Green With Envy! (1 Viewer)

I have just returned from a holiday with my family in the Highlands of Scotland. Unfortunatley, they are all non-birders, so my chances of getting out birding were slightly restricted.

However, we did spend an afternoon on the Isle of Skye, visiting Kylerhea. Knowing the birding opportunties for the area, I was relishing the chance of seeing a couple of the local specialities.

During our visit, I wandered off for a short while to see if I could spot any otters. I had no luck but on my return to the car, I realised that my run of bad luck for the day was far from over. My wife and mother in law proceeded to describe in great detail, two large birds that they had been observing flying overhead for the last ten minutes.

Being non-birders, they did not know what they had seen and weren't especially bothered. However, from their detailed descriptions, I knew exactly what they had seen and I was extremely bothered, as it would have been a much sort after tick for myself - white-tailed sea eagle!!!!!!!!!

Well, I waited and waited and waited but there were no further sightings. Despite this, I did see some great birds in Scotland but I will always be haunted by the fact that my wife and mother in law bagged a sea eagle leaving me coming home empty handed!

Hi Mark , wow , that must have been sooooo annoying , I'd have just about wanted to give up after that !! . I know the watchpoint at Kylerhea quite well , spent a great afternoon there watching a bitch otter with two young , wonderful sight ....ended up letting about a dozen people look through my scope to see them , no one else had anything powerful enough . Did you read the visitor book there , some of the sightings are enough to make you draw a serious breath , one observer had seen a verified Sunfish swim past , amazing what the gulf stream can bring you !!

Ashley.

Mark,

You'll definaitely have to make a decision to get back uo there in the future and bag them for yoiurself.

Back luck there. But that's birding I'm afraid!

Cheers,

Padraig.

Unlucky Mark, as Padraig says that's birding!

OUCH! Sickening. That's always the way though, relatives and friends will always see exactly the bird you want while you miss it. It happens in other walks of life too.

Hi Mark,

Never mind, When you do get to see one you will be alot more satisfied than if you had of seen it the first time. Saying that though, if that happened to me i wouldn't be at all chuffed.

Steven

Hi Mark

Console yourself that it was just an exagerrated Buzzard sighting or the Tourist Eagle as they call it on Mull (Buteo Gullibliss).

I know how you feel. I was off looking for birds around the lake last week while my husband and brother (both non-birders) were fishing. And guess who saw the Bald Eagle? They did. And not only did they spot it, it came down right next to the canoe and caught a fish!

I guess birding is like trying to find a love, they only show up when you aren't looking too hard.