Holiday in Scotland Day 2: Diver Search!

 

After yesterday's long drive, we wanted to stay local to our base and with a White-billed Diver being reported from Burghead Bay it was a no brainer to start there. We parked at the  Roseisle Carpark, wandered down through the trees to what it has to be said was a fantastic beach, a few of Margie's pictures below to set the scene. ( Through these Holiday Blog posts it's safe to assume any landscape pics will be Margies unless otherwise stated. likewise all bird pics will be mine unless otherwise stated)!

First view of the beach

Stretching away

Sky and Sand

All to ourselves

Nice light

Back to the woods

Looking towards Burghead

As you can see it's a rather beautiful place!! The sea was mirror flat and I scanned somewhat anxiously with the scope, there were a few divers distantly on the water mainly Red-throated though picked out a couple of Great Northern as well. No sign of the target bird. There was also a small party of Common Scoter and a lot of gulls!

Common Scoter

Herring Gull

Distant Red-throated Diver

Also Distant, Common Scoter

Margie making some adjustments!

As we wandered along the beach, I picked out a black dot further along, got it in the scope, looked promising, it turned it's head!! Glowing white bill whoop!!

First view, White-billed Diver

We hurried along the beach, closer to the bird, though it was still quite distant, I managed a few more pics! The light was quite awkward!!

Just Chilling

Letting off steam

Bit of Yoga

The main ID feature!!

A few other bits and pieces just off the beach!

A trio of Red-throated Divers

Distant 2nd CY Common Gull (I think)

Last years Gull

Red-breasted Merganser getting hassle from Gulls, they waited for him to surface then tried to steal his catch!! Nasty!!

Red-breasted Merganser

Meanwhile Margie was wandering taking pics of stuff that caught her eye

Ragworm perhaps?

Yacht on the Sea

Action shot!!

Several Pillboxes and lots of Tank defences along the beach

Distant rain, thankfully didn't come near!

We headed into Burghead and parked up looking over the Moray Firth, bit of wind here so I decided to do a bit of a Seawatch, lots of Auks moving, those close enough to ID seemed to be Guillemots but there were also a few Razorbills. A big flock of Knot and a few Turnstones were on the rocks, several Gannets knocking about and the occasional Diver went past. A few groups of Common Scoter and probably the best quality moment 2 Velvet Scoters went past in the company of a couple of Commons! A nice Male Eider went through as well! Several Sandwich Terns, a couple of kittiwakes and some Fulmars also went through!

Guillemots

Cormorants and the first Shag of the Holiday, Hurrah!!

Gannet

Female Common Scoter

Male Eider

Flock of Knot, swirled about after being disturbed by a Gull

Great Black-backed Gull

Turnstones

Sandwich Tern

Kittiwake

Rock Pipit, there were also several Swallows, Housemartins and Sandmartins swooping around us

Gannet and Common Scoter chilling together

Gannets

Two Velvet Scoters (white on the wings) with a pair of Common Scoters

Red-throated Diver in classic head down pose

Gannets

Pair of Common Scoter

RT Diver

Another couple of Eiders

Razorbill

Never gonna get great pics on a Seawatch but you can tell what they are!!! We wandered around, the museum type place then down to the harbour. Some of Margie's pics below

The harbour, we walked to the end

Wasn't much birdwise here, though a very cooperative Guillemot at the end of the harbour arm was handy!! 

Guillemot, some sun would have been nice, but it showed very well!!

So with the day still young we decided to head to Loch Garten, it was a fair bit further than I thought!!! We got there in the end. Crossbills and Siskins in the carpark, the view of an Osprey's head from the center, then two very showy Red Squirrels, sadly no sign of any Crested Tits, but the holiday is young!!

Siskin

Crossbill, looks a bit chunky, we're in Scotland can I string it into a Scottish?

Less chunky Crossbill

Siskin, not a fan of feeder shots but they weren't playing ball in the trees and I thought you'd like to see what they look like!

Loch Garten

Red Squirrel on Skull!!!!

They are very cute!!!! Although they were tucking into the skull with gusto!!

Our final stop of the day was Lochindorb! Well it was on the way back to base!!! 

Deer

Common Gull, found a large colony on the moors

Pied Wagtail

Common Sandpiper, lots of these about, clues in the name!!

Displaying Curlew

Redshank

Mistle Thrush

Red Grouse!

A good selection of birds around the Loch but still no Black-throated Divers 😢!! 

A pretty good start to proceedings, the Red Squirrels probably the highlight, though I do like a rare Diver myself!!😀

Bird of the Day, White-billed Diver!!