Now you see me, now you don't.

Sunday night was a bit rainy so I was off to watch the F1 at a mates house. Just as the race finished the sunset was looking pretty spectacular - out we went with cameras and captured this.Monday was another day of sunshine and some easy hits on the wildlife. We'd visited the WT Eagle nest and only saw the young bird. We headed off to look for the Otters and scored with the mother and cub at close quarters. While watching these I picked up the female WT Eagle sitting on the ridge. As we focused our attention on the Eagle she took flight and gave a good display of the 'flying barn door'. We bagged a pair of Golden Eagle sitting on the ridge and one of the birds in flight over us. The job was done really but we carried on with our sightings picking up a family party of Stonechat, 2 Adders, a Slow Worm, Whinchat and a Yellowhammer before picking up another WT Eagle. Superb views of a silent Cuckoo sitting on the wires and a collection of waders to finish the day off.
Tuesday was similar, weatherwise, to Monday but couldn't have been more different for sightings. Again we started with the WT Eagle - stunning views - and then it went pear shaped. We located an Otter on the near shore that was swimming away from us so everyone got a view. We attempted to get in front of the beast but it had disappeared probably into the holt. While trying to relocate it we found a Dipper sitting on the shore looking a bit lost!While scanning the shore outside the shop we located a strange looking Greenshank? sporting strong colouration, thin bill and extra long legs. Any comments on this bird are welcome as I've not seen anything like it before. The more I look at it the more it looks like a Greenshank though.We located two more Dippers, an adult with a youngster, in more suitable habitat of a mountain stream. Three Adders and a Slow Worm were keeping spirits high but we were struggling for Golden Eagle. Photos of flowers won't cover the disappointment but they look pretty.A great day out but we didn't connect with the Goldies despite the effort put in.
Wednesday was looking like we would catch a few showers. I had picked up from the ferry in Craignure making for a different day for me as I don't normally do the ferry pick-ups. We started slow with a few small birds, Buzzard etc. The clouds were gathering and we hit some light drizzle. We drove out the other side of this and immediately picked up 2 Golden Eagle on a ridge - superb. One bird dropped out of sight and didn't reappear so we decided to investigate. I picked the flying bird up in the distance and almost immediately lost it again - clever me! The second bird was still sitting on the ridge so we had another look. Just as we decide to move on I relocated the flying Eagle coming back towards us so it was pointed out. It didn't take too long to realise that one of the group was watching another bird. Two Golden Eagle in flight. I checked the ridge for the sitting bird, it was still there. Suddenly another 3 Golden Eagle cleared the ridge! What was going on? None yesterday and now they are bursting out of the scenery - I'm not complaining and neither was anyone else. We bagged two close Otters at lunchtime and a third was picked up not long after.We actually bagged another 5, yes 5, Golden Eagle through the afternoon - bizarre but that's wildlife for you!
Today was a different affair again. The weather is still holding and my head is getting burnt! We started off with Mountain Hare but it was a distant view of one trying to hide. We drove round the corner and found five of them having a little meeting. Four of them scarpered and left one behind who acted all innocent until he realised he was getting framed!The Hen Harrier are starting to show again with chicks on the go they are starting to hunt regularly. We picked a male bird circling round and then he dropped his legs to reveal the prey he was carrying. The female came into sight and the food pass was made then the birds went their separate ways - fantastic. The guests were desperate to see Otters and we came up trumps with the mother and cub settling down to have a nap before moving off to do some more fishing. The best was yet to come though. A visit to the WT Eagle gave us good views of the female circling above us before flying off over the trees. The male bird was at the nest feeding the youngster. You couldn't ask for anything more. A WT Eagle appeared in the sky quite close to and we suspected the female returning but this birds tail was all wrong. It was a young bird from 2007 sporting white tags. Would this set the male off? Not a chance, he was sticking with junior. Another bird appeared - WHAT? The second bird was white tagged too. They flew around together with one bird turning upside down to touch talons with the other a couple of times before soaring up into the blue sky. A stunning display and my camera was nowhere to be seen. It was caught on video by someone else who was there though. Maybe my chance will come. I'm off for the weekend and I'll probably end up chasing the wildlife with the camera but it'll probably rain!

How to make an entrance...

Thursday was a decent day with a cool breeze blowing but it was an eagle day too. We picked up some showy waders and a couple of Mountain Hare to start the day off. The Redshank are always the bravest of the bunch but the Common Snipe were out in force displaying.We set off on an eagle extravaganza next - you never know what you are going to get but this was a bit of a treat. Two Golden Eagle on one side of the road and one on the other with Whinchat and Sedge Warbler vying for attention too. The next stop produced another Golden Eagle plus good views of 2 Adders. We needed a rest after all that but we had to press on. A lone female Crossbill was quiet showy at the top of a tree just before we picked up another Golden Eagle! Strange how we hadn't picked up a WT Eagle with all the activity but they would get their turn too. We arrived at the nest site just in time to see the female take flight so we watched her soar around until she cleared the ridge and disappeared.

