@pelagicbirder
Former Marine Ecologist, birder, bird surveyor, amateur naturalist and taker of opportunistic snapshots. Hobbyist drummer. Trying to learn Spanish. No politics, No religion. #Seabirds #Highlandbirds #Birdingscotland #ASD
Amazing
Wonderful!
Egyptian goose with Pinkfooted Geese.
Marsh Harrier hunting in breezy conditions.
Distant grubby photo of my first Egyptian goose in Scotland. Bonus Marsh Harrier in baltic, breezy conditions and a superb adult drake Smew made for a good birding day. #BirdingScotland
In the gloaming but still a lovely bird on the patch. #Highlandbirds #Ullapool
I don't know tbh, but I think the North American version is sedentary and only found in the N & NW of the North American continent.
Context is everything in birding- I barely broke my stride observing 4 White-tailed Eagles today- then frantically grabbed my camera for this Magpie- still a very scarce bird in the NW Highlands and a real treat to see one! #Highlandbirds
Low light, distant photo that doesn't do the Gairloch Bonaparte's gull justice. (My first in the Highland recording area). Scope views were fine, with a bonus Iceland gull in the melee. With @skyebirdsbob.bsky.social #Highlandbirds
Patch Snow bunting flock now at 6 birds. #Ullapool #Highlandbirds
1st winter Snow bunting feeding on the tideline of Loch Broom.
A charming Snow bunting on the patch today. #Ullapool #Highlandbirds
Goldeneye in the snow, Ullapool river. #Highlandbirds
4th consecutive day of birding the frozen patch - few birds as expected with only a year total of 45 Spp. including Great northern diver, drake Goosander and a Black guillemot- pleasant enough for yomping about in the snow between blizzards though 🥶. #Ullapool #Lochbroom #Highlandbirds
Nice scope views of a Ross's goose this morning amongst the Pinkies and a few Barnies. #Highlandbirds
Birding time well spent in the sun ☀️ 😊👍
Drake Mandarin
Cold n dry- so perfect for a long walk. Fly past, year tick Kingfisher my bird of the day, plus a festive, assumed plastic, Mandarin🍊 #Highlandbirds #Garve
Pintail, Shelduck and Teal in Tain bay.
High tide roost consisting of Dunlin (mostly) and a few Purple Sandpipers and Ringed Plover.
East coast birding in beautiful light. Couldn't locate the Black Scoter amongst the Common scoter flock but enjoyed lovely scope views of King Eider, two Surf Scoters, 4 Velvet Scoters, Scaup, Slav grebes, Long-tailed ducks and a bonus Great white Egret at Loch Eye. #Dornoch #Embo #Highlandbirds
Humpback whale lunge feeding under Kittiwakes
Minke whale lunge feeding - probably on Sprats or juvenile Herring
Out in a wee boat trying to collect whale DNA- no success but great to see the Kittiwakes and Herring gulls getting photobombed by a Humpback and a Minke! 😄 #Ullapool #Highlandbirds #CetaceansUK
Lovely conditions for checking high tide gull roosts but no sign of the adult Med gull. Had to console myself with lovely views of the Humpback whale instead 😁 #Ullapool #Highlandbirds #CetaceansUK
Braved the gale for distant, low light views of the Humpback whale showing off the village. Also views of what could be a female/ immature LF Pilot whale? - A rather bulky cetacean swimming ahead of the Common Dolphins. #CetaceansUK #LochBroom #Ullapool
Barnacle geese at Mungasdale, NW Scottish Highlands.
Mixed flock of Herring, Common and Black-headed gulls in a feeding frenzy.
Part of the flock of 196 Barnacle geese on the coast near Gruinard Island and a twilight feeding frenzy of gulls on Loch Broom. #Mungasdale #LochBroom #Highlandbirds
The local Med gull remains wary, always distant and uncooperative with regard to photo opportunities, but it's a lovely bird and very welcome up here. #Gulls #Ardmair #Highlandbirds
I religiously check my
Gull flocks but usually it is just an occasional adult winter bird that shows up - but distant juvs possibly overlooked
Lovely bird- there has been a similarly plumaged bird at Ardmair just north of Ullapool for the past 3 days or so- but always a distant scope job. Last record here (as far as I know) was in February) #Highlandbirds
Nice write up !
Chiffchaff
'Winter' warblers on the patch are very few and far between so even a Chiffchaff is welcome. #Highlandbirds #Ullapool
Male Capercaillie.
Ptarmigan.
Birding in the Cairgorm National Park - Common Crossbills, Crested tits, distant Ptarmigan - and a not so distant Capercaillie! #Highlandbirds
Purple Sandpipers (plus Turnstone)
Brora
Embo
East coast birding with @almcnee52.bsky.social @skyebirdsbob.bsky.social & @deanmacaskill.bsky.social
7 little Gulls, Velvet Scoter & showy Purps. at Brora, 2 late Arctic Skuas at Embo, GW teal and four Slavs at Tain the best, plus LTD, GND and RTD's - all in gorgeous weather. #Highlandbirds
Daily graft on my local patches for a couple of chiffchaffs and a couple of Blackcaps. A chance to enjoy the local birds. #Highlandbirds #Ullapool #Ardmair
It came good after all 😎😊
Not sure but these little beauties could be Sulphur Tufts? #Fungifriends
White tailed Eagle over Loch Broom. NW Scottish Highlands.
Snow on the high ground- a return to winter birding. #Ullapool #Highlandbirds