Scottish Sea Birds & Cumbrian Ospreys

BETWEEN 22nd & 24th JULY 2010

This was a trip to Scotland with my brother to attend a family funeral. While we were there we filled in some spare time with walks in the Edinburgh Botanic Gardens and Aberlady Bay, and a visit to the Scottish Sea Bird Centre at North Berwick

On our way home we broke the journey at the RSPB Leighton Moss reserve, where we were lucky enough to observe (from a great distance and through misty rain) an Osprey hunting and consuming a fish.

On Friday morning we parked on the roof of the Ocean Terminal car park at Leith Docks, to have some lunch, change into our "guid claes", and watch the world go by.
Three Cormorants dry their wings.
A Great Black-Backed Gull soars past the car park.
One of four female Eider seen in the dock
On Saturdy morning we headed for North Berwick and the Scottish Sea Bird Centre, hoping for a boat trip round Bass Rock. On the way we stopped for a walk along the beach at Aberlady Bay.
Oystercatcher & Kittiwake
Bar-Tailed Godwits
Dunlins
Next we stopped at Scottish Sea Life Centre, North Berwick.
Bass Rock
A Gull with a damaged foot.
On our way home, we broke the journey at Leighton Moss, Cumbria.
Swallows & Coots on the lake
Here we watched an Osprey hovering and diving over the lake, from a great distance and through mist and drizzle. We moved to a hide slightly closer to the action, and found him in a tree with a large fish.
Distant Osprey, with fish
Osprey and Egrets
A male Marsh Harrier, near to the Osprey

No comments:

Post a Comment