A real New Year Birdlist Booster

Another great week in the Highlands with a collection or rarities and some spectacular view of the birds and wildlife in the snow, wind, rain and yes occasionally sun :)  No apologies for the length of this post!!

We got of to an amazing start with American Coot and Iceland Gull (no good photos I'm afraid!!) and then headed to Nairn - a flock of Brent Geese obligingly flew in across us and we had distant views of the King Eider!!

King Eider top left!!

Day two started as well with a visit to a Black Grouse Lek in the snow and a Dipper on the river.  Returning via the hotel a Red Squirrel was on the feeders!

Then on to the Moray Coast and American Widgeon was in the bag!!  Fantastic views of Red Kite and Peregrine made up for not seeing the Ring-billed Gull. Progressing along the coast provided more birds for the list and dolphins at Chanonry Point!

Coffee and cake and then it was off Otter watching under the bridge at Inverness.....  didn't see any but an interesting lifeboat station with doors on opposite sides to suit wind and tides.

Day three the search was on for the 'Scottish' birds - Capercaille, Crested Tits and Crossbill - well two out of three isn't bad and it would have been three if I had been looking the right way!!  (Caper was the missing one!).  Loch Garten provided close encounters with Coal Tits and good views of Cresties (too fast to photo - that's my excuse!).  Redpoll and Mealy Redpoll were added later in the day in a field covered in neeps....

The next day was back on the coast  - the locations were chosen with the weather in mind!!  The harbours came good with close views of Long-tailed Duck, plus Black Guillemot and Great Northern Diver in winter plumage.  

Gt Black Back Gull and Shag fight it out for lunch

 A cross Shag was also rescued in Lossiemouth..........  and I got very wet when a wave crashed over the harbour wall!!

And then it was the Mountain - against the snow and wind to the Day Lodge and Ptarmigan spotted right away - and close!!

And after the ambition to photograph these amazing birds in winter plumage and the snow it was off chasing eagles....  out of the van and a Mountain Hare was sunning itself - it never moved!!  And as the weather and evening closed in we were rewarded with a Golden Eagle and Buzzard battling over prey...

And glorious skies around the mountains...

Our last day and the luck held - with gale force winds and driving rain a White-billed Diver close in - well close for one of these!!

A drive around Rattray checking out the geese and Grey-legged partridge posed

Well after all that I had to end with a sunset....