Friday I had a run out with PS to see what was about in between the showers. We bagged a male Hen Harrier early on but it was a distant bird that was heading away from us. A couple of Reed Bunting in with the Chaffinch flock didn't want to pose for photos so we tested our skills on the waders. This Oystercatcher stood still for long enough to point a camera at which is more than can be said about the Curlew - twitchy blighters!
I had a count of the Greenland WF Geese which numbered 30, one less than last time, but there was 3 youngsters this time so I'm guessing I haven't seen all the birds together yet. A few of the Greylags were next to the road and didn't seem bothered by the passing traffic so it was point and click time again - the Three Amigos in action - Ruuunnnnn, he's got a camera.....
The weather was supposed to clear as the day went on - they lied. We had a brief stop for a squint at the Rock Doves which had a few feral with them - it won't be long before they breed with the Rock Doves and spoil the stock.
We managed to get a distant view of an Otter from the roadside but we soon moved on. There were plenty of Buzzards sitting on telegraph poles but it took a while before we actually had an opportunity to get some shots.
Just after taking this shot I picked up a WT Eagle in the distance but as it flew against the land it was lost to sight. A Reed Bunting feeding at the side of the road was reluctant to move on so we watched for a while and took a few photos.
It was getting close to lunchtime so we moved on but it wasn't too long before we spotted two GN Divers close to the shore. As we pulled up both birds dived and an Otter appeared in the same place. He was heading for the shore with a fish so we parked up in a place where we could view him when he hauled out. He managed to find a nice place where he couldn't be seen too well but when he'd finished the fish it was time for a wash...out of sight, of course! We waited patiently and eventually he stuck his head out - 'Are you looking for me?'
He moved off eventually but soon hauled out again to mark his territory before going fishing again. A great sighting though. The wind was picking up and the showers were becoming more frequent so we pressed on to see if the WT Eagle were at home. We weren't disappointed with the birds but the lack of light made it difficult to get decent shots. The female bird was the one we picked up first....
...but the male wasn't too far away.
Time was getting short and we'd just picked up another Otter when a tremendous squall came through. It was difficult to keep an eye on the Otter and by the time the squall cleared there was no sign of him - ah well it had been a good day. The rainbow that formed as the last of the rain went through was worth the effort of getting a better viewpoint for it - stunning.
.....what can I say? There aren't that many daylight hours at this time of year so I gave PS a bell and hit the road. Not two minutes out of the door and I'm watching a juv WT Eagle soaring over the loch and heading away from me - dodgy photo that one!! I carried on along the road and got distracted by a big lump sticking up from the rocks......
.....still a dodgy photo but better than the other dodgy one! I eventually picked up PS and we headed off to do my BTO tetrads - we shouldn't have bothered. Neither square managed double figures of birds! The first square produced a couple of Robins and a Dunnock - honest! You get the picture anyway so I won't bore you with the same birds in the other tetrad. We decided to point our cameras at a Buzzard that was hunting just off the side of the road. It was never going to be good but the silhouette against the blue sky was worth the effort.
As we arrived at the next birdless tetrad we scanned around to make it look good and I mentioned that I could see nothing but Deer. PS was straight in with the response 'You mean this fu...fu...fine fellow here?' Either they grow really quickly or it was in the bracken at the side of the road....
...it can't be an easy thing to hide! A few more Red Deer....
...a Chaffinch and a Buzzard later and the rain was ready to start again. We did manage to get some nice shots of a friendly Robin before the rain hit...
We had lunch while the rain lashed down and then the sun was out again but that was about it. I got a glimpse of another WT Eagle disappearing over a ridge, no Otters, a few Redwing and we called it a day. I had mentioned that I hadn't seen a Hen Harrier close to home in a while so PS will be well pleased to find out a male bird flew past the shop door when I got back!
...too much wind and not enough light. the RB Merg numbers are starting to build up but it's still small flocks as a rule. A count of 9 together in the middle of the loch and two lots of 4 skirting round the edges was the best I could do. A handy tip for bulking yourself up is to sit tail first in the wind....
....works a treat! I only saw one of the two Lapwing that are frequenting the place, a couple of Greenshank, no sign of the Golden Plover (they don't seem to like the wind much) and plenty of Grey Heron in the shallows. There are quite a few Common Seals in the loch - I had at least six close in - not too sure what they are after but they are sticking around. You never see them with food so it must be small stuff they are eating. The GN Diver numbers aren't growing either so I was happy to see three of these in the hour I was out. The first Otter I picked up would have been a good one to photograph as it was busy wrestling with a sizable Dogfish. I did make the effort but a one second exposure through the scope isn't going to produce anything good! Another group of 4 Mergs were loafing about the shore but they soon made tracks when I stopped to get a quick shot.
Another dog Otter on the return trip was a welcome sight as we had recently lost the regular dog. 
I saw a distant Otter and a distant Sparrowhawk before the rain came in and moved me on. I took a slow drive back stopping to chat to folk on the way but didn't see a great deal until I clocked this Kestrel....
