In the grounds of Scone Palace we quickly found our target species, Hawfinch. As in previous years they favoured a particular 'crossroads' and we all got excellent views. Sadly, it chose to rain just as I spotted the first bird, so all my photos can only be considered as record shots. But it's not every day you see a Hawfinch and we must have seen upwards of 10 .....
Hawfinch - Scone Palace Grounds - 20 February 2016
We left Scone ahead of schedule and were told that we were now heading for Pitlochry in search of a Ring-necked Duck. I advised on how best to reach the Cuilc, a pond in Pitlochry, and we were soon looking at a gorgeous male bird ....
Ring-necked Duck - Pitlochry - 20 February 2016
Other birds found here included a drake Mandarin, Dipper and Siskin.
From here we just made it in time for the Red Kite feeding at Argaty and what a wonderful spectacle!
Red Kites - Argaty - 20 February 2016
The highlight, however, must surely have been the Buzzard that managed to 'steal' some of the food and protect it from the Kites! See my short video here https://youtu.be/AABUtO4lJ7s
We finished our day by heading over to Gartmorn Dam in search of a male Smew and again we were successful ....
Gartmorn Dam - 20 February 2016
So a lot of travelling, but after today, my year list now stands at 111 for Scotland.
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