It's not often I come over to this RSPB reserve, not sure why, maybe just easier to go to the reservoir every time so, April 18th, I decided to go to the Balintore road and then the loch, see what I might see.
I'd driven up the Balintore road to see if there were any Wheatear about, I stopped in the flyby half way up and had a look around but, apart from a lone Oystercatcher and a singing Skylark, I couldn't see anything else so, I headed back, deciding to go to loch of Kinnordy for a while.
I'd probably gone 100 yards when I spotted a couple of birds on the other side of the same bank so I stopped again.
Female Wheatear on a fence
Wheatear male on the bank
A pair of Wheatear working around the bank, as they always are. Well, that's that ticked eh? :)
I spotted another couple of birds I didn't recognise but they were gone in a flash dammit!
Ah well, on to the loch. I parked up and went to the Gullery hide, I don't visit here often and this hide is closest to the car park, no other reason for choosing this one. Not another soul around, well, a couple of dog walkers, they don't count.
I guess the first thing I noticed was a wee bird just outside the hide, to the left, noisy wee thing, a Redshank; turned out there are quite a few dotted around the loch.
Redshank on the loch shore
Redshank watching me
I hadn't been there long when a huge throng of people joined me in the hide!!!! OK, six but it felt like a throng. RSPB volunteers stopping by for lunch, which was great, their knowledge of the loch and its wildlife was a real bonus. Almost straight away, the guy with the camera mentioned the Marsh Harriers and there they were!
I say there they were, this shot was pure coincidence, male and female in the same shot and a first for me and pure chance.
Marsh Harrier pair by chance
The female is sitting in that tree behind the male out hunting and I didn't notice until it came to edit the shot. Absolutely beautiful birds.
Marsh Harrier - eyes to the ground
So, since this was my first sighting of these beautiful birds and they seemed to be busy hunting and nest building, I just had to stay and grab a few shots ;)
Against a bland sky
Horrible bland sky
There was quite a bit of to and fro with twigs, nesting time? But, the male was carrying them to the left, the female was carrying them back the other way...... last years nest being used to build a new one? Or not! :)
This twig goes ....
I was very lucky to have the RSPB guys there, from Loch Leven, I think, they shared information about these beautiful birds that I'd probably never have known.
Male over the reed beds
and close-up
Aren't those markings / wings beautiful? They were just going about their business like we weren't there, which is great. That said, we were in a hide on the other side of the loch!
I must also add, other birds were available on the day :)
Young Mute swan
There were Mute & Whooper scams out on the water, several types of duck and of course, the Redshanks on the edges of the weed.
Meanwhile, back with the Marsh Harriers ...
Nest management
As you can see, they weren't camera shy although they were mostly quite a distance away.
Over the reed beds
On the turning away
OK, enough of the Marsh Harriers, beautiful birds that they are and my first time seeing and watching them.
There were also quite a few ducks as I said before, lots of Tufted Ducks.
Male Tufted duck
Tufted duck pair
One of the requirements of wildlife or bird watching and photograph is an owls neck! Constantly checking all around, near, far up and down. I spotted a large bird in the distance.
I'm gonna carry that weight
As it got closer I realised it had a HUGE fish.
It kept on coming heading directly towards the hide I was watching from. It flew close enough for me to photograph and read its leg ring! CR9!
That's a catch!
ere were times when I thought it might drop the fish, it would kind of pause its wing beats as if catching its breath, ready for the next bit.
Put me down!!!!!
That was a bit of excitement.
I'd already been there for three hours, maybe time to head for home? The only real down-side to theis session was the weather, dank, bland skies do not make for good photography but you gotta work with what we have right?
