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ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

The Highlands and Islands Thread (1 Viewer)

Off to Loch Fleet up Golspie way on Thursday. Train from Inverness nice bright and early so should be a nice treat. Wife thinks I'm losing my marbles bless her. 'so you are spending a whole day watching the sea because you might see something interesting. Ok.'

Never mind, given up trying to describe how addicting it is lol.
 
Had an amazing trip to Goldspie and Loch Fleet. Highlights were Pink footed goose and Black Stork.

lochfleetblackstork.jpg

lochfleet pinkfootedgoose.jpg

Hope they show up
 
That is a good trip you had :eek!: I'd love to have the black stork/ to bad it is to far away for me.
Cheers

I was trying to get closer, but hundreds, and I do mean hundreds, of curlews we're acting as an early warning alarm. Sadly this meant being across the far side.
 
Was the Black Stork reported anywhere? (Nice spot by the way :) Not seen anything about it on birdguides etc. Has it been in the area a while?
 
I truely have no idea because I just went for the day on a whim and with no specific knowledge of what to expect. It was on the far shore line opposite side of the loch to the bird hide on the nature reserve.
 
If you were stood on the reserve with your back to the hide, you would see woodland in front of you on the opposite side of the loch. Behind the wood is the road running to Littleferry.

where i was.JPG
 
Ske, Harris & Lewis

Hi All,

I'm heading over to Harris & Lewis next week (with stopovers there & back on Skye) and wondered if anyone can tell me any particular websites to keep an eye on for good sightings (apart from this one obviously and Birdguides). I was there last year so kinda know the places to go to see particular things but, again, if anyone knows of anything out of the ordinary that's likely to be around then please let me know.

Managed to get all of my "wish-list" last year and I'm just hoping for good views of the same this year - divers, phalaropes etc. Someone tell me if I'm off my heid for tentatively adding spotted crake to my wishlist this year! (Or if not I'd be grateful for any pointers)

Thanks in advance,

Gavin
 
Speyside and Wester Ross / Ben Eighe a year ago

Given what the weather is like I am glad I had a July holiday in the Highlands last year rather than this one.

7 July 2011 osprey and crested tit at Loch Garten with northern damselfly ticked close by on the way there.

A good area for northern emerald dragonfly and ticked that too at a Lochan off a back road in that area.

Ninety miles from there the next day, 8 July at Bridge of Grudie by Loch Maree, a few common hawkers seen, and before it clouded over, one azure hawker.

White-tailed eagle on the west coast of Wester Ross on 9 July 2011.
 
You have been listening to too many weather forecasts.

in this part of the Highlands the weather has been fantastic since the beginning of May.
 
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I'd like to mull something over if I may, and the topic being Red Kites and their dramatic reduction here up in Inverness-shire.

I've lived in Inverness 4 years now, and can honestly say that this year has been devoid of sightings by either myself or the wife. I am out and about alot on foot, and the drop is stark enough to make me wonder if anyone else has noticed a rapid decline or, maybe it is just a weather related situation. Thanks for your thoughts.
 
I'd like to mull something over if I may, and the topic being Red Kites and their dramatic reduction here up in Inverness-shire.

I've lived in Inverness 4 years now, and can honestly say that this year has been devoid of sightings by either myself or the wife. I am out and about alot on foot, and the drop is stark enough to make me wonder if anyone else has noticed a rapid decline or, maybe it is just a weather related situation. Thanks for your thoughts.

I don't think there has been any remarkable drop in their numbers, I guess the raptor study group should have data on this year's nest counts. I've been seeing them often when up on the Black Isle, though I must say I've noticed them more than ever this year away from the area, in places such as Strathdearn. I think lack of sightings may well be weather related, could also be pushing them to hunt further afield perhaps?
 
I agree to a point JP about the weather, but this year for instance we have seen no adults with their juveniles in tow as we did in 2011 and spectacularly in 2010 at the same time frame.

Not even singles floating by up over Culloden Woods. Maybe its just luck of the draw and ive just had to make do with Buzzards, Peregrines and Sparrow Hawks galore instead.
 

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