Sunday stroll.

A bit of a look back to the start of the month for the first photo as I've neglected the scenery of late - February 3rd this was the view.

Saturday was a bit of a quiet day but I did manage to see the Tawny Owl coming out of it's roost and a singing Stonechat.

Sunday we had a stroll around the woods seeing very little on the bird front. Seeing isn't everything though as there is plenty to hear - Blue, Great and Coal Tit, Mistle Thrush, Chaffinch, Blackbird, Robin and Woodpigeon. The vegetation is always interesting too as you can see by the moss growth on the trees - a jungle in itself!

There are plenty of Snowdrops in the gardens although ours haven't flowered yet so it was nice to find this single flower in the shade.

Out of the woods and into the open we came across a group of Hooded Crows...

...that appeared to be mobbing two Grey Herons but as we got closer a Common Buzzard, two Ravens and a Great Black-backed Gull all started mobbing the same place. What did we find? Nothing, no food, no larger birds - a bit odd. A bit further along the road a Royal stag was munching on the vegetation - looks like he's lost a bit of his left ear too.

As we drove back home there were numerous Buzzards sitting on posts but we just drove past them because they usually just fly off. I did stop for one and it didn't fly immediately.

Another update...Sula, the kitten I picked up on the road side a year and a half ago. As you can see she's a sweet cat that wouldn't hurt a fly!

Wide load.

Thursday started off with rain but it was easing off. I didn't get out until lunchtime but I hadn't got far when an odd wader caught my eye. A quick wander down the shore for a closer look revealed a Knot - first one I've seen here in the winter.

It was a good start to the trip out and it just got better. I picked up an Otter fishing the opposite side of the loch to me, watched it for five minutes and decided it wasn't going to visit me in a hurry. I'd driven along the road for a bit and looked back over to see the Otter swim into my view but still on the far shore. I got the scope out and watched it looking for somewhere to haul out with the fish it had caught when it suddenly turned and started swimming across the loch. I wandered back down the road to watch it haul out - result. 

I wasn't quick enough to get in a closer position but looking at that picture the Otter seems to be a bit of a wide load! On the walk back to the motor I saw a couple of Grey Heron having a dispute over the fishing rights and watched the victor arriving back to it's spot.

They look really big like this but it's surprising how small they are up close.

The Rock Pipits are starting to pair up and investigate their usual breeding sites so I was escorted along the road by this bird!

As you can see it wasn't the brightest of days but these conditions always add some atmosphere.

I managed to get some decent views of the rare Sea Bat...

...which normally looks like a Slavonian Grebe - or should that be the other way round?

I was trying to get into a good position for some Otter photographs but a Black-throated Diver was a bit of a distraction as it came in fairly close.

I missed the Otter as it swam past but I did catch up with it. While I was waiting one of the Great Northern Divers started calling further down the loch, a haunting call that echoed down the loch and received a response from two other birds - a real spine tingling moment. Just as the calls stopped the Otter stuck it's head up for a quick look around before it moved on.

My next stop was right next to the GN Diver that was being vocal. It was good to see the behaviour of the bird as it submerged itself before firing off the calls over the surface of the water. The bill is hardly opened at all when it calls and I wonder how much the call travels below the surface from this position.

Here is the same bird calling again - you can see the throat is distended but the bill is just cracked open.

A bit of the white stuff...

...but not any snow! It was another nice day on Tuesday so I had a trip to Tobermory to visit friends and hopefully pick up some wildlife too. A Pied Wagtail on the front street and a few Buzzard, Meadow Pipit and my first Primrose of the year were the best of the haul. The trip back home produced the white stuff. Firstly a group of three Mute Swan - not a bird I see that much of in the SW of Mull.

Next stop was a visit to the salmon hatchery for white-winged gulls. As you can see there were a few birds at the outfall including a few Shelduck. If you look carefully you should see FOUR Iceland Gulls in this shot.

If you are struggling with the gulls there are two first winter birds on the left, another first winter just right of centre and a second winter on the right...or maybe it's easier to look at the photo below.

A Red-breasted Merganser posed well a bit further along the road.

Quite a nice haul at the next stop. I noticed this Grey Heron perched overlooking the road and I had to drive past it before getting out to photograph it- it was nice to get one off the shore.

I could see a Razorbill on the loch, heading towards me, but too far off for now. Luckily there was a small distraction on the skyline - a nice Red Deer stag.

I was almost too late to catch the Razorbill after those shots but a quick scramble down the rocks gave me decent views.

Wednesday was a bit of a contrast with a stiff breeze blowing, overcast sky and rain by lunchtime - it never got light! Just as I was getting up there was a Tawny Owl hooting as it was going to roost and then as I was leaving the house a male Hen Harrier flew over! Better still were the four Buzzard that were a bit agitated because there was WT Eagle hanging around! I'd only driven a couple of hundred yards from the house and I had to pull over to get a shot...

...but the camera was still set up for sunnier conditions. A quick change of the settings and I managed to get this one instead.