NT
On the 15th July:
1977
After an uncomfortable night in the milk churn hut we began our walk to Ronas Hill, in this area we saw 12 Red-throated Divers, 10+ Golden Plovers, Arctic and Great Skuas, 8 Ringed Plovers, 6 Lapwings, 4 Ravens, a Peregrine, Curlews, a singing male Snow Bunting, a Wren, Wheatears and 2 Arctic or Blue Hares, which was a new mammal for us.
After a long search a large white lump was spotted in-front of two large rocks which formed a small cave, a female Snowy Owl, a new bird for us and the bird we had come to see. Even at a range of around 200 yards we could see it well, the owl was very wary and closer approach was not possible. It did fly, several times, landing further up the hillside, after which we checked the cave and found pellets containing what we thought were Rabbit bones.
Later, we returned to the main road and eventually got a lift to Lerwick.
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Snowy Owl by Laurel Tucker.
1997
On a sound recording trip to the Picos de Europa Mountains in Northwest Spain.
2003
At home, in Portishead, where from the kitchen window, which overlooks the Severn Estuary, I saw a small raptor flying towards the house, as it changed direction flying parallel to me it was obviously a harrier, seeing both under and upper sides of the bird I was sure it was a 2nd year male Pallid Harrier. On such a brief view I only submitted it locally, even so, they put it down as a Montagu's, which I'm positive it wasn't.