some sea bird pictures from May Isle .

[F1F3R]

Chris Baker and I recently went too the May Isle ( 31/05 ) i was and still am totally under the weather.. but i still managed too get a few pictures.

here is a few i thought i would share,

1 puffin
2 guillemot ( with only one foot .. however looks healthy so all is good )
3 Lesser black backed gull ( i think )
4 fulmar.
5 Great skua ( first ever picture for me ... not very good but im happy as its better than missing it |:D| )

[delia todd]

Think you like that place Andy ;) Everyone seems to be going there this year, except me :C

Lovely photos - I haven't noticed a footless Guillemot before but have seen plenty of Puffins like that. Don't know how they manage but they seem to.

D

[The Barn Owl]

Nice pics... I particularly like the Puffin (for sheer comicality (if that's a word, which I somewhat doubt)) and the shot of the Fulmar, the background transforms the image into something beautiful

Sam

[F1F3R]

hi Delia ,

yes its a great place, im sure i will be back when im feeling better .

loads off artic and common terns there now , and it wont be long before puffins are carrying sandeels so that should be cool too see.

[F1F3R]

thanx Sam :t:

[chris baker]

Yeah, Great Report Andy!!

Nice Pix, the portrait of the LBBG is excellent. Cold still playing you up eh, well hope you get well soon.

CB

[F1F3R]

a slightly better report , ( now im feel a little better :t: )

Trip too May Isle .

Chris Baker and I both went a day trip too the May Isle ,
we met up at 9am at Anstruther car park,

on Chris's travel down from Pitlochry he spotted a Linnet on top off a Gorse bush and got a cracking picture off it. ( welldone )

anway it was off too a good start, and weather could not have been much better , loads off sunshine.
and perfect weather for taking pictures ... yay...

we set off from Anstruther on the May Princess, the 45 minute crossing too the Isle was a little lumpy due too some swell in the Firth of Forth, nothing too bad tho.

on the way over , we spotted ,

Puffin
shag
common tern
guillemot
lesser black backed gulls
fulmars
gannets
cormorant

as we approached the May Isle,
others we seen included

artic terns
great skua
razorbills
gannets
herring gull
kittiwake
oystercatchers

while on the Isle , we were greeted with a load off diving Artic terns which seemed too like our heads :-O lol. anyway we headed for some cliffs too get some pictures off razorbills,shags,kittiwake,guillemots
after getting ample amounts off pictures, we moved around too find a perfectly placed Puffin ( im sure Chris will have a great picture , my 400mm lens was a little on the short end , )

while we stopped too get pictures off the puffin , Fulmar ,lbb gulls, herring gulls were gliding around the cliffs which looked beautiful. so i happily stood and snapped some pictures.

anyway we continued on too try get some puffins in flight, on our route chris spotted the Lesser whitethroat which landed on a wall nearby, and i think he managed too snap a few pictures off it,before it flew off . ( which i think is a first for him so well done :t: ) .

so after the lesser whitethroat we headed up for the puffins, too make things better some Rock doves appeared.

so it was puffin time ..damm they are soo fast... i only managed a few pictures, but still great fun trying.
we headed around the Isle a little too try find a better location for puffins in flight too be welcomed by a female eider and her tiny little chicks walking down the walkway.

they seemed fearless ,it amazing too see.

time was getting on so we decided too get back nearer the boat, and try for more lesser whitethroat pictures... which was no were too be found.

so as Artic Terns were plentyful we stood and snapped away at them .. before heading back too boat.

when we returned too Anstruther, Chris wanted too make a good day off it as the weather was still great.
so we travelled along the coast, stopping briefly too see some Herons,

then onwards too Shellbay,
the bay was very quiet,not much birdlife at all, however what was there we spotted. :'D

so too add to our list :

yellowhammer
buzzard
chaffinch
reed bunting
meadow pipit
dunlin
ringed plover

by then i was exhausted with the cold and felt terrible so i had too leave. time was around 4pm.
and i had a great day.

Chris stayed at shellbay for a while then continued too Lower Largo beach for some pictures off sanderling .

overall a great day ..

and tonight im starting too feel slighlty better hoorahhhhhh :-)

so im just looking forward too next wee trip.

[pie]

Hi Andy
Fantastic! What an amazing report.

[Steve G]

Many excellent images Andy, well done.

Glad you saw the Bonxies. It is only over the last few years that Great Skuas have been seen with this frequency off the May. It seems that there are just 3 or 4 birds involved but I can't help thinking they might possibly attempt to breed -if they do they may well be among the most southerly breeding Great Skuas in the world.

[Kits]

Good pics, and I enjoyed reading your report. Sounds like you had a good day, even if you weren't feeling 100%.

We have a footless crow and a footless pigeon who visit our garden. They, too, seem healthy and perfectly able to manage.

[Birdspotter]

Many excellent images Andy, well done.

Glad you saw the Bonxies. It is only over the last few years that Great Skuas have been seen with this frequency off the May. It seems that there are just 3 or 4 birds involved but I can't help thinking they might possibly attempt to breed -if they do they may well be among the most southerly breeding Great Skuas in the world.

Had three over the island displaying during my stay their this May, there was a few chuckles about the prospect of breeding Bonxies reaping havoc on the breeding seabirds.
Saw one ripping a Lesser Black backed Gull to shreds one evening.

[lark o'dell]

good reports a good pics i have seen hardly any see birds but that could be because i stay inland