I’m not a birder or a twitcher or anything, but I like birds, and have taken a passing interest in them ever since getting drawn into the expensive habit of feeding wild birds. My favourites are the raptors and I can thoroughly recommend a day out doing the falconry experience at one of the various bird of prey centres around the country. Birds make good targets for the camera and they certainly help to hone the skills. A big lens helps!
Cockfight
While staying in a motel near Fort William, I witnessed the motel’s old and young roosters get involved in a fight. The old boy took a beating. No doubt the victor took the spoils.
Eiders
A colony of ‘urban eiders’ has establised itself along Shore in Leith.
Kites
Went up to Argaty, 15 Feb, 2009, not sure if there was any kind of guarantee of seeing red kites… I had only had one good view of a wild Scottish red kite before. Drove into the car park, and there were 2 or 3 kites circling in the background. So, seeing them not an issue! There is a visitor centre at the farm, and the viewing hide is about 400 m up a track behind the farm. The hide seats about 30, each with their own viewing port, and it was full to capacity on the day! The warden gives you the history of the project and tells you there are now about 50 birds in the area. The Argaty birds were originally brought in from Germany and Denmark, as at the time, the only remaining British birds were all descended from a single female in Wales! Now, they rear enough to export the surplus. On the day, we had about half of the locals in the sky over the hide – most I got in one frame was 10.