Scottish Beasties Archives - Pictures of Scotland

Waxwings

Waxwings are winter visitors to Scotland. They breed in Scandanavia, and some of them spend the winter here – which shows how harsh the winters must be in Scandinavia! They are usually found in small flocks, […]

Kestrel Hovering

This kestrel was photographed hunting on scrubland near Levenhall Links at Musselburgh. This is reclaimed land, created by building a sea wall and infilling with ash from the now demolished Cockenzie power station. The kestrel […]

Nuthatch

Nuthatch. Popped in to the David Marshall Lodge in The Trossachs, (or The Lodge as it is known now) to try and get some Red Squirrel Shots. No luck with the squirrels, but nice to […]

Reed Bunting

Male Reed Bunting, spotted on one of my regular walks from the mouth of the River Esk at Musselburgh along to the Musselburgh Lagoons and Levenhall Links. This land was all reclaimed from the sea […]

Midges In Scotland

Welcome To Scotland. Midges in Scotland can be a real problem. Visit any country in the world, and as soon as you head for the great outdoors, you can be sure to find wild animals, […]

Common Buzzard

When I was young, it was quite unusual to see a Buzzard, but over the past 30 years or so, the Common Buzzard has become, eh….. quite common. Nowadays their range is expanding and it […]

Leaping Salmon, Buchanty Spout

Leaping Salmon, Buchanty Spout, Sept 2018 One of the best places in Scotland to see or photograph leaping salmon, is Buchanty Spout in Perthshire. As anyone who has tried to take shots of salmon jumping […]

So that’s Why Curlews Have Such a Long Beak!

Curlew Versus Crab Walking along the coastal path at Musselburgh when I spotted a Curlew splashing about in the mouth of the River Esk at low Tide. It was a fair distance away and I […]

Seals Taking it Easy in the Forth near Edinburgh

Seals in the River Forth taking it easy. These seals are almost always visible, at Morrison’s Haven just outside of Edinburgh. To see them, head out of Musselburgh, past the racecourse, and take the coast […]

Red Deer Hinds

Red Deer Got pretty close to these red deer hinds before I was spotted. Managed to get a couple of pictures, then they were gone.

Magpie

Magpie A magpie cooling his toes in the last of the winter snow.

Teal Duck

Teal duck

Swan Taking Off

Lift Off A swan doing its best to take off on the River Esk. Eventually it ran out of runway and gave up!

Red Throated Diver

Red Throated Diver A Red Throated Diver, Loch Fada, South Uist

Dolphins

Dolphins Travelling from the mainland to the Outer Hebrides, you will often see dolphins swimming alongside the ferry. Trying to get a photograph of them is really difficult as they tend to appear and disappear […]