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WADERS |
Eurasian Oystercatcher Haematopus ostralegus Top Left:- Oystercatcher on nest Top Right:- Oystercatcher on nest
Bottom Left:- Oystercatcher about to settle on eggs Bottom Right:- Oystercatcher's nest |
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Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula
Top:- Ringed Plover
Bottom Left:- Ringed Plover on Nest, Loch Duich, Kintail Bottom Right:- Ringed Plover's Nest, Loch Laggan |
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| Eurasian Dotterel Charadrius morinellus
Top Left:- Dotterel's Nest. Top Right:- Dotterel's Nest.
Bottom Left:- Male Dotterel Settling on Eggs. Bottom Right:- Dotterel Chicks. |
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The
montane plateaux of the Scottish Highlands have escaped much of
the habitat destruction that centuries of human activity have brought
to most other parts of the British Isles and here can be found several
species of bird which are seldom or never found nesting elsewhere
in these islands. The Dotterel is a summer visitor to the montane
plateau and its peculiar qualities of sexual role reversal and confiding
nature have endeared it to many generations of birdwatchers. They
are most numerous on the broad plateaux of the eastern and central
Highlands while several hills north of the Great Glen also support
good numbers. They become more thinly spread as you head further
west, an indication perhaps of their main migration route through
Britain between North Africa and Scandinavia.. On the lower lying
plateaux they can be found nesting alongside Dunlin and Golden Plover
but on the higher fell fields of the Cairngorms their neighbours
can be a little more exotic. On one hill in the central Highlands
I fell into conversation with a French birdwatcher when we both
converged on a Purple Sandpiper Calidris maritima guiding
chicks. He had earlier encountered Dotterel at 4 different locations
and after the Purple Sandpiper had treated us to a display of both
the rodent run and the flyaway trick (unintentional disturbance),
I directed him to another part of the hill where he was sure to
find singing Snow Buntings Plectrophenax nivalis. He was
very impressed. |
European Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria Top Left:- Golden Plover's Nest, Beinn Dearg. Top Right:- Golden Plover's Nest, Campsie Fells.
Bottom Left:- Golden Plover's Nest, Campsie Fells. Bottom Right:- Golden Plover Chicks, Campsie Fells. |
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Dunlin Calidris alpina Top Left:- Dunlin's Nest, Glas Maol. Top Right:- Dunlin's Nest, Campsie Fells.
Bottom Left:- Dunlin's Nest, Campsie Fells. Bottom Right:- Dunlin Chick, Campsie Fells. |
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Common Snipe Gallinago gallinago Glen Affric Young Snipe |
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Eurasian Curlew Numenius arquata Top Left:- Curlew's Nest, Carron Reservoir. Top Right:- Curlew's Nest, Falkirk District.
Bottom:- Curlew Chick, Campsie Fells. |
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Common Redshank Tringa totanus Top:- Redshanks on the mudflats at Skinflats, Upper Forth.
Middle:- Redshank Nests, Skinflats.
Bottom left:- Redshank Nest, Carron Reservoir. Bottom right:- Redshank Chick |
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Common Greenshank Tringa nebularia Wester Ross Top:- Greenshanks on their feeding grounds.
Middle:- Greenshank on Nest.
Bottom:- Greenshank's Nest. |
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To
the nest finder, the Greenshank has long been a special bird and
the discovery of a nest is one of the highlights of the birdwatcher's
year. As with most species that can be watched back to the nest,
the search begins with locating the off-duty bird. Greenshanks take
turns at incubating the eggs and when relieved of this duty, they
can be found feeding or loafing at a favourite site. The much documented
problem with locating nesting Greenshanks is their tendency to feed
at great distances from the nest, sometimes as much as 8 kilometers.
When the Greenshank leaves the feeding grounds to relieve its mate,
it can only be watched so far before it is lost from sight. The
search then resumes the following day at the point on its flightline
where it was previously lost from view in the hope of intercepting
it and following the next stage of its flight. Eventually the search
ends when the Greenshank is observed arriving at the nest site to
relieve its mate, a process that can stretch over several days. In this particular case, I watched a Greenshank fly from its feeding grounds and head towards a nearby glen where I lost sight of it. The next evening I took up a position in the glen hoping to intercept its flight path and within 5 minutes of arriving I heard a Greenshank chipping excitedly. I quickly located its position in a flooded peat hag and as I watched, it flew a short distance into the surrounding moorland, still calling. A second Greenshank then suddenly appeared and flew down to the river below me. The first Greenshank walked to the spot where the second Greenshank had flown from and disappeared out of sight. I had just witnessed the changeover and carefully marking the spot, I walked the 1/2 kilometer that separated us and located the nest. It doesn't get much easier than that. |
Common Sandpiper Actitis hypoleucos Top:- Common Sandpiper, River Croe, Kintail. |
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Middle:- Common Sandpiper Nests Left:- Loch Tulla Centre:- Spey Dam Right:- Loch Vaa |
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Bottom:- Common Sandpiper Chick, Glen Affric. |
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Ruddy Turnstone Arenaria interpres Spey Bay. |
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