23.03.16 to 03.04.16
Rolling down the road
This posting covers quite a lot of miles and days - hence the title. We begin at Old Moor on March 23rd when things were pretty quiet and anything of interest was a long way away - like these four common scoters that were on a short inland break.
Next stop was at Saltholme on March 25th when I thought I'd have another look at the penduline tits as they were reported from the Watchpoint. The place was crowded but all I could see was a very tame little egret just outside the hide.
To my surprise the penduline appeared too!
The 313th British bird I have photographed.
I decided to have another look at the shore larks too - so I drove up to the old cemetery area on the Headland.
On the 26th March I set off for a week's birding in Scotland. I saw a skittish crested tit on arrival at Loch Garten but couldn't get a shot. The next morning was little better: overhead crossbills and a distant great spotted woodpecker.
We called briefly at Loch Pityoulish if my memory serves me well. Oiks against the pine forest background.
We finished our first day on the shores of Loch Morlich near Aviemore. A pied wagtail caught my eye.
Having failed to locate any capercaillies we left next morning for Mull, travelling via the Corran and then Lochaline ferries. En route to Lochaline we passed some slavonian grebes. Nice group of about seven in total.
Crossing on the Corran ferry.
Loch Fyne approaching Lochaline before taking us to Mull.
Once safely on Mull we passed hooded crows...
...and red deer...
...and some more everyday sights too...
There are many narrow roads with passing places on Mull. Some offer extra facilities.
At Loch na Keal we stopped to look for eagles. General panorama of the area.
Excitement ebbed as we watched what turned out to be a common buzzard.
Then something else was spotted.
Golden eagle.
Eventually I nearly fell backwards as it came overhead and crossed a blue sky hole in the cloud cover.
White-tailed eagles showed as well but were really too distant for my camera - a scope job but I tried. Best effort: at least the white tail showed clearly.
We stopped for lunch and saw some shags on a rock - adult and juvenile.
Great northern divers were quite common.
Different light.
A raven flew in front of the cliffs alongside us. I tried a panning burst. One seemed to come out all right.
One of the last sightings of the day was of stonechats.
29th March - second day on Mull. We went to Grasspoint. Immediately we came across a male hen harrier...
...and a raven carrying food or nesting material?
It began to rain heavily. What's this out on the water? Shark?
No: otter's tail. Here's more.
Otter on the rocks.
In the rain I spotted a seal hauled up on the rocks. Bit of a con[crete!]
Good to see more hoodies.
Returning to the mainland at the Corran ferry we watched amazed as a white-tailed eagle took a kid goat [telescope only] and I photoed a reasonably close black guillemot.
Wednesday 30th March was back into the Abernethy forest. A pause on the bridge in Nethy Bridge for a quick dipper.
The forest is festooned everywhere with lichens.
We found some crested tits - well one in particular put on a good show.
A good day for crossbills too.
Thursday 31st March began as usual with a pre-breakfast capercaillie walk but of our 6 walks at different times and different places 5 failed. We went up Cairngorm - well part way on foot looking for and finding 'scopable' ptarmigans. I found some red grouse not far from the path and then the big moment: an afternoon caper in the woods. This time we got them: two male capercaillies - UK lifer 422. Never took my eyes off them as each one [separate sightings] flew off. They're big! Thank goodness it wasn't April 1st [quite] as no-one might have ever believed me!
Somewhere above: Grey seal at Port Gordon. Bit of a glitch in the program so couldn't put some of these captions where I wanted...
Great views of flocks of long-tailed ducks at sea near Spey Bay. Later near Hopeman we met a sub-adult iceland gull and, a bit further on, a few grey partridge: quite tricky to spot in a ploughed field!
I set off southbound on April 2nd. A final view of the Cairngorms from Broomhill Station on the Strathspey Railway.
I called at Loch Garten feeders.
A pair of goldeneye were on the Loch...
...and the ospreys were both on the nest.
A little later I passed Ruthven Barracks built in 1719 and destroyed by retreating Jacobites after Culloden in 1746.
Someone told me that Loch of the Lowes was a good place to see osprey so I called in as it was on my route near Dunkeld. Pretty good indeed I thought!
They have reds too! Recommended - it's Scottish Wildlife Trust. £4 per adult; 2 hides; small car park and squirrels to watch!
April 3rd on journey home after an overnight stop in Dunbar I decided to call at Cresswell just in case the long-billed dowitcher was near the hide. Well it wasn't on its normal distant spit but it was still some way off to the right of the hide by the reedbeds.
I sat and waited hoping it would come close. Two whoopers departed.
The dowitcher flew off down towards the causeway. i drove down. Birders there hadn't seen it come but a local accompanied me stealthily towards the causeway. He said it could be quite confiding sometimes. We kept very quiet. 'Well done,' he said. 'You were right. Look.'
Dowitcher cracked!!
That's it for now!
187 UK 2016