Islands and Highlands 2017

A compendium of what we saw and encountered during our annual visit to Northern Britain.



Red Grouse

Osprey

Loch Ruthven from Broc Cabin.

View from Cairngorm

Meadow Pipit.

A distant Ptarmigan

Ring Ouzel bring food.

Ring Ouzel female feeds the nestlings.

Family settling down.

Willow Warbler.

Taking refreshment in Ptarmigan Restaurant.

Curlew

Blue Tit on the Broc Feeder.

Lesser Redpoll. Broc.

Ring-neck Pheasant. We should have rung its neck too.

Courting display of Slavonian Grebes.

Slavonian Grebe. Loch Ruthven.

Slavonian Grebe. Loch Ruthven.

Taigh Thormoid an ic Iain (The House of Norman son of Iain.)

Gearranan Blackhouse Village.

Northern Wheatear.

Common Stonechat.

Tree Pipit.

Dunlin.

Formation feeding.

Red-throated Diver. Loch Stiopabhan.Lewis.

Displaying Ruff.

First time I had witnessed this.

They come in many guises.

The lady is not impressed by white.

How about black?

Northern Gannet. Butt of Lewis.

Tender Fulmar moment.

Sanderling.

Ringed Plover.

Black-throated Divers. Stornaway.

Black-throated Divers. Stornaway.

Black-throated Divers. Stornaway.

Golden Eagle in dispute with Hoodies.

The Eagle won.

Black Rabbit on Lewis.

Great Northern Diver.

Calanish standng stones. Lewis.

Older than Stonehenge.

Song Thrush. Gearrannan.

Wren. Gearrannan.

Golden Plover. Uig

Red-throated Divers. Above Uig somewhere.

Deer leap.

Whimbrel. All the following are at Loch Stiapabhat. Lewis.

Whimbrell, Bh, Lesser and Great Blackbacked Gulls.

Redshank.

Kittiwake.

Common Snipe.

Eurasian Teal.

Red-throated Diver. Injured I think.

Red-throated Diver.

Common Snipe.

Ruff.

Ruff and Redshank.

Ruff.

Still displaying.

Family of Otters.

Greylag Geese.

Turnstones. Loch Shiaboist, Lewis.

Splendid beaches. Traigh losgaintir, (Luskentyre).

Little Tern. Borgh, Berneray.

Rock Dove. Berneray.

Swallow. Lochside Cottage. Hosta.

Tufted Drake. Lochside. Hosta.

Oystercatcher. Our neighbour at Lochside.

Corn Bunting.. Aird an Runair. Uist.

Corn Bunting. Aird an Runair. Uist.

Arctic Terns. Aird an Runair. Uist.

Dunlin. Aird an Runair. Uist.

Twite , Aird an Runair. Uist.

Corncrake. Balranald.

Short-eared Owl. Solas road. North Uist.

Short-eared Owl. Solas road. North Uist.

Short-eared Owl. Solas road. North Uist.

Common Snipe. In damp conditions waders love to sit on posts.

Eurasian Cuckoo. Near Strom.

Otter. Bagh a Chaise.

Otter. She settled down to groom as we watched.

This was the best Otter encounter we have had for some time.

She was aware of us watching but as fairly relaxed.

It was such a delight to get this close (10 yards?),

It was also accidental. I was out of the car looking for a cuckoo.







Final stare.


Glaucous Gull. Rubha Arnal.

Lapwing. Lochside.

Common Buzzard, Langass woodlands.

Another Ruff. This time a Foxy red one. Loch Mor.

Merlin. Cuinabunag. Benbecula.

Arctic Tern. Port Scalpaig.

Arctic Tern. Port Scalpaig.

Widgeon. Lochan with no name. Nr. Gearaidth.

Common Seal. Ruisgarry. Berneray.

Short-eared Owl hunting. St. Kilda viewpoint.

Red-necked Phalaropes. Note size of Redshank alongside.

Red-necked Phalarope. Female.

Red-necked Phalarope. Female.

Mating too.

I never guessed they mated while swimming.

Red-necked Phalarope. Female.

