Eric & Lesley's Wildlife Blog - Wildscotphotos

Summer Warbler

3/7/2019

I spend a lot of time at my little hide. Why? Because I enjoy it. There are around seven regular birds I see almost every time. These are a challenge to see whether I can show them in a different light. Of course it is a pleasure to get a window into their lives whether it results in a picture or not. Then there are the more irregular visitor. For the past couple of months I have heard Blackcap frequently but he is only very rarely interested in the food. Sometimes one comes to bathe.
This time it neither drank, bathed or feed. It just appeared and allowed me to enjoy it. That's why I spend so much time; for these few moments.

Giving A Good Impression

25/6/2019

Come the summer months I spend less time with birds and, consequently, more with beasties. I enjoy a walk with a camera, looking down instead of up and ahead. If I find something I take a picture and then try to identify it. In past times this was tough but now it is a bit easier with so much (and better quality) reference material.
A couple of day ago I took this picture. At the time I wondered if it was a hoverfly rather than a bumble bee. It is. This is Volucella bombylans, a hoverfly that mimics a Bumble Bee. There are two versions of this species for two different hosts. The white tip on the abdomen indicates this one mimics the White-tailed Bumble Bee, Bombus lucorum. This gives it a degree of protection from predators since Bumble Bees sting. However this species of Hoverfly also begins life in a Bumble bee nest so the association is much tighter. Endlessly fascinating.

Furry Friend

27/5/2019

Some visitors to the hide are unsurprisingly seasonal. Examples are migrant birds which only appear in the warmer months in contrast to Long-tailed Tits which are generally confined to winter.
Rabbits, however only appear in the afternoon. Both last year and this year rabbits have occasionally been sighted from the hide. The one that is regular this year seems very young and so sweet.
Who would have thought that rabbits could become rare but they are declining due to diseases. As well as myxomatosis there are newer diseases that are affecting them. I am sure I would miss them if they disappeared from our countryside.

A Surprising Swimmer

22/4/2019

The tide is an important factor to be aware of as a wildlife photographer. I am lucky enough to have a hide on a tide line. However, so that it is never swept away it has to be placed for the highest tides. At most, these are once a month for two or three consecutive days. In March, there was one usable day but in April we had two days of the perfect height - enough to immerse the landscape in front of the hide but not too much or the birds will go past. Redshank, Curlew, Dunlin and Godwits all fed close by.
One view I sometimes get is of waders swimming. I have seen Knot swimming but most often it is the commoner Redshank crossing a flooded stream. They look comical, concentrating on getting to the other side quickly.

Spring Break

19/4/2019

To get away for a short break, somewhere reachable in the car we drove north past Aberdeen to Fraserburgh for a couple of days. Having booked it a month before, the weather would be a lottery. In fact it turned out to be the windiest, wettest weather of the Spring. This certainly hampered our efforts, however, in these circumstances you plough on. We visited Troup Head, Scotland's only mainland Gannetry. From a distance it looks like a seabird cliff which you would expect to be populated with Auks and Gulls. However, close up, a myriad of Gannets plastered the slopes.The Gannet's breeding cycle had begun and some were gathering moss for a nest lining. This Gannet, pictured, was quite calm, just preening and taking in the cold air. Chilled out you might say.

All's Well that Ends Well

26/3/2019

Every year I spend time in the winter following the local Dippers. This time it was different. Usually I see them every visit but it was not until the fifth visit that I was informed that there had been a pollution incident. Whilst I was devastated by the news, at least it explained why I wasn't seeing them. Usually they are displaying in January, giving a chance of a picture.
However, in late February a bird was first seen then it was obviously a pair. From a selfish point of view that was excellent since we now had nearly two months of extra light to record their activities. This bird, pictured, is displaying to its partner which is flying towards it. I felt privileged to witness the courtship.

Spring Time?

8/3/2019

Despite it only being early March the local weather has meant that many birds have responded to the fairly mild conditions and decided its time to think about breeding. Consequently, there's plenty of song from the residents. They are setting up and defending territories. So far, I have not seen any true migrants although others have seen Wheatear and Osprey There's plenty of time for their decision making to seem rash. Its too early for confidence.
This Long-tailed Tit has got in on the act and is gathering nesting material. Even with both birds working together, for this species it is a long process with very many visits to build the nest from small components.

February Skylarks

27/2/2019

Out to the coast in warm sunshine on a February day - who would have thought it! And to add to the feeling of Spring, we found singing Skylarks filling the sky with song then descending to feed on the grassy ground below (as this one pictured shows). Its easy to understand how the New Zealand colonists missed the song so much they introduced them to the new country. We only have to do without for a few months and we still miss that joyful sound.
There were also pairs of Stonechats in the dune grasses flying from perch to perch. Fulmars seemed to be picking their nesting ledges too. We found Oystercatchers on the beach, but also inland in fields already anticipating spring.

A Covert Sighting

11/2/2019

Its a no-brainer that birds have different strategies for survival. The Treecreeper has a pretty extreme strategy - it tries not to get noticed any time, any place. It does this by living in a woodland where it mimics a bit of branch. In going for the invisible option , even it's call cannot be heard by some older humans and is pretty faint at the best time. The rest of the time it imitates a bit of tree branch which is does expertly.
In winter they can be attracted to food - either something oily on a branch or even on the ground. With repeated visits they can be more accommodating and stay longer. Such was the case yesterday with this confiding individual.

Hare Today

26/1/2019

I don't really make New Years resolutions as regards wildlife photography - the target species are the same as the last ten years. I'm too embarrassed to state the species but a little progress has been made on all three. None are rare but all difficult in different ways.
Anyway, this year I have resolved to spend quite a bit of time on the local mammals. Brown Hare will hopefully feature and I expect that the best results will be in a couple of months time. I was therefore so pleased to be able to settle fairly close to this Hare and wait. After not too long it stirred and had a good stretch before cantering about and then settling down again. Result all round.