Reach for the skies!!! My tern to fly high!

[Zim Girl]

Some really lovely birds from Bulgaria and a great sighting of the Wildcat!

[PeterHG]

+1 on the Ring Ouzel!

[michael-ibk]

4 hours ago, Dave Williams said:

Having just gone through @michael-ibk 's BY my 22 birds for Bulgaria isn't much of a return for nine days!!

 

Quality over quantity Dave.

[Dave Williams]

1 hour ago, michael-ibk said:

 

Quality over quantity Dave.

 

I think you win on both counts Michael!!

[michael-ibk]

A very kind - but entirely ridiculous - comment Dave.

[xelas]

Try harder, Dave! Less time in the hide, more time on the road .

[Kitsafari]

as always, beautiful images from you. congrats on the 200th, and that wolf would have made my trip too. 

[offshorebirder]

Well done on the Ruddy Shelduck @Dave Williams

 

And I would love to see a Ring Ouzel some day.

Edited June 14, 2022 by offshorebirder

[Dave Williams]

I returned from a week staying on my beloved Isle of May last Saturday and feel very fortunate to have been lucky enough to do so. Sadly Avian flu has hit the island and it's now closed to further visitors. A few days in to my visit this stricken Gannet floated in to the harbour area on the rising tide and ended up perilously close to the roosting Terns. Somehow it found the strength the paddle back out to sea where no doubt it would succumb to the virus. Bass Rock, some 10 miles away, is home to one of the biggest colonies of Northern Gannet and the UK holds a huge percentage of the world's breeding population. It's estimated 30% have already been wiped out there. The sea had quite a few victims floating in it but normally you don't see Gannets on the May at all.

207) Northern Gannet

Northern Gannet.    BY207 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

Edited July 7, 2022 by Dave Williams

[Galana]

Sad indeed.

I read about May and Vane Farm being closed and wondered whether you have been up there yet.

[Dave Williams]

The Isle of May is a small island of roughly 1.5kms x 0.5 kms and sits off the east coast of Scotland, some 5 miles out to sea in the Firth of Forth. Other than housing a working lighthouse, the IOM Bird Observatory and a research centre, it is just a breeding colony for various seabirds as well as Grey Seals. At the height of the breeding season there is estimated to be 250,000 birds packed on to the island, in migration times it's a stopping point for a whole host of different species and often has one tor two rarities stopping by for a rest too. Other than the 2.5 hour landings of day trippers which number a maximum of around 120, there are usually only about 12-18 people on the island 6 of whom occupy the Low Light, a disused lighthouse that is now home for the bird observatory of which I'm a member. It's a photographer's heaven in as much as you have 250,000 birds to choose from and you can get up close and personal. Not only that you photographs are less likely to look like someone else's as there are so many rocks they could be perching on!

The biggest frustration for me is the number of photographs I'm taking nowadays and the time it takes to delete the ones I don't want! My latest camera is also such a huge advance on all my previous ones that it's a lot easier to nail the shot you want but in the process it's taking 20 shots per second.I used to spend a week and be very happy to have captured a handful of sharp shots of birds in flight, now I have thousands and end up deleting hundreds of perfectly good ones . It's a nice problem to have but it also makes life a little less challenging. Sure, you need to be in the right place at the right time...and this year my visit was a week later than I have been in the past but the challenge was lacking. With only a dozen or so species to choose it's difficult to find something new but then I discovered, thanks to my friend Christian who went with me, video!

The Canon R5 is an incredible piece of kit and it's video capabilities are amazing. It's a whole new skill though so my efforts are not up to standard yet.

Within 24 hours of returning Christian has put out a short 5 minute video that gives a flavour of life for us over a week's visit. If you are interested it's as good as any trip report!

https://www.nature-enthusiastic.com/2022/07/05/isle-of-may-june-2022/

[PeterHG]

Excellent video on your Isle of May trip. Great footage of the both birds and the company. Looks like you all had a good time there!

[xelas]

An amazing video and an amazing week with the birds and the friends!

[Zim Girl]

Really enjoyed the video!

[TonyQ]

Excellent video Dave.

[Kitsafari]

Really enjoyed the video (and the music!). it definitely gives an excellent taste of what your week had been. 

[Dave Williams]

The LBB and Herring Gulls harass the returning Puffins in to dropping their catch to make for an easy meal

208)Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull. BY208 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

Both Herring and LBB Gull are more than capable of adding stolen chicks to their diet and regularly do so. 

209)Herring Gull

Herring Gull.  BY 209 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

The GBB Gull is the top of the food chain predator on the Isle of May. They cruise the cliffs looking for an opportune moment to steal a chick but they also prey on adult Puffins too. Fortunately they are by far the least numbered in the Gull population of the island.

210)Greater Black-backed Gull

Greater Black-backed Gull. BY210 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Kitsafari]

cracking shots of the gulls. 

[Dave Williams]

One of the prettiest birds on the Isle of May and one that just loves to fly for the pure joy of it, especially when the wind is blowing strongly.

211) Northern Fulmar

Northern Fulmar.  BY211 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

 

Sitting pretty!

Northern Fulmar.  BY211 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[Dave Williams]

Another bird that appears to love flying for the joy of it 

212) Black-legged Kittiwake

Black-legged Kittiwake.  BY212 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

 

also one of the noisiest on the Isle of May too!

Black-legged Kittiwake.  BY212 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[TonyQ]

Lovely shots of the Fulmar and Kittiwake 

[Dave Williams]

A female Eider surveys the new dawn as the sun rises over the North Sea.

We only had once decent sunrise during our week on the Isle of May and I was the only one who was up to see it. 4.30am is a bit of a shock to the system but I was glad I made the effort.

213)Eider Duck

Eider Duck    BY213 by Dave Williams, on Flickr

[lmSA84]

Beautifully framed shot of the Eider