Sleeping Eiders

Back at Ythan Estuary today hoping for a repeat of some of the birding highlights of last year. The undoubted highlight of last year being the King Eider but the sight of the Little Terns and three other species of tern feeding certainly cemented Ythan as one of our favourite birding locations.

We also planned on a visit to Loch of Strathbeg to see the Greater Yellowlegs which is probably the same bird we got such great views of down in Northumberland.

Well I'm sorry to report none of the sightings were as photographically stunning as those of last year. Yes we did see four species of Tern; Little, Sandwich, Common and Arctic, but they weren't feeding quite as close as last year, nor being as predictable as to where they were feeding. We did go on to Loch of Strathbeg, but unlike the Northumberland trip where the Greater Yellowlegs passed within ten feet of our hide, today it was at the far side of the Tower Pool, around quarter of a mile away.

Never mind, it was still a cracking day out and the Ythan estuary is highly recommended to anyone who has yet to discover it. Oh, I almost forgot the King Eider. Well while I was attempting to get my Tern pictures, Mrs L was scanning round through the hundreds of Eiders. She was doing an excellent job picking out Arctic and Little Terns on the far bank for me to photograph. She even found a first summer Little Gull, but she failed on the King Eider. With the tide now encroaching on our viewpoint, she headed for the high ground, but I decided to stick it out and had another scan round. I ask you, just look at today's photo. How did she miss that gorgeous King Eider?