Where Eagles Fly

Monday May 6

One of the first wildlife autobiographies I ever read was entitled ''Where Eagles Fly''. If I wasn't in awe of raptors before reading it, I was afterwards. My most awesome of all is the Whitetailed Eagle, not the world's biggest but one of them. The biggest is Pallas's Sea Eagle, which is top of my bucket list and will probably never be struck off. 

Loch na Keal is the best place to see them, several pairs nest in the area. A well used parking area was full when we got there to-day - lucky as it turned out. We drove on to a lane leading to some cottages where Arthur Brown used to stop for morning coffee. A Sedge Warbler sang from lochside bramble as we parked. Five minutes later, with  a squawk, and general kerfuffle, the Lapwings, Gulls and Crows in the fields rose into the air. I glanced up to see a White-tailed Eagle passing by overhead. I managed a few quick shots before it crossed the loch, hassled by lesser birds as it flew. I reckoon I scrambled as fast as the birds. (not really).

Magnificent.

All underwing views, the little  that can be seen of the white tail sported by adults is the pale fringing.

Waw.

We left the nesting area and drove on round the loch, stopping on a wide grassy verge where two carloads of birders were peering up at the crags. Always a good idea to stop to find out what's going on. A Golden Eagle was soaring above the ridge. Soon, it was joined by a White-tailed Eagle and the two birds began a stately manoeuvering for position. I think that the Goldie was very respectfully ushering the White-tailed away. Although the distance was great I couldn't resist trying to show the difference in size. The Goldie is a big bird.

Another lucky encounter, what a day. 

Our first Red Deer of the trip grazed high on the tops. Never before have we failed to see them in the Findhorn Valley.

We both love Highland Cattle. This cow was in bliss mode, rubbing her neck on the barbed wire.

Everywhere we stop, there are Grey Heron. This is an adult on the shores of Loch Cuin in Dervaig.

Rhododendrons and Azaleas are ablaze everywhere too.

Mull has patches of beautiful deciduous woodland, the ground beneath a  haze of  Bluebells at the moment, the young succulent green leaves on the trees not having the depth  to shade them yet.

We used the Salen - Dervaig road for the last time on the way home - the re surfacing gang will be back at work to-morrow and there are ''long delays''. The gang consists of a Roller and a tarmac layer.

Still not many moths overnight. It had obviously rained again, the trap's central well was full of water. The egg boxes and moths were dry. Eleven moths with 2 Brown Silver-lines which are new for the trip and 1 never seen by us before, Grey Scalloped Bar. The latter is described as : 

Inhabiting open moorland, heathland and peat bogs, this species is locally distributed mainly in the north of England and Wales, in Scotland and in Ireland. It also occurs locally in the very south of England.

It flies in June and July, sometimes earlier in the south.

The larval foodplants are heather (Calluna) and heath (Erica). 

There's plenty of heather around here !