Stephen Burch's Birding Website UK bird pics: Spring/Summer 2025

UK Bird Pics Spring/Summer 2025

	Arctic Skua, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 1 July 2025 For the first week of our latest Scottish trip we stayed in Ullapool which was reasonably close to Handa Island. I have visited this wonderful island several times in the past, going back to the late 1960s! Unusually, the weather was sunny and warm for our visit this time. The main draw for the photographer here is the Arctic Skuas that come very close when the marked track heads through one or other of their territories. It was good to encounter several pairs on the moorland stretches of the path showing there has been some recovery from bird flu. I was carrying my 100-500 lens for this walk which had the advantage of being able to zoom out when the birds came in close, as one is doing here. Getting good shots was tricky though, especially given the harsh sun. I took several thousands on the island! Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip.
	Arctic Skua, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 1 July 2025 Getting good settled shots was also difficult because of the harsh light. Also, although the birds sometimes perched on mounds, these tended to be into the sun and they frequently landed in the heather instead, as here. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Great Skua, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 1 July 2025 There were also pairs of Great Skua around, but none we saw were harassing the visitors. I had only relatively distant views of them in flight, but came across of couple of very tame birds settled on the ground by the path. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Puffin, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 1 July 2025 Sticking to the path it isn't normally easy to get close to Puffins. However this one was briefly right at the top of the cliffs, almost next to the path. It soon departed having been flushed by a passing Fulmar (see below) that came very close. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Fulmar, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 1 July 2025 Having just flushed the Puffin, here is the Fulmar hanging in the wind. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Red-breated Merganser, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 6 July 2025 For our second week, we took the ferry from Ullapool to Stornaway, and then drove down to Tarbert on the Isle of Harris. The bird photography here was less productive and the weather poorer. Although we saw plenty of both eagle species, none ever came close enough to be worth showing here. Early one morning, when the forecast was good, I took myself out for an early morning drive around to see what I could find from the car, or near to it. This Red-breasted Merganser was remarkably obliging and and swam right past me quite close in. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Black-throated Diver, Handa Island, Highland, Scotland. 6 July 2025 Shortly after locating the merganser (see above), I spotted this superb diver out on a loch. However it never came very close, and this is the best I could do with my "long-range" gear - the R7 with 500mmf4 & x2 TC, which gives an effective focal length of 1600mm. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Osprey, Aviemore, Highland, Scotland. 12 July 2025 Last year, we had disappointing sessions at the now effectively discontinued Rothiemurchus Fisheries. Hence this year I tried the other nearby establishment - Aviemore Ospreys. Typically in the peak season (which July is definitely in), it was suggested that there should be up to about 10 dives a morning, compared with the single unsatisfactory dive last year, over two sessions! However when we were staying near Aviemore this year, it was very hot with day time max temperatures over 30C! In these conditions, the Ospreys changed their hunting habits, and this first morning an aggressive, territorial male was driving off most other birds. Hence there were only two dives, one very early when it was still misty over the pond and the other later, but the bird then flew away from the hide I was in, ruling out any worthwhile photos. For the first dive, the light was very poor requiring an ISO of 25,600. This, combined with low contrast due to the mist, meant the resulting image quality was very limited, even with the latest AI NR tools. Here is the only image from that first morning that had sufficient quality, in my view, to show here. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Osprey, Aviemore, Highland, Scotland. 13 July 2025 Fortunately I had booked two successive early morning sessions, which entailed successive starts at a very challenging 03:20! For the second morning, there was more wind and hence no mist, and the territorial bird from yesterday was not in evidence. Even so, there were only three dives that morning, with the first two again being very early in poor light. The last dive was much later, by which time the light was much stronger and in fact pretty harsh, given the cloudless sky. Still with three dives, and each lasting about 3 seconds, at 30 frames/sec I ended up with a fair number of images to chose from. Here is a small selection. For others, see the photo gallery - link below. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Osprey, Aviemore, Highland, Scotland. 13 July 2025 This was one of my favourites from the session, with the bird holding the huge fish in an unusual vertical grip. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Osprey, Aviemore, Highland, Scotland. 13 July 2025 Another image showing the wings raised. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Osprey, Aviemore, Highland, Scotland. 13 July 2025 An image from the last dive taken in much better but quite harsh light. Click to enlarge For additional photos go to my photo gallery for this trip
	Sandwich Tern, Brownsea Island, Dorset. 4 April 2025 The main target of this visit to Brownsea Island was the Red Squirrels. However after a good session with these, I though the second DWT lagoon hide would be worth a try for Sandwich Terns. However, although the birds were present on the lagoon, they hadn't returned to their nesting islands. So there wasn't much to be seen. But just as I was departing their familiar calls alert me to the presence of birds in flight. I got this photo and the one below from the boardwalk leading up to the hide, which isn't easy as it is so high. Being tall helps! Click to enlarge
	Sandwich Tern, Brownsea Island, Dorset. 4 April 2025 See above. A slightly closer bird nut without a fish. Click to enlarge
	Little Owl, Portland Bill, Dorset. 3 April 2025 Good to see that this bird was still present at this traditional site. On my first visit here this week, the light was very harsh and the bird was sitting in a different crevice, partially obscured by grasses. So I came back later in the week, early one morning for another attempt. This time I was looking almost directly into strong sun initially which made things very tricky. However things got easier when some cloud appeared to cover the sun. As ever here, the challenge is to get a photo with the bird awake with both eyes open! Click to enlarge
	Greenshank, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset. 30 March 2025 This lovely wader (one of my favourites) was present this afternoon, and came close in a very rapid flight. Here it is executing a very sharp turn while calling loudly. Regrettably I lost the bird against the distant houses after this frame when it came even closer and more sideways on.
	Oystercatchers, Lodmoor RSPB, Dorset. 30 March 2025 A flyby by a noisy pair of Oystercatchers on a lovely sunny late afternoon.
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