Golden Eagles in golden light

Weather: Light cloud to start quickly lifted into a stunning golden light day with a light breeze.

We started the day with great scope views of the local pair of WTE perched up in the spruce trees, an Otter appeared on the coast before coming up onto a small island before running the length of it and sprainting, a superb view. We also saw 2 Velvet Scoters ( a scarce bird here), Slavonian Grebes and a few Great-northern Divers, including 1 calling just out on the loch.

Onto our next stop we spotted a dog Otter out fishing further out before a pair of WTE stole the show, the first bird flew right by us whilst the second bird stalled in a nearby bay hunting, the original bird flew right by us again to join the first bird and dived for the water snatching a Common Guillemot from the surface! It flew right by once again with its catch to an offshore island to enjoy it.

Further down we spotted another Otter sleeping on the shoreline from the van. Further down still we spotted a female Otter and her large cub rolling around in the seaweed and had great close views of them playing and preening for a while.

Moving away from coastal habitats we moved to the cliffs and mountains where we were straight into the action with a young Golden Eagle chasing a Buzzard. Pulling over we spotted another 2 Golden Eagles flying along the ridgeline, 2 Kestrels further down and 2 immature WTE rose up on the higher tops! The young Golden Eagle joined up with its parents giving spectacular views of the family thermalling together.

At lunch we saw 2 distant Hen Harriers, a soaring Golden Eagle, a fly through WTE and a hovering Kestrel. Moving back to coastal areas we saw 2 distant pods of Common Dolphins leaping, out in the loch with Eiders and more Divers in the foreground. a group of 5 Jackdaws were feeding in the coastal grassland, a scarcity away from Iona.

Into the mountains for a cup of tea we had great views of a perched adult Golden Eagle and 2 more flying over the peaks and no less than 9 Buzzards over the ridgeline, another 2 Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk plus 3 flyover Bullfinch.

We finished the day in the moorland with 2 distant WTE, Red gathered on the flatlands and lovely close quartering juvenile Hen Harrier as the light started to fade.

Other species: R-B Merganser, Lapwing, Redwing, Mistle Thrush, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, Redshank, Ringed Plover, Stonechat, Jay.