Super Red
No trip to the Highlands is complete without searching out the Red Squirrels. The Caledonian forests are their stronghold and we were rewarded with some good views and photos.
One of my favourite Highland areas is Lochindorb which not only has Red Squirrels but Ospreys, Peregrines, Divers, Red Grouse and an abundance of butterflies. A spectacular fungi encountered was Bloody Tooth fungi whose name is a perfect description of this rare species. gallery photos https://www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife
With less than thirty breeding pairs in Britain the Slavonian grebe is one of our rarest breeding birds. Last week, while walking on a public footpath around a reed-fringed Scottish lock, we could not believe our luck.Amongst the reeds were a pair of Slavonian grebes with two small young. They paid no attention to us and in the next few minutes we obtained all the photos in this weeks Gallery.
One of the spin-offs of going to Islay in summer is the additional wild-life subjects that come along. Last month we found Herons nesting in rhododendrons, mating Red Breasted Mergansers, singing Skylarks – on the ground! Hares, fields of Buttercups, newly emerged Marsh Fritillery butterflies and delicate Banded Demoiselle Damselflies. For gallery photos see my Facebook page
One of the must birds to find on Islay is the Black Guillemot. They breed all around the island and are one of the latest breeding birds in Britain only pairing off in June. As a result our recent visit was perfect timing for photo action and we even had a pair copulating – a rare event to capture on film.For gallery photos see my Facebook page