The Hebrides, Scotland and Bempton. ( part one)

Back in June we made a bit of an epic journey in the van to visit the Outer Hebrides, having been to Shetland and Mull before the Scottish Islands and Highlands always pull us back again.I booked up a number of campsites before we left Devon and off we set, stopping overnight near Lockerbie before travelling North to a site at Ardfern ,not far from Oban where we stayed for a couple of nights. Right beside Lochgilphead, a short walk produced Red Breasted Mergansers and our first White Tailed Eagle of the trip, as well as the more common species like Hooded Crows and Greylag Geese among others.

Lochgiliphead. I spent a nice sunny but cold evenig watching this male Red Breasted Merganser preening qiute near ths shore, nobody else in sight , just the way I like it.

A long walk along the lanes to another part of the loch where we watched a pair of Reed Buntings taking food to their young, Grey Heron , Greylag Geese, Herring Gull and Hooded Crow as well as Marsh Frittillary butterflies on Spotted Orchids, lots of Cotton Grass and Yellow Flag Iris.

We headed into Oban the next morning to catch the Ferry to Castlbay on Barra to start out travels around the islands.Exciting.