Highlands and Islands of Scotland
21st-26th May 2009
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Drawn north by the sad (though very moving and celebratory) occasion of Duncan Stewart's memorial service in Oban, we added on a few days on Mull and in the Highlands, as we think Duncan would have suggested! While the weather thwarted us in our attempt to see Chequered Skipper (next time....) and we just couldn't find a Golden Eagle, we saw a remarkable cross-section of Scotland's special species in just a few days.
The highlights were undoubtedly Otters in the sealochs of Mull, an ultra-tame Pine Marten at a B&B booked for just that purpose (!), White-tailed Eagle at the nest, calling Corncrakes (invisibly) on the Tresnish Isles, plus hundreds of Puffins and other seabirds, numerous Ospreys, Black Grouse, Capercaillie, Scottish Crossbill, Slavonian Grebe, Red-throated and (vocal) Great Northern Divers, Hen Harrier, Short-eared Owl, Dipper, Twite and all the "regular" species too.
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Otter - fantastic views of two of
them catching crabs on a Mull beach |
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Besuited Simon on Oban seafront
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Julia by a scenic waterfall
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Red-throated Diver
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Buzzard
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Greylag Goose
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Wheatear
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White-tailed Eagle at the nest
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Red Deer
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Hen Harrier
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Fingal's Cave, Staffa
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A drenched Julia on Staffa
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A drenched Simon with Puffins on Lunga
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Puffin in flight
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Puffin nearly in flight
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Puffin not in flight
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Fulmar
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Randy Razorbills
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Calm Razorbill
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Black Guillemot (or Tystie)
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Twite (or Twytie)
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Pine Marten - at Glenloy Lodge, near Fort William
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Slavonian Grebe - at a well-known site
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Sand Martins
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Abernethy Forest
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Hielan Coos
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Scottish (Parrot?) Crossbill
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Black Grouse near Fort William - thanks Jon!
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Whinchat
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Adult and juvenile Dippers
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