Merry Christmas!!

Another selection of pictures from November and December to see you over the festive season.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year - enjoy!

Mum and cub heading for the holt.

Goldcrest flitting through the gorse.

A nice view over Loch Beg.

A Redwing that was fresh in from Iceland in November.

It looks like the Raven is on the back of the sheep but it's actually on a rock just behind.

Goosander - a nervous bird up here.

Robin - I had to put one in here!

Good views of Kestrel over the last couple of months.

A passing shower with Ben More in the background - this image was shown on the BBC weather forecast.

Whooper Swans continuing their journey south. They left in the half light early in the morning.

The ever playful Otters.

Nothing more exciting than a male Hen Harrier in a blue sky.

White-tailed Eagle doing the same!

Size comparison between White-tailed Eagle and Hooded Crow.

Common Buzzard making a kill.

A pale morph Common Buzzard.

Immature Golden Eagle - very impressive bird.

A direct comparison between the two eagle species - Golden Eagle on the right.

Redwing.

Otter rolling in the seaweed.

I like this shot of Hooded Crow landing.

It was nice to see the moon a few times in December - it's been a bit wet.

Greenshank.

All the best for 2016.

April so far

Without any internet connection at home it has been difficult to compose a new post. Facebook is so much quicker and easier to manage that is where most of the photos have gone - you don't need to sign up to view that so don't be put off.
A quick update while I have an internet connection - a Yellowhammer in the garden was a treat.

As you can see the GN Divers are coming into breeding plumage and preparing to leave our waters.

There are quite a few Pheasants wandering along the shore - it looks weird with the sea in the background!

A nice size comparison between WT Eagle and Golden Eagle.

The Redshank are starting to move away from the shore and search out a nesting area.

Plenty of Stonechats around but none on the nest yet but it won't be long.

I had eight Whooper Swans pay a visit last week - they will probably be the last until they return in the autumn.

I had an early run out and watched the sun rise while an Otter swam around in the loch and a WT Eagle drifted past - awesome!

The Crossbills are still showing well with the young bird being the most photographed.

The Red Deer stags have been popular but not with the motorists.

The migrant birds are starting to appear with lots of Northern Wheatear, Chiffchaff and the delightful Barn Swallows all putting on a show.

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.

Saltire

After a week off it was nice to get back out and what a cracker it was! All three species of diver were picked up at our first proper stop - Black-throated first, then a couple of distant Red-throated then a few Great Northern Diver. No mistaking the bulk of a GND.

It all got a bit difficult after that but Golden Eagle, RB Merg and 3 Otters were the highlights. A GS Woodpecker was seen while we watched a couple of WT Eagle perched in the trees. There was also a good finish as we picked up a male Hen Harrier which perched up on a post.

An early start for the next tour paid off with plenty of roaring stags. This looks like it has a Saltire on it's nose.

An Otter was seen fishing in the loch, a Merlin flashed across the road and there were a few Goosanders hanging around.

A WT Eagle flew over as we watched a few Wigeon.

Another Merlin was seen just after we had views of two Hen Harrier. A couple of Golden Eagle and a WT Eagle were seen as we had lunch. Prolonged views of another Otter and a good sighting of WT Eagle in the afternoon but the Whooper Swans stole the show for me.

Contrast

Not the best of days for this tour as we had poor visibility for the whole day. Seeing a WT Eagle at our first stop settled everyone into the idea that we could have a good day.

It was never going to be easy but 4 Otters, Hen Harrier, Red Deer, Lapwing, Snipe and Gannet all helped. We also found a family party of Whooper Swan that had stopped for a rest on their journey south from Iceland.

The following day the weather had cleared and there was a lot more landscape to see. The Lapwings were a treat to see as they flew around.

Plenty of WT Eagles were seen on the day including this one that was doing a good impression of the caped crusader!

We only managed to see one Otter on this tour but one is better than none.

A Golden Eagle showed off it colours as it flew around at low level. It certainly looks a different bird when the light catches the underside.

When we tried to relocate that bird all we could find were a few Ravens.