Late June 2009 saw us enjoy some beautiful ,hot, sunny weather with temperatures even reaching 30c on a couple of occasions - unusually warm for this area! With over 20 hours of daylight available there is no shortage of time for wildlife watching, though the crepuscular (dawn & dusk) species require an early start & late finish!
Bird day-lists still topped 60 species, with mammal day-lists steady at 6-10 depending on our luck.
Wildlife highlights included:
Most of our local specialities (Dipper, Goldeneye, Red / Black - Throated Divers, Slavonian Grebe, Red Grouse, Crested Tit, Ring Ouzel, Osprey, Red Deer, Red Squirrel etc) continued to show well.
Fledglings! First sightings of young Slavonian Grebe, Ring Ouzel & Black-Throated Diver.
Regular sightings of families of Stoats hunting for Rabbits.
Continued regular views of Osprey fishing in local lochs.
Good views of large herds of Red Deer in upland glens - the stags & hinds still in separate groups, seemingly more interested in feeding than each other.
A short, but extremely enjoyable family trip to the isle of Mull - concentrating on the area I know best (the South-East corner) produced super views of all the target species - Sea Eagle (at nest & flying), Golden Eagle (hunting) & some of our best ever close-ups of Otter (see pic), along with good views of bonus birds such as Short-Eared Owl, Gannet, Black Guillemot & Snipe.
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