Bored by the lockdown and the weather, and with new editing software and a better understanding of how to use it, I've tried to sort damage done in the past to photos in my "Raptors" folder. I think much of it was due to the settings of my graphics card and monitor. Photos are from various cameras progressing through the years.
Most of these photos are opportunist shots when a bird simply appeared from nowhere, the bulk were taken in winter. Remember it's an offence to approach and disturb raptors, especially so in the breeding season. Many of these birds are persecuted in the UK, please don't make their situation worse by causing nest failures.
As you'll see, I only have poor and distant photos of some birds, that will be my inspiration to go out into the hills and get some better ones before the birds disappear
As you'll see, I only have poor and distant photos of some birds, that will be my inspiration to go out into the hills and get some better ones before the birds disappear
Buzzard, I think at St Cyrus
A long time ago I came across this nest, the photo was from far away with the adult sitting near the nest unaware of me
Near the visitor centre at St Cyrus
This one was sitting in front of the SWT Montrose Centre's viewing window!
This bird had a head injury which didn't look too serious, it was found in the woollen mill grounds at Kinross next to two busy roads. It was collected by the SSPCA later
The imprisoned Eagle Owl at Murton, I don't know its history so it could be a rescued bird?
A Golden Eagle in an Angus Glen, photo taken with an old bridge camera
The same bird as above
I think this the the bird that Olive said she'd look at when finished eating her apple. I told her she'd be drummed out of the bird club
Goshawk, I haven't seen one there for a while, but then there's been some local difficulty hindering trips
This Goshawk was identified as a 2nd year bird by someone who knows. It wasn't near nesting habitat, but was near an inland gull nesting site, as were other raptors and Great Black-backed Gulls
Harris Hawk seen near Chalmers at West Links Arbroath, what you can't see are the jesses it had on both legs. It was a young bird still being trained by a falconer and he'd brought it with him to his caravan at the Red Lion so its training wasn't interrupted
Male Hen Harrier, I think photographed in November 2016
Same Hen Harrier as above
The reason this photo is so bad, is I'm a whole field width away hiding behind a dyke. This bird stayed around for a long time but not long enough for me to splash out on new gear to photograph it
It's thought that this female Hen Harrier was an Orkney bird which was spending part of winter at Montrose Basin
Walking along the cliffs at Arbroath late one afternoon and this male Kestrel popped up on an updraft into view
Sitting on wires at Monikie
I clearly remember this Kestrel hovering at the north end of St Cyrus Beach
Yet another Kestrel from the cliffs at Arbroath, this time with a vole, which was one of four it caught
Female Marsh Harrier, a summer visitor, although some over winter in a few places, usually immature birds
This female was traced from wing tags and had been ringed locally as a chick
Male Marsh Harrier, another bird I need to get a good photo of
Merlin, sitting on a perch at Barry Buddon waiting for a vole to appear
One of the many Ospreys that visit Montrose Basin after the young birds have fledged
Again at Montrose Basin, this is a royal Osprey having been born on the Queen's property
A juvenile Peregrine seen flying over Montrose Harbour and along towards Scurdie Ness
This adult Peregrine was coughing up pellets on a church steeple in Arbroath. Since then the steeple has been upgraded and spikes were put on all of the perches. It would have been cheaper to put out a nest tray and the Peregrines would have kept the pigeons away
This one and the one below were both taken at St Cyrus who haven't made these birds secret
Red Kite and without wing tags
This Kite will be from the early days in Angus when they were still tagging many of the birds each breeding season
What a year 2015 was for Short-eared Owls, at least six were recorded at Elliot near Arbroath
Another one from 2015. I left Olive sitting in the car one day and one hovered just in front of her. On another day while I was sitting in the car one owl looked to be landing on my roof rack until I foolishly moved my head
Lockdown has been good for Sparrowhawk photography, maybe they're here in numbers like this all of the time and I'm just not here to see them. Recently there have been two different females, a male and a juvenile/1st winter
This is an older photo of a very tame juvenile which let me get very close. I think it had just arrived from the sea and was exhausted
One of my favourites and taken at the Lurgies and a very opportune photo. It's one's like this that makes me carry the camera nearly all of the time, you can never predict when a bird appears and everything is just right
Female with a Dunlin it had just taken from the waters edge at Rossie Spit
There were two Crows flying over and it was alarmed and keeping a close eye on them
One of the first photos I took with my Nikon P1000 which I bought during the first lockdown
This one has a House Sparrow pinned to the ground.
White-tailed Eagle, an infrequent visitor to Montrose Basin