Canada Geese

The bow wave this pair created when paddling furiously across the pond impressed me. I also liked the way they seemed to be watching something off to one side. It reminded me of motorists "rubber-necking" at road accidents. I was tempted to shout out, "Watch where you're going!"

Eider Duck

Next time you're snuggled up at night under a warm eiderdown duvet, spare a thought for where all those feathers came from. The male eider (left) is quite distinctive whereas the female is a fairly drab speckled brown which helps her to remain unnoticed while sitting on her nest on the ground.

Greylag Geese

This image of an isolated pair of greylag geese struck a chord with me. They seemed to be reluctant to migrate along with the rest of their kind, though I daresay they eventually did.

Pochard

This pretty little diving duck is one worth looking at more closely to see the fine detail in the feathers.

Red Deer

These are found in many Scottish glens and are generally quite accepting of vehicles driving along the roads (albeit single track roads in many places). Your car, in fact, makes a pretty good mobile hide!
Sometimes I found red deer wandering across the road, so unafraid of cars that they stubbornly stood their ground. It's worth mentioning at this point that great care should be exercised when driving in these areas and we should remember that we are invading their environment, not the other way about. If you do get impatient, just get out your car - they'll soon move off! However, I simply enjoyed the experience.

Roe Deer

I'm not sure who was more startled: the deer or me. However, I recovered quickly enough to get this shot before the deer disappeared completely.

 

Slavonian Grebe

One of our rarest breeding birds, I felt really privileged to see these. Photographing them is not easy though: access is restricted to avoid disturbing their breeding areas and so I had to be happy with some longer distance shots.

Wild Boar Piglets

Well, it was a warm day and they were exhausted! Wild boar aren't exactly pretty but their young can still produce an "Awwwww!" from people. These are not roaming wild: they're residents of the Highland Wildlife Park near Aviemore.

Wolf

Wolves no longer roam wild in Scotland either, which might be of some relief to those of you who enjoy rambling and climbing. This one is a resident of the Highland Wildlife Park.