Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Midwinter

11/1/2021

Following on from last post I am trying to take advantage of fleeting opportunities for pictures with a wintry feel. At the start of the year we had lots of frosty nights, however, the frost usually disappeared before I dared venture out on the icy roads. Very frustrating since the cold bring lots of visitors to the tasty treats.
Then, belatedly we had a little snow (now gone). This was my opportunity. Red Squirrels are constant companions at my feeding site, nevertheless, it was heartening to grab a picture in snow. Usually they deploy a smash-and-grab technique, never pausing for a picture, but with persistence, I managed to get a pleasing view in glorious winter light.

Favourite Season?

27/12/2020

What's your favourite season?
Autumn is a good time. However, for a wildlife photographer, it all happens on the coast (slight exaggeration). If you are a landscape photographer then its the best for the changing colour.
Summer has never been the favourite due to the fact that, in our part of the world, it is likely to be downpours rather than sultry. It is also the insect-rich time good for getting subjects but also getting bitten. Best time for mammal watching.
Spring is probably my favourite because there's a lot happening with new arrivals (migration or emergence). The days are not too long and there always interesting behaviours to observe.
Winter, however is the most photogenic; it is the easiest to take a picture that places itself in a season. That said, climate change is making that more difficult.

Berry Time

11/12/2020

We are moving into winter now and the wintering migrants have arrived. The Woodcock moon has come and gone last weekend. Bad weather in continental Europe could result in an influx of birds but basically that's it for now.
There's a run of mild and fairly damp weather - good for most birds although not for Barn or Short-eared Owls that rely on dry feathers and being able to hear prey but otherwise the mildness will help them survive.
One feature of the local conditions is the lack of berries on trees. I do not think that this is nationwide but there's a shortage in town. Fortunately I collected some form last's year's bumper crop. These have been appreciated by our local Blackbirds as you can see.

More on Migration

29/11/2020

Pink-footed Geese arrive on our shores in tens of thousand during September/October. At that time the Scottish population is perhaps more than half of the world population. They are easily identified by the pink legs and the bill which is only pink at the tip. As we move into winter many will go further south into England and Ireland. Due to hunting pressure they are shy birds, not easy to approach. This individual was resting amongst kelp on a beach. A dog walker flushed the bird which then walked to the sandy edge of the beach before flying thus affording me an opportunity for the picture.

Travellers

12/11/2020

Autumn is a time of migration, especially in relation to birds. Many have left to warmer shores. Of course it's usually not the case that they can't stand the cold but that the changing seasons have taken away their food source. In most cases that means insects that were used to feed adult birds and raise the young.
The other side of the coin is that we are in receipt of new birds - we principally think of wildfowl and Thrushes. They have different diets that are still available.
Another group that join us comprises wading birds that arrive from the Arctic. Birds such as Knot, Purple Sandpiper and Sanderling (pictured). As winter progress they turn whiter to blend in with our winter landscapes. Some Sanderling winter much further south, indeed we have seen them at the Equator on our first Galapagos adventure.

Ardnamurchan (more)

25/10/2020

Although we travelled to Ardnamurchan to see and photograph the wildlife we could not help noticing the Autumn colours. As we discovered during our visit, this is a rainy part of Scotland. However, if you brave the rain you get sunny spells. During these sunny spells there is a colour intensity due to the rain removing particles of dust and also cleaning up, and adding shine to, surfaces.
Basically its a great place for landscape photography or to show the ever-changing colours of nature. Here is a patch of ferns which shows the autumnal colour changes at different stages. There is always something to see and enjoy if you look closely.

Close Encounters of the Brock Kind

15/10/2020

Last week we got away for a week in the west of Scotland, in Ardnamurchan. Ardnamurchan is a place we had visited before but some decades ago! The use of single track roads has changed little, in fact it did seem quite familiar. At this time of the year it is a beautiful place enhanced by mountains which rise close to sea level - and close to the observer.
Like other before, we hoped to get pictures of Pine Marten, which we did, although not as great as I hoped due to naff backdrops and then them not coming at all in the second half of the week.
Compensation was provided by close encounters of the badger kind on our personal wildlife channel.

A Prickly Customer

24/9/2020

Because we live inland all our breeding migrants are gone. The winter arrivals are just beginning but there are other subtle changes afoot.
There are a small number of species that are more often seen dead than alive. Badger is one, Hedgehog is another. Mostly Hedgehogs are nocturnal but before and after hibernation they can certainly be active during the day. This one, in two separate days, came trundling in from the scrub to forage in front of my little hide. As far as I could tell it seemed pretty fat but, for a Hedgehog, I guess it's never too much when your life depends on plenty of reserves.

Patch Bird

11/9/2020

Birders talk about having a patch where they visit frequently throughout the seasons. Over time, they get to know it intimately and are aware of how and when to look for something unusual.
My "patch" is where I feed birds. I also provide water which hugely adds to the attractiveness to wildlife although that is largely dependent on the amount of recent rain.
By dint of spending so much time I find more unusual birds. Earlier in the year I had a Crossbill. Two weeks ago I heard a Nuthatch in the area but it wasn't until a couple of days ago that it decided to present itself in front of the camera. (Nuthatch is becoming more often seen but is still uncommon) It was raiding the seed feeder to find the Sunflowers and then taking them away for later storage. I fear that it may have moved on since I no longer hear it but, nevertheless it was a treat.

Stoat(al) Suprise

21/8/2020

The coast is where it's at just now. I had a productive session yesterday with waders in my tidal hide. Large numbers of Curlew (heartening) and Redshank. The number are building; some will be young birds and some failed breeders. The number will swell further soon with migrants and breeders.
However at the woodland hide its been very quiet, so much so that I was going to stop feeding for a while. However, the most recent visit was entertaining. Not too much had happened when I heard the Blackbird alarming. Then the Robin began to tick. I waited quietly, watching the other birds. After about 5 minutes the small birds seemed to be going back to feeding normally. I was on the point of leaving when this Stoat appeared and raced up the tree.
It then ran about excitedly so I tried to follow with the lens. It couldn't see me but it could see the lens moving hence the opportunity to see it rise up. A lot of fun.