Red-necked Phalarope. male. Duller as he does the sitting..

Common Buzzard. Nr Glenmorvern cottage.

Scottish Wildcat. 95% pure. Near Drimnin.

All the field marks are there. Face stripes, black spine, no spots.

Otter. Mull. Good views spoiled by idiots chasng it.

Lodge Cottage. Drimnin. Our home.

Willow Warbler. Rahoy Hills. Black Glen.

Drimnin Harbour.

Robin. Black Glen car park.

Greater-spotted Woodpecker chick. Black Glen.

Common Sandpiper. Drimnin.

Long horn Beetle. Monochamus (Sawyer)

A lovely old bridge in Glen Roy.

Common Scoter. Loch Garry.

Dipper. Glen Garry.

A Pine Marten comes to tea. Glen Loy Lodge.

Pine Marten. They came nightly for their Peanut butter.

Common Tern. Sgeirean Shallachain.

Greenshank. Loch Sunart.

Oystercatcher chicks. Laudale.

Loch Sunart.

Birder's rest. Laudale.

Small Pearlbordered Fritillary. Laudale.

Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Loch Arianus.

Chequered Skipper. Loch Arianus.

Chequered Skipper. Loch Arianus.

Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. Loch Arianus. (female)

Mating pair - Golden-ringed Dragonfly. Loch Arianus.

Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. Male. Loch Arianus.

Beautiful Demoiselle Damselfly. Loch Arianus.

Last years male Pine Marten. Glen Loy Lodge.

Red Squirrel. Glen Loy Lodge. (Untroubled by Pine Martens).

Black-throated Divers. Loch Eilt.

Common Seals with Pup. Arisaig.

Galmisdale, Eig. with an Sgurr in the distance.

Waterfall. Eig.

Eider with ducklings. Kinloch, Rum.

Friendly Stag. Kinloch, Rum.

He gives Elizabeth a surprised stare.

Pine Marten kit. Glenloy Lodge.

Last years kit.

Last years Kit.

Mother to them all.

Male checking out the dead tree for peanuts.

Greater-spotted Woodpecker. Glen Loy Lodge.

Fragrant Orchid. Glen Loy.

Slow worms. Glen Loy.

Red-necked Footman. Glen Loy

Common Blue. Glen Loy.

Small Round-leaved Sundew. Eats Midges.

Small Pearlbordered Fritillary. Glen Loy.

Osprey and chick. Bunarkaig.

Eas chia Aig. Waterfalls.

Red Squirrel reclaims his peanuts. Glen Loy Lodge.

Spotted Flycatcher. Loch Morlich.

Spotted Flycatcher. Nestlings. Loch Morlich.

Cairngorm Summit. The weather station.

Snow Bunting. Actually on Cairngorm weather station.

Worth the climb to see these.

Male Snow Bunting in breeding plumage. Cairngorm.

Ptarmigan. Cairngorm.

Weary walkers return to base camp.

Roebuck. Strone.

Red Squirrel. Inchree.

Red Squirrel. Inchree.

Grey Heron. Ballachulish Quarry.

Oystercatcher chick. Cuil Bay.

Oystercatcher chick. Cuil Bay. Too cute.

Loch Linnhe with Castle Stalker mid ground and Morvern behind.

Early Spotted Orchid. Appin.

Ragged Robin. Appin.

Pied Wagtail. Jubilee Bridge. Appin.

Red-breasted Merganser family. Jubilee Bridge. Loch Laich.

She was coming down tide and ignored us.

Really good views of this normally shy bird.

Looking over the Sound of Shuna to Castle Stalker.

Loch Ken from our bedroom. Airds Farmhouse, Crossmichael.

Yellowhammer. Mersehead RSPB.

Greenfnch. Mersehead RSPB.

Reed Bunting. Mersehead.

Bullfinch. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Marsh Tit. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Bullfinch. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Nuthatch. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Black-tailed Godwit. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Black-tailed Godwits. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Little Egret. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Avocet. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Avocet and chicks. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Avocet and chicks. Leighton Moss RSPB.

Sheldduck. Leighton Moss RSPB.

The end.