Great Northern Diver and Red Grouse

Return to Burghead  and Lochindorb

Day three - clear skies at last and even the wind strength had dropped a notch on the Beaufort Scale. I decided to give the Great Northern Diver at Burghead another go and of course the ducks would entertain me yet again. I parked on the quay at around 0800 and had the place to myself, in fact I never saw another birder in the time I was there, so much for the "Packham effect"

Immediately I located the diver, a juvenile bird, confidently swimming around amongst the ducks. I was a tad early as the low angled sun still had a considerable orange tinge to it. However, it was a carefree day, I hadn't got to make any deadlines so I could wait for better light. The battle between the Eiders and larger gulls was on-going, the possession of every crab hotly contested.

Other birds had moved in, a Shag was fishing next to the metal piling of the outer arm of the harbour, Red-breasted Mergansers ghosted in and out and I was serenaded by a Rock Pipit that landed on one of the trawlers close by.

This time, with better conditions, I stood on the quay using the 500mm lens on the tripod and the 400mm hand held to try for any flight shots that came my way.

First the GND

Not forgetting the usual residents.

With the memory cards containing more duck shots than I could ever process I took my leave of Burghead in a happy mood. I decided to search Forres for the reported Waxwings but I have a suspicion that they had moved on some time before I arrived.

Just before Grantown-on-Spey I turned onto the Lochindorb road in search of Red Grouse at close range. With the wind strength much abated the birds were happy to come out and pose

Finally a visit to the Heather Centre where they have feeders for the local Red Squirrels, only one chap in residence but at least a couple of photos.