Scotland part three

 While we are up in the Pitlochry area, we usually pay a visit to Loch of the Lowes Wildlife Reserve to see the Osprey. Unfortunately, this year we were a week to late the resident pair had already left. We did however see one Osprey passing through but the warden wasn’t sure if it was one of the local birds or not. As luck would have it, we drove into Dunkeld for lunch and low and behold an Osprey was fishing on the river. Unfortunately, it was flying and hovering directly into the sun. I managed to get some shots and then decided to move to the bridge over the river to see if I could get something better. When I was nearing the bridge, I could see another photographer and when I arrived he told me the Osprey had dived, caught a fish, and had flown off to eat it. I wish I had stayed where I was.

Osprey at the Loch of the Lowes.

I tried, without much success, to catch the Sand Martins if flight.

There were some Deer on the opposite shore to the hide we were in.

Some iffy shots of the Osprey at Dunkeld.

This Jay was in the garden when we got back to the cottage.

This Spider was in the cottage my wife caught it in a glass and put it outside so I could get a shot of it.

We had a drive into the hills surrounding the cottage that evening to see what we could spot the only things I got any images of were these Deer.

Scotland June 2023

20.06.23 A visit to Glamis Castle and the only things I took pictures of were in and around the garden and even then, I didn’t take many at all. Stopped off in Dunkeld on the way back to the cottage and took some pictures of the gulls. Then the rest of the afternoon was spent around the ponds in the cottage garden.

Hovering Marmalade Hoverfly.

Quite a few in the castle gardens.

Mining Bee?

House Martins were nesting on the windows of the castle. These two were having a bit of a dispute.

Common Gull portrait.

This time in flight.

Black-headed Gull.

Herring Gull, I think.

Sawfly Caterpillars?

Not sure what these are.

Emerald Damselfly.

It’s not often you see them with their wings closed.

A mouse emerging from its hole.

Then eating some seed.

Chaffinch feed its chick.

This Dunnock looks as though it’s been through the wars.

Scotland June 2023

 18.06.23 Once again the morning was spent around the garden and apart from lunch at The Inn On The Tay the rest of the day was spent at the Loch of the Lowes watching Osprey.

Red Squirrel.

Greenfinch.

Swallow.

A just fledge Robin sitting on the windowsill of the cottage.

The adult bird with a tasty grub for the chick.

Song Thrush.

I think this could be an Eratigena Sp. of Spider.

This is the female Osprey just about to land on the nest.

From what we were told by the ranger in the hide the male had not brought any fish for the chicks since the day before and they were getting hungry.

The female left the nest to try and get something for them.

She hovered over the loch looking for fish but was unsuccessful in catching any.

The chick looks a bit worried as the female lands on the nest.

The male did appear and tried to fish in the loch but he too was unsuccessful.

Later that afternoon the male finally brought in a fish.

While watching the Osprey I also tried to get some shots of the Swallows.

And, the swifts that were hawking over the loch.