The Best of Autumn (so far)

I know, I know, I've been lax on the posts recently. This has been one hell of a busy time with loads to do at work and the onset of the rain keeping me indoors, but the sunny days have been good, and the migrants have begun moving through en masse giving plenty of excuses to run away on a lunch break and get out on the boats with the boss.

So in no particular order, here are some of the highlights of the last two months!

The spate of wet miserable days has bought plenty of birds to the feeders

They're so used to me now I can fill the feeder next to them and they don't move a muscle

There have been great foraging opportunities particularly the wild blackberries and mint

And boat trips continue to turn up feathery friends including guillemots

...razorbills

A couple of Uni groups gave me excuses to escape the office and enjoy good weather

providing great views even if we occasionally had to lure the birds in

Many of the younger birds are all too keen to get up close for a free meal...

...their curiosity are general cheekiness mean that the gulls still star in most of my pictures

Going to Ballochmartin Bay after a tip off from the Boss of big group of Merganser yesterday I found 8 Little Grebe foraging along the shoreline

.... along with the Merganser themselves