Day on Holy Island

What a day on the farnes...it produced quite a list of birds for us...well especially after the lean pickings we've experienced for a while anyway due to one thing or another.
Sorry havent got any pictures as my camera is in for repair (only had it since april)..things just arent built to last nowadays.
Anyway covered about 5 miles during the day around the island starting off at 'the'chair' on the causeway, then drove to the hotel and parked up, walked to the castle where theres quite a big flash, from the castle to the lough, onto the beach, then from the beach to 'the crooked' at lodden (think thats the right spelling) and along to have a spy in the vicars garden next to the church where someone had spotted the flycatchers. The birds we came across were...
Merlin
Little Grebe
Fulmar
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Bar tailed Godwit
Curlew
Redshank
Sandwich Tern
Black Headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Swallow
Redstart
Stonechat
Whinchat
Wheatear
Songthrush
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Hobby
Arctic Skua
Pied & Spotted Flycatcher
Oystercatcher

pause for breath.....

Gannet
Cormorant
Shoveler
Teal
Mallard
Tuted Duck
Eider
Common Scooter
Red Breasted Merganser
Kestrel
Coot
Oystercatcher
Golden Plover
Lapwing
Bar tailed Godwit
Curlew
Redshank
Sandwich Tern
Black Headed Gull
Common Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Skylark
Meadow Pipit
Pied Wagtail
Swallow
Redstart
Stonechat
Whinchat
Wheatear
Songthrush
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Dunnock
Goldfinch
Hobby
Arctic Skua
Pied & Spotted Flycatcher
Osprey
Ruff
Be going some to top that list next week!!

Highlands

Just back from our hols. We go away on holiday every year for our wedding anniversary, so weve been up near the Cairngorns nr Aviemore, and, the weather was just gorgeous (unlike scottish weather i know) but it was lovely. We stayed in Crudenbeg next to Newtonmore very nice little place. In the grounds of the hotel was the 'Falls of Truim' a small waterfall...very picturesque. The 'Insh Nature reserve' and 'Craigellachie nature reserve' were both just a couple of miles away from our hotel, but, cant decide if it was the wrong time of year or just not the best days we visited as all we saw were a few mallards, crows, 1 robin 1 chaffinch!. The lochs are very very pretty especially Loch Morlich..beautiful, but nearby Loch Nan Carraigean and Loch Dallas are very popular especially for people who enjoy watersports, which was nice to just sit back and watch some people make right idiots of themselves..it was so nice to just relax..a nice change.
My camera - fuji s8000fd which i bought in april is now 'knackered', dont know whats wrong with it - it wont download my pictures? so i have to return it for repair, which is a shame as i couldnt take any photos, and there was plenty of things i wanted to take pictures of. Still theres always next time. Nice to be back.