Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Great Northern Diver aka Common Loon

13/1/2022

A flexible approach is required to get a wide range of good pictures. I love my long telephoto but also love my macro lens for close up work. I love the detail in the environment, bringing out small effects and magnifying them to reveal something interesting.

On this occasion I was able to benefit from another's observations. This Great Northern Diver had the habit of working a shoreline an hour of two after high tide. Get in position and wait. Its too far from home to go regularly but on the day we chose the right time was quite late in the day, however a bit of light shone through the clouds.
Like many birds from the Americas it was not shy and allowed us to reposition between dives. A great end to that day, enjoying close views.

Tufty's Continental Cousin

26/12/2021

We rightly prize our Red Squirrel in Scotland. In fact the term iconic is often applied. The past is a bit darker though. Not so long ago they were widely persecuted as vermin. Foresters, in particular, despatched them as counter to their objectives of planting and maturing forests.
The numbers fell so low that they may have gone extinct. We don't know for sure since there was a re-introduction programme carried out. Likely the population went through a bit of a genetic bottleneck.
Our Squirrels are brownish in all months but support ear tufts from about November to March. Pictured is a Red Squirrel from Sweden in April. The tufts are much longer and his winter coat is much greyer, so much so that some would initially query whether it is in fact a Grey Squirrel. Not so.

Chips to Go

13/12/2021

Like many others I like to recycle. This often manifests itself in appropriating stuff that's being thrown out. I can sometimes repurpose it; for example most of the hides I have built use pallets as sides.
Recently I collected some wood panels from the back of a hotel. I think it may have been a wardrobe in a previous life. I am slowly turning it into a Tawny Owl nest box. I cannot quite manage to do it for nothing - I need screws and a latch to open/close the inspection hatch. One task is to provide a floor lining for the nest itself. Fairly large wood chips are recommended. I managed to source them in an unusual way. Our town has active beavers. Out on a walk I found a tree active with Beaver gnawing so I collected the chips in a bag ready for the nest box lining. I'm stupidly pleased with myself.

Glossy Ibis

23/11/2021

It's not often I go chasing a rare bird these days, however, since this one was not to far away I decided to try. I'd only seen one Glossy Ibis previously in Scotland so it was good to reacquaint myself with the bird locally. It loosely associated with geese and swans and was quite unconcerned by our presence so we were able to walk away and leave it exactly where we found it.
The Glossy Ibis is the most widespread Ibis in the world, having colonised every continent except Antarctica. It now breeds in Spain, the nearest to us. The first year juveniles are known to be wanderers and a few have been recorded travelling to the UK and Ireland where they winter.

Black or White

6/11/2021

Last week we travelled west to Argyll and Islay. Wild Goose central did not disappoint since we found all the geese and goose species having arrived for the colder months. I may post a picture from our visit next.
This picture was taken in a harbour on the way. Unlike other Guillemots, Black Guillemots change plumage from a silky black in the warmer months to this near white in winter. The feet and the gape remain quite red so there's no confusion with other birds.
You can see it is feeding although I cannot tell what kind of food it has. Crustacean, likely, but a piece of crab or something else. Possibly it is a discard from a fishing boat.

Unusual Squirrel Food

18/10/2021

I like pictures that generate a bit of research. This Red Squirrel came to my feeding station. It was the only one which paused at a broken-off stump. Often it would rub against the broken part. It was clearly enjoying it. I still don't know why but it appeared to be self-medicating.
Later, I noted that fungi had appeared in the log. That too was investigated. At first I thought that was all but in fact it was eating the fungi. But why only one Squirrel was interested? I don't know.
Apparently it is well known that Squirrels eat fungi although they usually just nibble. I have a tentative name for this species - Trametes pubescans. The fungus has now gone. I wonder if it will come back, and whether the Squirrel will eat it again.

Wrecked

17/9/2021

Traditionally our Auks (Guillemots, Razorbills and Puffins) disperse from their breeding grounds in late July and early August each year. Some stay fairly inshore but many travel into the North Sea to find food which is generally plentiful.
Not so this year. Many have been washed up and other "wrecked" to inland waterways and rivers. This is not at all usual Here is a Guillemot which was photographed recently in the upper Forth. It was one of many. Many others have been washed up dead on our coast. Preliminary analysis shows that that have not been diseased. Worrying times.

Perthshire Open Studios 2021

9/9/2021

This week is a bit different from usual. Instead of taking pictures we are marketing them through the local Perthshire Open Studios.
It is a particularly difficult time for all with Covid still a major concern for all. Still we are in Crieff at the Strathearn arts Centre with half a dozen other selling various crafts such as wood turning, glass making and fabrics. Visitors must wear masks and we have plenty of ventilation. That would have been challenging should we have run the event in, say, November.
We are just past halfway, finishing on Sept. 12th having sold quite a variety of our items - framed prints, Greetings Cards, Calendars and coasters. Here's hoping for more visitors.
See https://www.perthshireopenstudios.com/user/ericmc/

A Little More from Down South

13/8/2021

Continuing from last theme, another picture from "down South", this time a Little Owl.
Little Owl is, in many ways, a controversial species since it was originally introduced to Britain. I don't think anyone would like it eliminated but it makes it more difficult to pursue the general theme of eliminating alien species. It is however, also present in New Zealand where it may be eventually culled.
This is an adult bird, likely a female, since there were two Little Owlets close by but no other adult. It nested in a fruit farm so was quite used to the comings and going of human traffic and their vehicles. It was pretty chilled.
Since I am unlikely to see one close to my home this was a thrill just enjoying that stern gaze.

The Return of Ratty

31/7/2021

Travel is still fraught with stress at the moment but when I was invited to join a friend who lives in SE England I took up the offer of "getting away". I'm glad I did.
The insect fauna was quite different from what I usually see. For example the Hoverflies; I ended up ordering the Hoverflies of Britain to try to photograph then identify more of them. However, our main targets were a bird, Little Owl, and a mammal, Water Vole. The vole seems to making a bit of a comeback so we were delighted to be able to view at a private pond. Due to fluctuating water levels they were not as predictable as hoped (when is wildlife?). Through a fair bit of patience I was able to secure a selection of pictures of this, most charming, indigenous mammal.