Redshanks on the Pier

Two redshanks on the crumbling pier at Lower Largo. The smaller bird in the foreground is I think a turnstone.

In front of the redshanks there were two resting eider ducks.

Oystercatchers at the End of the Pier

At high tide this afternoon, oystercatchers (Haematopus ostralegus) resting on the crumbling pier at Lower Largo. They were mostly all facing the same direction and many were sleeping.

At the back of the group of oystercatchers there were also few a black-headed gulls, a curlew with its long curved beak and a sleeping eider duck.  

Guillemots, Razorbills and Others

A colony of guillemots on the Isle of May.

Guillemots (Uria aalge) and razorbills (Alca torda) are both members of the auk family. The easiest way to tell them apart is by the shape of the bill, the guillemot has a pointed bill and the razorbill a shorter flatter bill crossed by a white line. Both are present in this photo, two razorbills bottom left, guillemots top and right.

Lesser black-backed gull and two chicks. These gulls are voracious  predators. Special measures using garden canes and tiny wooden tents have been introduced into the tern breeding areas to protect the eggs and chicks from these gulls.

Lesser black-backed gull nesting.

Eider ducks nesting.

Nesting shags taken on a previous visit to the Isle of May some years ago. Beautiful dark green sheen on the feathers, bright yellow patch on each side of the bill and a crest of feathers on top of the head, distinguish the shag from the cormorant.

Kittewakes nesting on the rocks opposite.

Eider Ducks with their Ducklings

Eider ducks with their ducklings just off the shore in front of the Massney Braes at Lundin Links. Counted twenty ducklings in all.

Sleeping Eider Ducks

Two male eider ducks asleep on the Lower Largo Harbour slipway.

I tried not to disturb them as I took a photo but they must have heard the camera shutter and next moment they were off into the water joined by another that must have been round the corner.

There were more eider ducks swimming in the shelter of the harbour.

Eider Ducks at Lower Largo

Often see eider ducks on the rocks opposite the pier in Lower Largo. Today though they were in the harbour. Most of them seemed to be sleeping.

Male eider duck (Somateria mollissima).

Eider Duck Creche

Female eider ducks with their ducklings swimming in the harbour at Lower Largo. They operate a kind of creche system, and team up to share the work of rearing the ducklings. There were no adult males in the group.

Two female eider ducks with three ducklings

Eider ducklings

Eider Ducks with Ducklings

A pair of eider ducks with ducklings swimming just off the pier in Lower Largo.

Eider Ducks Sheltering

 Two male eider ducks sleeping in the shelter of the slipway to Lower Largo harbour. There are also two redshanks in the picture. Scroll down for clearer pictures.

 One of the eider ducks has woken up. Clearer picture of one of the redshanks.

Now both of the eider ducks are awake, probably alerted by the warning cry of the redshanks as they flew off on my approach.

Eider Ducks and Ducklings

An eider duck with four ducklings swimming off Largo Pier. The ducklings looked so tiny as they battled the waves.

Ducks and Ducklings - Inner Farne

Going for a Walk with Mum. A Mallard leads her Ducklings.

A female Eider Duck takes a rest on the boardwalk seemingly unconcerned about the visitors wandering past. The female Eider looks very like the female Mallard but is bigger and has a characteristic wedge shaped head.

Eider Ducks

High tide and a pair of eider ducks have found a piece of dry ground at the base of a post in Lower Largo harbour

Eider Ducklings

Female eider ducks with their ducklings swimming round the pier at Lower Largo. Female eider ducks operate a kind of creche system, and team up to share the work of rearing the ducklings. There are also mallard ducklings about. Sadly, as I feared the pair of swans that were nesting just upstream from the harbour on the banks of the Keil Burn were not successful. The nest was in the wrong place, and was underwater at high tide. They eventually abandoned their attempts.

Eider Ducks

The pier at the harbour in Lower Largo is a good spot for watching seabirds. There are some rocks opposite the pier and there are often gulls, herons, cormorants, mallards and eider ducks to be seen. Today, as well as a group of mallards, there were two eider ducks swimming in the harbour. The male (in the picture on its own) is black and white, the bird with the patchy plumage is likely to be a juvenile.