16/17th May 2013, the last couple of days on North Uist

The weather was kind on Thursday, beautiful warm sunshine blessed us for the day. Concentrating on the area near the cottage had given us a little local knowledge as to what we could see and more importantly where to find things.

A small lochan yielded a pair of tufted ducks..

and whooper swans..

Hougharry Bay was a splendid spot for a short walk..

With views to distant islands..

Turnstones were numereous here..

Turning to return to the car we discovered a twite...

By the waters edge a male eider basked in the warm sunshine...

and a buzzard visited close overhead..

By driving slowly and using the passing places provided to let following traffic past we were able to watch for wildlife during our short journeys around the top of North Uist.

We stopped the car to watch and photograph beautiful golden plover..

Grenitote was one of our neighbouring villages, a wonderfully peaceful place and another short wander beckoned...

I could attempt to name all the birds in this shot, but I will leave that to the viewers!!

Rather easier is naming these bar tailed godwits..

and knot..

Another short drive to Balranald and once again the car was halted to capture this lovely stonechat by the roadside..

Very few birds stand out as a profile at long distance, golden eagles are distinct by their immense size....

How did we know it was an eagle? We saw it fly in!

Another stationary bird and another prize for driving slowly, a beautiful short eared owl..

We had been hoping for good otter sightings, unfortunately wildlife does not appear just when you want and some persistence/patience and a large slice of luck are required!

Visiting a recommended spot our efforts were extremely well rewarded as we watched an otter feasting on an eel..

A small tortoiseshell butterfly was another lovely addition to the photographs..

A memorable day indeed and all too soon Friday arrived, our last full day and once again we stayed in our local area....a good plan as it turned out.

Another glorious sunny day..

Golden plover were in evidence again..

and the elegant lapwing..

Our day began with a drive to Loch Euphort, we spotted red deer along the way..

We enjoyed a lovely short stroll by the loch..

This old ruined building caught the eye with some spectaculay fluffy clouds to add interest..

Another buzzard shot..

and a kestrel too..

We had decided on a lengthy watch where we had seen the otter the day before, it was not too long a wait before we had a double reward as two otters  hunted and romped not too far away..

What a fantastic experience and one we shall never forget.

A moss carder bee, a local species, posed nicely for me..

...along with a tiny fly!

Finally I managed another golden eagle shot, distant but its size was a clear indication what it was..

What a week we had experienced and now some cleaning and packing was necessary, a 5.00am alarm for a ferry from Lochmaddy to Uig on Skye, a drive down the isle and onto the mainland then a scenic drive to Kenmore by Loch Torridon, I wonder what the second week of our holiday would bring?

Thanks ever so much to all who view, a computer breakdown stopped me keeping up to date while we were away. Don't forget if you are leaving a comment that they come to me first for approval before appearing on the blog.

14th/15th May North Uist owls & coastal walks

They say places burn into your soul when you find a location that suits you, North Uist has burned deep into me already! The field at the side of our cottage yielded a lovely lapwing shot...

Whooper swans on a nearby lochan were well worthwhile spending a few minutes...

A female wheatear drew the eye...

The sight of a short eared owl hunting is entrancing, the last shot shows just how flat their face is...

We were heading for Stinky Bay on Benbecula, seaweed is harvested and left in smelly piles, as it degenerates it becomes useable for lots of things. For us it was simply stinky!

Soon a turnstone posed nicely:-))

Stinky Bay offers fantastic views too...

Arctic terns were on the lookout for sand eels....

Checking the sea I found a great northern diver, the largest bird of its kind that we see, the bill is very dagger like!

A lengthy perusal revealed little else and we set off home northwards, an alert from Mrs Wildlife for a heron..a favourite of mine...

Probably not the these red deer:-))

We where now on route to a location advised from 300 miles away, near home. A snowy owl had been spotted on the isle, evidently it visits often but is easily disturbed.

On the ferry we had met up with, and befriended, a group on a nature tour, our first location for the owl and they were there, scopes out and a no owl show. Research had told me, confirmed the day before by a local, that another nearby spot could be likely.

Wow, a stunning bird and the group turned up a little later and were extremely grateful for the shared knowledge. Isn't that how it should be amongst like minded and responsible people?

Sat in our comfy cottage the sky drew attention, much to my lazy discomfort..

Wednesday, otter watching with the RSPB team.......

On the way we spot red deer..

And a redshank...

The loch looked fine as we searched fruitlessly for otters, hey ho another day:-))

As we searched through the scopes and binocs we had decent views of golden and white tailed eagles, fine compensation!


We set off for a walk round our local coast, a lovely snipe appeared briefly...

A fierce wind meant pix were few but....

A pied wagtail..

A head on ringed plover as we battled through the fierce coastal wind..

The scenery up around Hougharry Bay is rather good:-))

And I get an oystercatcher auditioning for the Ministry of Silly Walks!

And finally a wheatear in the fields, super little bird.....super couple of days:-)))