I'm not sure I am going to get through this review of the year at this rate, so expect increasingly frequent and more badly drafted posts from this point on as I seek to catch up. The highlight of April 2016 for me was a family holiday in Scotland, in a divine cottage on the shores of Loch Creran. Divers, Tysties and Eiders from the garden made for a special location, and a bit of
Scottish nightlife was on show too thanks to the moth trap. Despite some typically
dreich weather, the birdlife in
Oban Harbour provided plenty to photograph:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpPD48uWE9J-9X_hqpEjaUZPEagWNYDah4l9VWgN5hZI_Cf94QqlT-ihSV3Ri7sELzvxaoDPwF6ZmzK5LFi7ZrfLuccLHnWhJr6wUp8SbNAQBLfqAEPQ0WkgT7zkWny0cG8oNXmVo8DpA/s400/Blog+Tystie+14.JPG) |
Black Guillemot, Oban Harbour: my photo, and bird, of the month for April |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDXcXfyy5JhYrADXG7hNnmnVtmgN2RG2H-L9D6rmb500MIjgVaruwg7kLq_TSwAT_EtWbU23nRxSkjl22DWfvEFLXxQizE7knmLMFJgmoESM0ymuJRMMGZpd4oyiTzgKUjM-e0jllmXSY/s400/Blog+Iceland+best.JPG) |
Iceland Gull, Oban Harbour |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSnCR4Yd5bPwPZGPUkXNZ_CtBWiuP2W6fLLDW0HEB3iVTCYkN7TekxIKY9LRBuP095n7WV9IsaisiteLJvLQLQnWj7x2aQbq1X-nXajPKebSupCfCnxcGxr8ldE3yuKqhmndANlqFrnhY/s400/Blog+Hooded+Crow+10.JPG) |
Hooded Crow, Oban Harbour |
On returning from Scotland, spring migration was in full flow in Dorset - I was able to photograph an approachable Hoopoe, a more elusive Bluethroat and a positively coy Western Subalpine Warbler on the same memorable
day on Portland:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_OFQN_7VWL9QRfKh0p9QyU1ADMS6d6IYmyM7FYPp5BFDa-JirmyZi4TQjNXH6T124apVN9ZnIL13WvpXzqCDLKdJS3lV3DmAkDSV-0aHyqRZPLnCfHPfoTPYLatFlpoDYHiIPQv3Kf94/s400/Blog+Hoopoe+3.JPG) |
Hoopoe, Portland |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHR31ABX7mOaxR2cQAFUgBPt997xc3i7OJvlKU6jtkKk1RezlGvHtMx0J52w4Yl2mmAYBgFpSGyzADU0vdyLPmqUq5WwHMQOewKco2XnkmHYaH_Cy20KHTu5G9m6T4h9YkGm0r-OJatg4/s400/Blog+Subalp+4.JPG) |
Western Subalpine Warbler, Portland |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg08xmiesUZyr7J0GQWgNyJXCtOCVB_7jnGL81937H3t-6nEXpjSiXSaUTA_67eJn_An3vPoKxuqJY30BXW6jFYnHYnSObXgO57VQ60vhJqU5MqZC4T7Y8yO9HWciWIoHvOBsFxJ1Fd5hg/s400/Blog+Bluethroat+2.JPG) |
White-spotted Bluethroat, Portland |
Closer to home spring also produced some good birds around Purbeck: Nightingales returning to their traditional breeding site on the Corfe Ridge, Hobbies hawking over Stoborough Heath and, one of the patch highlights of the year, a strikingly summer-plumaged
Bar-tailed Godwit at Swineham.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLfRBB6ShFmZmlBMpgMyOC-36e9XpVlCNNPXpBgGSZbHWxAGtTbb0Un0AqODK66pcZVeRS9fm7YvM-4quld4jFXqkd2SThooo38XKmcXOnbtfca5VSAJCwg_mvtxzvqpmK11FbAR6zVsg/s400/Nightingale.JPG) |
Nightingale |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_3aUc5TtCia02JtS0y_5Q8ogAR0Ez94p1o1sPWnaPPaUp50wtvuN1iFOWFJFyFLhfjDTyeI4lo_rxebIDuCSSGpjUAYZSpe1Gr5w8hn3WCuIj7gaBoPyw_JUeihCdvXLifScc8jQ5lAo/s400/Hobby+2.JPG) |
Hobby, Stoborough Heath |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0UwodttqF0-1DzWBKM9tDQWyE8ymqV1hTCvHSx1Qm-63PCW3DojY-0dkVXzLItGaNQUyeBJb5ILYpMu5NEf0l0Hf3KMqV60ZNYsjgBMoxia7FctQXm4MaetIeHNR-cEfgyFq6A8DjaVI/s400/Barwit+8.JPG) |
Bar-tailed Godwit, Swineham |
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