated Diver on the sea. I wonder if this is the same bird that I photographed at the back end of September.

A pleasant half an hour was spent sheltering from the wind while waiting for a couple of Little Grebe to put in an appearance.

Starlings at the side of the road, who could resist?

I was on a mission in the afternoon but I saw an Otter on a rock as I went past - 'that'll be nice on the way back' I thought. Not a sign! A nice Shag drying it's wings...

...and a couple of Goldfinch on the wires.

Is that it?

Well, it looks like the tourist season is coming to a close so the tours are drying up but I'll still be getting out there. The nice weather has hung in for a while which makes some things look better...shiny Starlings for instance...

...but not so good on a back lit Raven!

Great Northern Divers are starting to appear in numbers now with some of them still in their summer dress (there will be more).

The Adders are soaking up the last of the sunshine and should be visible up to the end of the month...depending on the weather of course.

There are plenty of Robins singing their hearts out at the moment so it's nice to just sit and watch them now and again.

Dunnocks may be overlooked as they are skulking in the undergrowth but they are well worth a look if you can find one.

Corncrake.

A trip over to Iona with Doc to have a look for Corncrakes was quite productive. The day started off with rain but it was supposed to get clearer as the day went on. In cool and breezy conditions there was not a Corncrake to be heard! Things did improve but there were a few distractions along the way...Sedge Warbler ...

...Pied Wagtail...

...and some cracking views of Corncrake!

Other delights were some splendid Jackdaws...

...and plenty of tourist Corncrake - Song Thrush.

We spent a fair bit of time trying to track the Corncrake through the grass...

...watching them disappear into clumps of grass...

...and hiding in the brambles.

You could see them watching you...

...but they were showy too.

They may have stood in the open...

...but when they were face on they were surprisingly hard to pick up.

But how do you find the elusive Corncrake?

Just wait for them to start shouting!

A couple of Starling families were housed in the walls and not fussed by the passing humans.

A trip out to Staffa with Davy Kirkpatrick was well worth it. A couple of year ticks on the way there - Manx Shearwater and Purple Sandpiper plus a few Twite, Black Guillemot, Puffin...

...and a superb Great Skua.