Not the best photo in the world but it was worth the shot. I headed for home to get some lunch before heading round the loch to see if I could get better views of any Otters. Digiscoping is a tortuous pastime as I'm sure you are aware. The regular wader flock was scattered about in shallow water so I thought it might be worth a go - not on your nelly! No shutter speed at all despite the light - I would have been lucky to get a non-blurry shot of something dead! Ah well you have to try though. A scan round the loch produced one Otter that was showing great interest in a young seal and vice-versa. The Otter came out of the water to look at the seal and seal disappeared off the rocks, the Otter went back in the water to swim round the seal and the seal hauled out again. Funny to watch but you wonder about the potential danger for both beasts. The scenario was broken by the adult seal putting in an appearance at which point the Otter disappeared. Not too long after and not too far away from that drama I picked up mother and cub rolling about on the seaweed. Not sure if the nosy Otter was one of these two or not. A WT Eagle soaring over the ridge in one direction and the rain pushing in from the other had me throwing in the towel for the day - there's always tomorrow!
...a pale Buzzard sitting on the seaweed with it's tail well in the water. I've seen them bathe in freshwater but I didn't think I'd see this - maybe it thinks it's an Osprey! I had to go for a closer look...
...nice looking bird. I moved on wondering where would be the best place to sit out of the wind. In the motor with the heater on seemed a good idea but it's too restricted for me, I like to be able to see everywhere. A Great Northern Diver wasn't close enough to tempt me out, a seal impersonating an Otter didn't have me fooled for too long - it's like mental finger drumming - what'll I find next? Plenty of Grey Herons and the odd Curlew along the shore but they weren't going to hang around and neither was I. After spending a bit of time watching Meadow Pipits doing their thing and grilling the gulls I headed back along the way. I parked up to have a good scan around. Scan left, nothing, scan right over the ridge, nothing, scan left along the loch, Otter - woohoo! It was a lucky break as I caught sight of a tail disappearing. I waited for the beast to resurface and there it was a bit further out. Too warm and comfortable to get out I was straining to look over my shoulder but as the Otter surfaced again I was surprised to find that the first one hadn't went down yet! To retain my warm and comfortable viewpoint I reversed along the road to get a better view. I managed to find one of the Otters but not the second - that's what you get for being comfy! All of a sudden the Otter was heading for shore with a fish - grab camera and make for the shore. I was out in a flash and into the teeth of the wind that was blowing in off the water - cold I tell you. Into a safe place and wait for beast to appear - I couldn't see much though streaming eyes but I could hear alright. A squeak came from just offshore and there was the Otter demolishing the fish. The big surprise was the two cubs that were trying to get in on the grub.....
....no wonder I'd only seen one Otter. Both the cubs were fairly dry so they'd been out a wee while. She didn't share the fish so the cubs must be fending for themselves and as she headed off the cubs moved in to see if there was anything left. A lot of squeaking and chittering later they reappeared as the female clambered over the back of the rock. She just kept coming straight over and paused briefly to look in my direction and then carried on about her business.
The youngsters disappeared into the crevice of the rock and the female was back out fishing so I moved off again wondering if this was the mum and two that had been seen earlier in the year. Who knows?! They look about the right size but where have they been for the last four months? It'll be interesting to see if they become a regular feature or not. Heading back along the way the Blackbirds are noticeable everywhere. There aren't a great deal to be seen but in the Winter the numbers are boosted by Scandinavian birds - could this be one?
I couldn't help but see this furry lump sticking up so I had to investigate.
Mum and cub fast asleep in a nithering wind - get me one of them fur coats.
The light seemed to improve a bit and I was surprised to see blue sky when I looked the other way. This had to get the bird back in the air. Sure enough the beast took to the skies again and seemed happy to just hang in the wind but not for long. Two Raven cleared the ridge behind the eagle and went into full attack mode. The eagle was taken by surprise and headed towards us trying to swat the Ravens out of the sky...
.....the action was getting ever closer to us and giving incredible views. The final fly by before the bird turned was a real spine tingler....
I must say that Kate's photos looked better than mine but the experience of what we watched won't be captured! We headed off for lunch knowing that we wouldn't be able to top that but there was still more to see. We bagged the WF Geese that had increased to 31 birds, a Kestrel or two, plenty of Redwing and the tango twins that we intent on getting some camouflage...
A few Skylark scurrying about amongst the Starlings were nice to see but not as good as the single Twite.
We headed for the beach to see if we could rustle up a Hen Harrier along the way. Not a great deal to see on the way but as we settled down with a cuppa a male Harrier cleared the ridge - excellent! The sun was heading for the horizon and we were running out of time for Golden Eagle so we packed up and raced off. I reckoned we had about half an hour to find a Goldie and no sooner had I mentioned this and we had one in our sights! Another Hen Harrier, a female this time, didn't stay in view long enough for Kate to see it but the Goldie was taking the honour anyway. Some day out considering there wasn't much hope at the start!
