I could post a bunch more postcards from the Isle of Harris, but I think this ought to be the last one.
On the first full day that we were on Harris, two large birds were circling in the air near the house where we were staying. Martin identified them as white-tailed eagles (Haliaeetus albicilla): I’d never seen one of them before, so a life-time tick for me!* When they disappeared off into the distance, I assumed that was probably the last we'd see of them.
White-tailed eagles were persecuted to extinction in the UK more than 100 years ago, and have only recently been reintroduced from Norway. They breed throughout the Western Isles but are still rare, so I thought we were lucky even to get a sight of them in flight. Their history, as well as their biology, is fascinating, and I recommend the extensive Wikipedia article and the RSPB’s page as great starting points if you are interested.
One afternoon, when driving on the other side of the island, Martin's keen eyes spotted a small shape sitting at the top of a hill. Using my binoculars, he recognised it as a white-tailed eagle.
I was sitting in the back of the car, but I had my D500 with the 70-200mm f/2.8 with 2xTC within reach. It was a long way above us, but it was clearly visible in the viewfinder. Pulling the car over, I took a series of shots. We moved the car a little further on to try to get a better angle, and eventually, we found the view shown in the opening picture.
The eagle is magnificent. The white tail is clearly visible, and what a look! They are among the largest eagles, with wingspans up to nearly two and a half metres.
The picture above is, inevitably, a deep crop, and represents about 20% of the area of the original picture. So, apologies for the relatively poor quality of the image, but I’m knocked out just to get it :-).
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*I’m not a twitcher, but it is gratifying to see a new species for the first time. Another life-time tick on Harris was a pair of black guillemots, already in winter plumage, swimming in a small harbour towards the South-West of the island.