Horse of the Woods

A few days in Scotland during winter to do a little photography was always going to be weather dependent. A window of opportunity last week gave us the chance to pay a visit.

Well I say a window of opportunity. The forecast was good; in actuality we had snow that threatened some of the higher passes on the A9.  The snow, wind and heavy rain showers didn’t stop us however and a walk in the sheltered forests gave an opportunity to photograph Capercailles, a bird due to its disturbance susceptibility, has to be left well alone later in the year.

A real catch

Dippers have featured quite often in Letter from Norfolk posts over the last few months. However, I couldn’t resist including another shot taken on the Scottish Short Week Tour earlier this month.
This individual posed patiently as it collected insect after insect before returning to feed its young in the nest tucked away under a small bridge.
Marvellous how it managed to catch the next without losing the ones already collected.

Warbling over Scotland

On last week’s Scottish Birding Tour to Speyside and the Isles of Skye we heard the uplifting call of the Wood Warbler coming from high in the mature trees. It wasn’t long before we saw the silky white underparts capped with the lemon yellow that make this species so distinct. It took a little longer however to get a decent shot of him.
Such a great place Scotland … filled with some great birds. Next year’s four day tour is already on the website.