What have you seen

Moved up to Dornoch from Carrbridge and as we drove along the road by the Cromarty Firth 2 Red Kites and a Heron flew over within a minute of eachother.

Well I'm back......

Seem to be losing my touch....back home and my pic's seem so soft, nowhere near as sharp as I would want...thinking of having my lens serviced, anybody done the same?

Had a walk around the meadows near the campsite this morning. The meadows have been basically left to allow the wild flowers to grow and they were lovely. Many of them are common but some are not as common in the UK as they should be. Plants like Greater Meadow Rue or Solomons Seal. There were lots of Purple and Yellow Flag Iris and a few Orchids, too far away to identify. The Water Avens were a delight.

There is a stream running through the meadows and we saw 4 Red Breasted Mergansers, all female, sitting in a quiet spot as well as a Dipper and a Hooded Crow on the fields. There is a further part of the "Moos" that we can't get access to as they have breeding Corncrake and other wet meadow birds like Curlews and Snipe. We can only cycle part of the way in so will venture out when we get a fine evening to listen for them.

All in all a very satisfying 2 and a half hours with a wonderful backdrop of huge mountains. All that was missing was Julie Andrews (thank goodness).

Greylag, where have you been to come back from? Piccies look fine to me but then again I'm not renowned as a photographer!

We will hopefully be at the Moos by next Tuesday, was really hoping to see Crakes.

Nice photos GL, where have you been?

Scotland

No these are OK, it is back at home that in poor light I cannot get really sharp pic's.

I sat watching Grey Wagtails feeding young yesterday and binned 95% of my efforts.

Going out after tea and hopefully the Barn Owl that slept all day across the marsh might be out.

Different Moos, Oneputt. You can walk all the way around the Murnaeur Moos. This one is the Bergener Moos, just south of the A9 near Traunstein.

Out yesterday at Tarbetness there were Golden Plovers feeding on the rocks just off the shore, along with a couple of other slightly larger all grey waders which I couldn't identify. Also Yellowhammers, Meadow & Rock Pipits, &  Whinchats on the gorse, and in the forest by the site a pair of Bull Finches.

They look pretty sharp on here, I have taken my lenses and camera to Canon for calibration under warranty. While there a guy came in with 2 pro bodies and lenses 600mm f4 and the expensive zoom which he has cleaned and serviced twice per year as he does a lot of safari work.

His charge was £370 for same day clean.

Help please, anyone know how to upload a video or where to find the guidance that used to be easy to find. Search facility no help at all.

GL, just read your follow up post, it is probably the flat lighting, I have binned most of the pics taken lately. The camera does not like the flat lighting as the contrast is what the cameras are set up to focus on it seems.

Heading over to Minsmere way on Sunday for a week then up Snettisham way the second week then Bempton Cliffs for the third leg

Any suggestions from you knowledgeable locals as to where to be sure to visit.