Woodpigeon (Columbus palumbus ) Since the area of \u200b\u200bthe beach we saw a group of sea ducks near the rocks, were Eider. This species of duck develops its life in sea water and is known mostly because feathers were prepared with the famous quilts. Female chickens were a large and elongated beak with its characteristic sought some food (this species feeds mainly on crustaceans).
Female Common Eider ( Somateria mollissima) In the coastal area we also saw numerous waders and turnstone, oystercatcher, redshanks and common sandpiper. The black-headed gulls, dark and silver also roamed the place with a heron foraged in small tidal pools. Other species we saw in this area was an Arctic tern, the species that the migratory process develops world's longest as it travels the globe from north to south. Here are a dunlin and sandwich.
Dunlin (Calidris alpina ) youth
Arctic Tern ( Sterna paradisaea ) Satisfied with the sightings decided to take the course to Anstruther, where they would take a boat to the Isle of May, important breeding colony of seabirds and place where we would spend much of the day. In the Scottish grassland is fairly easy encounter with mammals such as deer and foxes. The fact that Britain is an island that has limited the variety present in mammalian species is more complicated because if a species disappears again get itself into the region. Mammals of Great Britain came in many cases when most of the northern hemisphere was covered by ice and snow and British country permaecía joined the rest of Europe for these bridges icy. For example there was a wolf in the UK, but intensive hunting ended with the extinguishing those islands.
Roe Deer (Capreolus capreolus ) The main objective of the day was to photograph one of the symbols of Scotland: puffins. August is not the best time to see them but we were lucky and since the early days of the month is still 10% of the puffins stayed on the island of May, so we could coseguir an image. However, other species like guillemots and auklets had already left the cliffs and were at sea with their young by teaching them to defend themselves. We took the boat at Anstruther and on the way to the island we saw several species of seabirds, common murres, alkaline, gannets, fulmars, cormorants and puffins. The alkaline single guillemot and we saw on the trip was in this transect so here we were pretty lucky. The alcid are seabirds that only visit land to breed, the rest of the time living on the high seas fishing and floating on water. Even drink sea water as many species of birds marinasy through salt glands found in the area of \u200b\u200bpeak remove excess salt.
common Arao ( Aria aalge) 
common Alca (Alca torda ) with youthful year
Fulmar boreal ( Fulmarus glacialis) in flight over the sea 
shag (Phalacrocorax Aristotelis ) 
Puffin (Fratercula arctica ) As we approached the island the bird activity was increasing. Large groups of cormorants and puffins were busy fishing. On the rocks that skirt the island of May rested many copies gray seal, the most abundant of the British Isles. After landing, the guide on the island gave us a brief explanation of the species that breed on the island, the research conducted by biologists and banded population control and a little rules that we follow in order not to harm the birds or their nests. We should not leave the trails to avoid stepping on the nests of puffins because they breed in small underground burrows the weight of a person would sink the gallery.
The first nest we could see were those of northern fulmar. Is a species that always caught my attention and whose noses tubular serve to remove excess salt as I said before. They breed in cliffs Durate often visit all year round although more often cope following offshore fishing boats and feeding. They have a elegant flight striking along the high cliffs of the Isle of May. Here are some photos of the species.
Nest northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis ) 
couple of fulmars flying 
Fulmar on Scottish waters remained few puffins on the island and we saw was far from the path But suddenly, near the landing area left her a puffin burrow far enough away to photograph conditions. This is one of the species you've seen over and over again in documentaries, photographs, etc ... and always have an image which default. I personally imagined them slightly larger and awkward. However, the speed of their flights is espectuacular. Specimens were still coming to prime the islands but photograph them in flight is quite complicated and landing areas were remote. I remember seeing a documentary recently about puffins in which the populations of these animals are completely dependent on the amount of sand eels (fish semajantes anchovy) which has as its main diet component and their chicks during the first weeks.
Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica )
Group puffins on the Isle of May 
Puffins with fattening peak rabbits so plentiful in Scotland, also exist in the Isle of May. Were brought there by the monks who lived for many years in the island, and that served as one of sustenance.
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus ) We had almost 3 hours to enjoy the island, which flew by. We also had time to do some landscape of the island with their tracks and greens and yellows. Here is a picture of the breeding colonies and the island in general.
May breeding colony 
May Island to re-embark
Anstruther but before the ferry gave us a tour around the island to appreciate its colonies and to look more closely at the abundant gray seals. Cormorants were also everywhere and most of them ringed muesra of intensive scientific study carried out in May, where they have each and every one of the copies that are born and bred there.
Grey Seals (Halichoerus grypus ) on the Isle of May 
shag (Phalacrocorax Aristotelis ) ringed A priori it may seem that these birds are free from any kind of danger by the fact of living on an island. However, a predator watching the cliffs of the Scottish colonies. I speak of the peregrine falcon. Specifically the peregrinus subspecies that inhabits across the UK and most of Europe. The fastest of our birds is a food pantry in these breeding colonies and which has no competitors for food and the number of prisoners is more than enough.
peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus sbsp peregrinus) in May After the visit to the Isle of May, we took the car in Anstruther and we head north to Aviemore, near the PN of the Cairngorms, the largest natural park from across the UK. Before we stopped in the forest of The Hermitage. A place with trees and a small church built in an enclave of story with a waterfall.
Cascades at The Hermitage 
Forest Hermitage we headed to the Highlands, the Highlands of Scotland where we expect encounters with deer, ptarmigans, grouse, etc ... All this in subsequent entries. I hope you enjoyed and thanks for visiting the blog.
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