Dave Pullan - Photos of the Month

Part of a group of 7, this female was taking part in lots of display activity including wing-flagging, shown here, and perhaps getting ready for a second attempt at breeding after bad weather in May.

26th July: An unusually late chick takes a ride on the back of one of its parents. This adult is actually the male, with a longer and deeper bill than the female.

A decent-sized snack for one of the Moray Firth Dolphins. Notice the choppy rip-tide which seems to make migrating Salmon more vulnerable to ambush.

A stag in the rain. Photographed at the beginning of the month and before the rut really got going, this animal was more interested in feeding than females.

One of several local Reds that now look quite grey as they take on a winter coat.

22nd Nov: Not quite in full, white, winter plumage yet. The feathered legs (to which the genus name Lagopus refers) and feet show well here.

21st December; First-winter. Ormsary, Argyll.

First-winter, Ullapool

21st March, Kanha National Park.

We were fortunate with this male Tiger because we had him more or less to ourselves for 45 minutes. As we followed him through this period he never once looked at us, quickened his pace or acknowledged our presence in any way. Instead he got on with what he wanted to do, i.e. spray trees to mark his territory and sit down in a waterhole to drink and cool off. At one stage it was amusing to see him cause panic amongst a group of Chital (Spotted Deer) that he got very close to without trying. He wasn't in a hunting mood however and went off to find some shade instead as the morning temperature continued to rise.

14th June. Treshnish Isles.

24th July. Chanonry Point, Black Isle.

16th August. Brier Island, Nova Scotia, Canada.

26th September. Burghead, Moray.

Eiders are normally thought of as feeding on mussels but this one is eating a fish; a Bullhead. (Probably a Long-spined Bullhead also known as a Sea Scorpion, kindly identified by Andy Horton at www. glaucus.org.uk).

28th October. Loch of Strathbeg.

JUNE 2006: Dotterel

Part of a group of 7, this female was taking part in lots of display activity including wing-flagging, shown here, and perhaps getting ready for a second attempt at breeding after bad weather in May.