The word thermals is usually associated with underwear in Scotland....though on some sunny days it has another meaning!
A few hours spent in a local glen for raptors had proved pretty quiet, so we decided to head up on to the moors, taking a road which climbs up to nearly 2000ft to view from there. The day was very warm with unstable air, perfect for some good thermals so we decided to stop and scan.
In every direction we picked up groups of thermaling Buzzards, up to 7 or 8 at a time, climbing to well over 3000ft, joined also by Kestrels, Sparrowhawk, Merlin....and it wasn't long before we got Eagles too. A pair drifted in from high north, from one direction and from the south an imm joined a thermal of Buzzards for a while before heading a few miles west to join a second thermal of Buzzards.
No wonder there were no raptors down in the glen, they were all up enjoying the perfect flying conditions. We watched the Eagles cover 4 or 5 miles in minutes after climbing. There were probably in excess of 20 raptors in the sky at any one time from the view point....brilliant.
A few hours spent in a local glen for raptors had proved pretty quiet, so we decided to head up on to the moors, taking a road which climbs up to nearly 2000ft to view from there. The day was very warm with unstable air, perfect for some good thermals so we decided to stop and scan.
In every direction we picked up groups of thermaling Buzzards, up to 7 or 8 at a time, climbing to well over 3000ft, joined also by Kestrels, Sparrowhawk, Merlin....and it wasn't long before we got Eagles too. A pair drifted in from high north, from one direction and from the south an imm joined a thermal of Buzzards for a while before heading a few miles west to join a second thermal of Buzzards.
No wonder there were no raptors down in the glen, they were all up enjoying the perfect flying conditions. We watched the Eagles cover 4 or 5 miles in minutes after climbing. There were probably in excess of 20 raptors in the sky at any one time from the view point....brilliant.
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