Brian Scott - May 2nd

I was up and parked, walking along the shore by 08:20 this morning, first sighting was a Hooded Crow foraging on the shore but the shots I got were terrible so, we'll ignore those. I could see some birds roosting over on the shoreline by the fort car park so I wandered up onto the top of the ramp for a look and get a couple of safety shots (in case they flew off).

The roost

Looked like Godwits, Knot, (Red Knot?), Sandwich Terns and Oystercatchers dozing or preening further along the shore.

P.S. I'm more than happy if anyone wants to jump in and correct or add to my observations :) I'm no expert by any means.

So I headed down the ramp and towards that shore area, using a handy shrub to hide my approach :) see if I could get any better shots and IDs.

Dozing Godwit

Dozing Godwit, Knot & Oystercatcher

Waking up

Of course, I moved, blinked or something similar and they were off! Heading on towards the point, this Common Gull caught my eye.

As ever the gull was off as soon as I moved but I did spot a couple of Sandwich Terns on the shoreline, one with a catch still in its mouth, Sand eel?

Sandwich Tern & catch

There were a couple of male Eider up on the shore for a preen but I didn't get any decent shots of them :( That's the downside to the super zoom cameras, you need good light and lots of time, they're not the fastest camera ever but great for long shots for ID purposes.

There was a pair of Common Gulls on the roof of the outbuilding as I passed, looked like they were having a good natter, didn't budge as I wandered by.

Chatting gulls

A little lump on seaweed up ahead caught my eye and I started taking shots before trying to walk closer.

A male Linnet was perched on a pile of weed but as I got closer I noticed he was fluffed up and eyes closing, possibly not a well bird sadly.

Hooded Crow on the lookout

I finally made it onto the beach at the point just after 09:00, I take my time and enjoy the stroll.

Rock Pipit on the run

Rock Pipit

You probably walk past Rock Pipits all the time without noticing, they blend in really well.

Once out there, I can stand around for hours, sometimes seeing very little but it's so peaceful and calming out there anyway, who cares what I see? Not many people go out there and that suits me fine.

Passing Gannet

Passing Gannet closeup

When there's good light, it can be amazing, good action, lots of birds and wildlife, I see Seals most times I'm out there and the Dolphins of course from time to time.

I often film short videos on my phone and share with the family, the sound of the sea being the backdrop.

There was a mist hanging over the Black Isle this morning, slowly moving away and the sun was at my back.

I had read a post by David saying there was an Arctic Skua in the bay so I had my eyes peeled, sort of. I started filming one of my wee videos, basically taking in the shot above, when two black dots appeared on my phone screen. The video then shows my lap as I dropped the phone and grabbed my camera :)

Arctic Skua passing by

Two Arctic Skua drifted by me as I stood getting as many shots as I could, couldn't get both in the same shot but, I think I did manage to get shots of each bird.

Arctic Skua

I was really chuffed to have seen these birds so close up AND to have managed to grab a few decent shots.

Second Arctic Skua passing

My panning skills leave a lot to be desired but, modern cameras really help with Animal or People tracking built in so they improve the focussing, all I have to do is try to keep the bird in the frame :)

Red-breasted Merganser female

Flying by ...... fast!

So, since the fly-past of the two Skuas, I've been scanning the sky looking for them, taking loads of shots of 'gulls attempting to locate them again.

Now, I've said it before, there is no such thing as a seagull bird, it's a type of bird so these are all .......... young Herring Gull? ID'ing them is a bit of a minefield so once again, feel free to correct me :)

Aha! There they are! Spotted nearer Chanonry Point than my location but in action with the Sandwich Terns again.

Both these birds can really fly and the Skua is quite a bit bigger than the Tern.

Then I noticed .....

I was actually glad they weren't closer, it made it a tiny bit easier to try and track their flight, as erratic as it was.

Two on one

Pressure mounting

Success

I couldn't see anything in the Terns mouth but, in that last shot it looks like the lower Skua has a sand eel!

Then I lost them again, back to scanning the sky and random 'gull shots.

I started working my way along the beach towards the back shore, grabbed a shot of a Swallow as it passed overhead, not the best shot in the world but possibly the only time I've managed to catch one in flight!