Wednesday 20 November 2019

Nae Scoters, loadsa Dolphins

Tuesday and another attempt to get good Black Scoter photos and/or video. Failed due to a very flat sea and all of the scoters were dispersed across Lunan Bay, mobile and distant. High tide on Thursday is around 0900, and more motion from the strong wind may bring the birds back within reach of a scope, if not a camera.

Twenty Bottlenose Dolphins gave me someting to do while waiting for the uncompliant Scoters.



I think this is an adult with a calf given the apparent size



The best photo I could get of unpredictable and often distant animals


Not that far out and the water can't be that deep. One breached just behind the surf line, I would guess they were hunting flounders. The closer they come the less likely it is to get the photo when they're mobile



The only birds that ever came close in during an hour of watching, 4 Long-tailed drakes with one duck



If you stand still and the beach isn't busy, why would it be at one degree centigrade! a Red-throated Diver will come inshore for a look



I could only stand the cold at Lunan Bay so long but it wasn't much warmer at the Lurgies where 2 Little Egrets and about a dozen Little Grebes were the only things of interest. I like the light on this Grebe and it's as it looked to the eye, the whole basin had an unusual dim glow, if that makes sense



Near the end of the day and far too late for photography I had a quick look at Arbroath Harbour and despite it being busy with returning lobster boats there were a few birds of interest. This female Long-tailed Duck didn't want the leave the harbour and although it stayed central the late sun helped to get a photo


Happy looking species



I took this photo to show the Shag's diving techique not knowing it had a darvic ring, looks like green, FBB but could be FPB, FPP, FBP. I'll check today and try to get it sitting on the slipway as they often do


Metal ring on the left leg





Rock Pipit in the last bit of light, it looks used to people in the working harbour, and was hanging around an angler perhaps hoping for some crumbs from his tea



The Herring Gulls are happy to pose on the boats, this was close enough that this was all I could get in the frame. I feel another look when the day is brighter for some flight shots and Great Black-backed Gull photos




Black Scoter - Lunan Bay 18/11/2019

Monday in good light, and despite the tide being nearly all the way out many of the scoters were reasonably close in. This small group of Commoms with the Black Scoter were mobile, often flying short distances, diving and as usual squabbling. There was just enough swell to confuse the camera, not helped by the low angle. In a video I took with the DSLR on the tripod, a small wave grabbed focus and that was another one for the bin.

Black Scoter video, click here  

It's a bit like the trick with a small ball and 3 cups, where will it appear next. The next video on the Flickr page after this one is a version at 2/3 speed.



Black Scoter, in the centre of the frame with the very bulbous yellow bill


Although the Common Scoters have yellow on the upper mandible you can see their profile is very different, the Black Scoter's head is bigger and neck thicker, and in good light it's difficult not to see the yellow bill


The head and neck look much bigger in this one but that's more the angle and the difference isn't so marked


This head-on view in a still is a good comparison but when you're looking from hundreds of metres away on a bumpy sea you don't get long to see it as they disappear and re-appear often metres away


Sanderling, the only one north of the river at that time. This was a reflex photo, I can't stop from pointing the camera at anything that moves!




63+ Purple Sandpipers - Torry Battery

I had a choice on Sunday, stay in Laurencekirk and try and entertain a nine year old with an ear infection, or go to Loch of Skene and Aberdeen. Well, what else could I do!

I did find a Bean Goose at Skene but it's a big loch and inevitably it was too far out for a photo. It was near a few Pink-footed and I could clearly see its orange bill and longer looking neck, then it appeared to roost on the small island, out of view.

Kingfisher video, just as the rain started, click here



63 Purple Sandpipers and that isn't all of them in the photo more were on the inner breakwater at Torry Battery, Aberdeen, on Sunday 17th. It was quite late in the afternoon and the underwing of the birds were lit up by the low sunlight


Now in the shade of the breakwater


Shag, right in amongst the rocks and swell at the outer breakwater


The sun shining like a large spotlight on this Cormorant drying its wings in the late sun. If asked most would say a Cormorant was black but it's much more complicated than that!


The Johnston Gardens Mandarin, (sometimes Walker Dam) it was tucked up in the shadiest part of the pond but the clever Nikon still managed a photo hand held at 10,000 ISO!


A female Kingfisher found on my Webs count on Saturday, it was happy to sit about 20 metres away from me while I tried to get a photo with my Canon SX60




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