Lek on the Moors - Black Grouse

Travelling back from Kirby Stephen on Saturday we came across several Black Grouse and also a small Lek, good to see this at close quarters from the car. Otherwise the weekend was very quiet apart from a small number of summer migrants making it to our area.

 

 

A nice Blackcap also visited our garden on Saturday.

 

 A Goldcrest on our travels.

 

Spring Blog.

Going to try any keep the blog up to date, its easy to 'not bother', see how it goes........

The last week has been quite strange with our son's wedding and trying to fit some birding

into our tight schedule and still feeling depressed after our return from the Scottish Highlands. Anyway here we go with our birding diary.

 

Greenfinch - in our garden

Dipper - near Osmotherly

 Grey Wagtail - Scaling Dam

 Little Gull - Scaling Dam

 Little Ringed Plover -Scaling Dam

 Meadow Pipit

 Red Grouse

 Sanderling

Stonechat - South Gare

 Common Sandpiper - Nosterfield

 Dunlin - South Gare

 Willow Tit - North York Moors

 Pied Flycatcher - North York Moors

 Common Redstart - North York Moors

 Ring Ouzel - North York Moors

 Ruff - Nosterfield

Wheatear - North York Moors

 Corn Bunting - Thirsk

Yellow Wagtail - Nosterfield (one of 10 in the Quarry car park).

Not a bad week for birds - just need something a bit out of the ordinary next - although its great to see all our summer visitors coming- long may it continue.



Another visit to the Cairngorms.

We managed to go up the Mountain on a clear day.

 

 

The only photo we could manage of a Mountain Hare without walking up.

So love the Snow Buntings.

 Sheltering in a blizzard.

 EJ and Odin made a return at Loch Garten.

 

 Woodpeckers put on a good show there.

 Found a better site to see the Crested Tits.

 Could not believe it when we came across a tree full of Crossbills (Scottish?) bathing in a stream below near Carrbridge.

 Hoodie at Nairn.

 Eating and keeping dry at the same time.

 Tree Badger and Marten thanks to Speyside Wildlife.

 Very distant views of two of seven Slavs at Loch Ruthven.

 Black Throated Diver with a Brown Trout. Stunning birds.

 Fieldfares at Dorbach enjoying evening sunshine.

 Fight on.

 Looved this Oystercatcher taking a bath in Lochindorb.

We even managed to see three separate groups of Black Grouse.  This one on the way from Carrbridge to Lochindorb.

The bridge at Carrbridge.