Friday was a bit of a different day as most of the guests had already been out with me earlier in the week. The weather was good but chilly in the wind. They decided that they wanted to run the show and have something different too. It started well with the WT Eagle and a bit of a search for Golden Eagle and Peregrine but they were not playing fair. We headed off in the opposite direction picking up an Otter very briefly before getting another one asleep on the seaweed. He gave a bit of a shuffle round but he wasn't going to wake up! Two Golden Eagles soaring around at some height were a bit frustrating. A cracking Red Deer stag, in velvet, at the roadside was worth a snap or two.The title for this blog entry is the lead in to the next part of the day....read on. There were certain folk that wanted to spend a bit of time watching Golden Eagle so we went somewhere different. On arrival all was quiet so we wandered off to get a better viewpoint of the area. While scanning around I picked up a small flock of Lapwing that had got up in alarm so I got everyone focused in the right direction. Initial expectation was to see a Hen Harrier clear the rise but nothing prepared us for what really happened. The Lapwings wheeled around then a cloud of other birds appeared just before this monstrous bird cleared the rise and burst through the scattering birds - GOLDEN EAGLE!!! real close too! One lady was in tears it was that exciting. It gained height at a rapid rate being mobbed by a Raven before being joined by last years youngster. It was good to see the juvenile plumage bird as a comparison with the brilliant white patches on the wings and tail.
I called for a bit of peace and quiet in case someone had a heart attack and we headed for a beach - what a way to calm down though. Ease yourself into the scene below.....

There now, it doesn't get any better than that.
Yet another day of good weather today and it was a more of the same kind of day but with flowers. Eagles of both varieties were bagged early on and we spent some time looking at and smelling the flowers available. This Fragrant Orchid was just starting to flower and the smell was only just there - soon enough it will do 'like it says on the tin' as they say.

The dangers of sunbathing

The sunny weather is continuing and it's making for hard work. Persistence pays off though. Monday was an easy start with the WT Eagle and a couple of Otter in the bag. The first Otter was reasonably close but kept disappearing from view so we let it go. With the water flat calm it was easy to spot anything that moved - a Common Seal popped it's head up, RT Diver preening between feeds and then another Otter. We managed to approach this one and sat on the rocks as he worked his way past us. Here is a shot of him checking out who slammed the car door - we'd been there for 10 minutes already so it wasn't us!

We bagged another couple of RT Diver at close quarters but the heat was tremendous and spoilt any chance of a photo - cracking views though. Superb views of Whinchat, Sedge Warbler, Cuckoo and Common Whitethroat were had but no sign of Golden Eagle yet and not much time left. A great view of a Cormorant fishing not too far from a Shag was a time for comparison of the two species. A last effort for Golden Eagle paid off as two birds were picked up - one in flight and the other perched up.
Tuesday was another scorcher. It was mentioned that we would be better off putting in the effort early on as the afternoon would likely be quiet so started in real style. WT Eagle feeding the youngster and another bird in flight, 2 Golden Eagle and a cracking male Common Crossbill were closely followed by a mother and cub Otter asleep in the sunshine. Another difficult one to photograph as the heat haze was playing havoc with the images.This Snipe was looking very relaxed perched on the fencepost. We actually drove past this bird and reversed back to it for the photo! Too hot to move.The sightings started to slow down as predicted but we had nice views of Grey Wagtail and managed to get Adder and Slow Worm together. A Yellowhammer was a nice find as we don't see them that often despite hitting the right spots. I picked up what looked like a Cuckoo with an attendant Meadow Pipit that turned out to be a Woodpigeon (my how we laughed - it must be sunstroke) but I was right about Mipit! This bird was an easier one to identify though. A nice male Stonechat posed on the electric fence for ages - stunner.We finished off with a few Dunlin and Ringed Plover while watching the Mountain Hares, Redshank and Lapwing.

Yesterday the heatwave was raging on but the promise of it cooling down was a pleasant though that never really happened! Two Golden Eagles in the air together was a good start but not as good as the eight Crossbill that flew overhead - I'm biased! Otters were elusive yesterday despite seeing one on the way to pick folk up and then refinding it hiding on the back of a rock it managed to do the Houdini trick and disappeared. Another 2 Golden Eagle at lunchtime and a female Hen Harrier that showed very well was a surprise. We managed to locate 2 Adders but I didn't have my camera. That's a big help at the moment - have camera = no Adder, no camera = result! A male Hen Harrier quartering the hillside was a beautiful sight and all too soon he was gone.

Now for the bit you have been waiting for - the dangers of sunbathing........Skylarks are really fond of a dust bath or two in hot weather but don't do it on the edge of the road! This bird was dead keen - it was running back into the field when a car came past but when I drove away he tried for the suicide run in front of the motor!Heron are the best sunbathers in the world - I'd be arrested for using this pose!Dehydration is always a dangerous thing in hot weather. This guy fell asleep on the beach.........and look what happened to him..........Be careful out there!!