David Mcnee
@dbmcn.bsky.social
Looking at birds and stuff around Wester Ross whenever I can
There's a lovely Mediterranean Gull by Gairloch just now.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
November 10, 2025 at 11:09 AM
There's a lovely Mediterranean Gull by Gairloch just now.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
Found a Bonaparte's Gull among loafing gulls by Gairloch yesterday.
Poor pics attached phonescoped from 500m in fairly strong winds.
#highlandbirds
Poor pics attached phonescoped from 500m in fairly strong winds.
#highlandbirds
October 24, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Found a Bonaparte's Gull among loafing gulls by Gairloch yesterday.
Poor pics attached phonescoped from 500m in fairly strong winds.
#highlandbirds
Poor pics attached phonescoped from 500m in fairly strong winds.
#highlandbirds
Lovely distant views of a pair of W.T.Eagles displaying yesterday.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
October 12, 2025 at 9:57 AM
Lovely distant views of a pair of W.T.Eagles displaying yesterday.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
A good couple of mornings dog walking (controlled) on Big Sands beach. Yesterday a Little Stint and this morning a Black Tern. Both quite late for here I think. Distant shots.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
October 3, 2025 at 3:02 PM
A good couple of mornings dog walking (controlled) on Big Sands beach. Yesterday a Little Stint and this morning a Black Tern. Both quite late for here I think. Distant shots.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
An early skein of approx 20 Brent Geese heading south along the coast off Melvaig today.
September 1, 2025 at 3:14 PM
An early skein of approx 20 Brent Geese heading south along the coast off Melvaig today.
Found this black toad in our garden this morning. Apparently this is melanism, which is due to excessive amount of dark pigment.
August 18, 2025 at 2:05 PM
Found this black toad in our garden this morning. Apparently this is melanism, which is due to excessive amount of dark pigment.
Watching the local cuckoos you can see them emptying the hairy caterpillars gut content to avoid ingesting toxins
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
May 11, 2025 at 6:27 PM
Watching the local cuckoos you can see them emptying the hairy caterpillars gut content to avoid ingesting toxins
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
At least 2 male and 1 female Cuckoo's busy in the area around our house just now (hairy caterpillarsin abundance). Also, there are a lot of unhappy Meadow Pipits.
No sign (or sound) of Grasshopper Warbler yet.
No sign (or sound) of Grasshopper Warbler yet.
May 9, 2025 at 2:55 PM
At least 2 male and 1 female Cuckoo's busy in the area around our house just now (hairy caterpillarsin abundance). Also, there are a lot of unhappy Meadow Pipits.
No sign (or sound) of Grasshopper Warbler yet.
No sign (or sound) of Grasshopper Warbler yet.
A distant drake Surf Scoter off Gairloch this morning
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
May 6, 2025 at 12:35 PM
A distant drake Surf Scoter off Gairloch this morning
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
Lovely pair of Greenshank at a local river mouth on way to breeding ground
May 1, 2025 at 11:15 AM
Lovely pair of Greenshank at a local river mouth on way to breeding ground
Lots of R.B.Mergansers on the coast here just now.
May 1, 2025 at 11:12 AM
Lots of R.B.Mergansers on the coast here just now.
Ospreys are back using the platform on a hydro pylon near our main road to town again this year.
Green energy right enough!
Green energy right enough!
April 21, 2025 at 7:14 PM
Ospreys are back using the platform on a hydro pylon near our main road to town again this year.
Green energy right enough!
Green energy right enough!
Watching a W.T.Eagle soaring over nearby Great Skua territories this morning, at least 9 Great Skuas came up to see it off. Hopefully signs of recovery from avian flu.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
April 18, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Watching a W.T.Eagle soaring over nearby Great Skua territories this morning, at least 9 Great Skuas came up to see it off. Hopefully signs of recovery from avian flu.
#highlandbirds
#highlandbirds
Cuckoo calling by our house, Gairloch, today, 2 weeks earlier than last year.
April 17, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Cuckoo calling by our house, Gairloch, today, 2 weeks earlier than last year.
Like last April we are getting Twite at the feeders. Lovely wee birds to see through the window. You can see they have tails that are longer than Linnets, some longer than this one.
April 11, 2025 at 12:49 PM
Like last April we are getting Twite at the feeders. Lovely wee birds to see through the window. You can see they have tails that are longer than Linnets, some longer than this one.
My wife came back from walking our dog on the beach this afternoon. Said there were 2 big brown birds sitting on the sand that she thought were strange. She kept her distance but took photos with her phone.
They didn't fly away.
Couldn't believe it when I looked at the pics.
They didn't fly away.
Couldn't believe it when I looked at the pics.
March 19, 2025 at 5:25 PM
My wife came back from walking our dog on the beach this afternoon. Said there were 2 big brown birds sitting on the sand that she thought were strange. She kept her distance but took photos with her phone.
They didn't fly away.
Couldn't believe it when I looked at the pics.
They didn't fly away.
Couldn't believe it when I looked at the pics.
African Penguins relaxing on a #SuperSeabirdSunday
February 23, 2025 at 7:48 PM
African Penguins relaxing on a #SuperSeabirdSunday
An Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull that have been hanging around Gairloch for the past month. The Glaucous is continually with a flock of Eiders and surviving on food it steals from them.
#SuperSeabirdSunday
#SuperSeabirdSunday
February 9, 2025 at 7:40 PM
An Iceland Gull and Glaucous Gull that have been hanging around Gairloch for the past month. The Glaucous is continually with a flock of Eiders and surviving on food it steals from them.
#SuperSeabirdSunday
#SuperSeabirdSunday
This Buzzard didn't fly off when I stopped the car
January 31, 2025 at 6:42 PM
This Buzzard didn't fly off when I stopped the car
There's a flock of gulls feeding from an outfall near me. It's always difficult to see what's there due to the distance and the frenzy. So I phonescoped a video and slo mo'd it. Surprised to find in there 1 Glaucous 1 Med and 2 Iceland gulls.
One of them on the middle of this clip.
One of them on the middle of this clip.
January 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
There's a flock of gulls feeding from an outfall near me. It's always difficult to see what's there due to the distance and the frenzy. So I phonescoped a video and slo mo'd it. Surprised to find in there 1 Glaucous 1 Med and 2 Iceland gulls.
One of them on the middle of this clip.
One of them on the middle of this clip.
This Iceland Gull has been hanging around Gairloch the last few weeks. Looks like 2nd W/3CY bird.
Could someone please confirm?
There's also been a nice 1st W/2CY Glaucous Gull.
Picture not so sharp as phonescoped in windy conditions.
Could someone please confirm?
There's also been a nice 1st W/2CY Glaucous Gull.
Picture not so sharp as phonescoped in windy conditions.
January 12, 2025 at 4:16 PM
This Iceland Gull has been hanging around Gairloch the last few weeks. Looks like 2nd W/3CY bird.
Could someone please confirm?
There's also been a nice 1st W/2CY Glaucous Gull.
Picture not so sharp as phonescoped in windy conditions.
Could someone please confirm?
There's also been a nice 1st W/2CY Glaucous Gull.
Picture not so sharp as phonescoped in windy conditions.
An Iceland Gull feeding with gull flock off Gairloch this week.
January 1, 2025 at 8:07 PM
An Iceland Gull feeding with gull flock off Gairloch this week.