Early May offers some of the best opportunities of the year to watch and photograph wildlife in the Scottish Highlands. Charismatic species such as Slavonian Grebes are looking their best. I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of blue sky days beside a small loch where a couple of pairs were holding territories. This pair spent much of their time going back and fore visiting a small sedge bed, where I assumed that they were later going to nest. To get to the sedge bed  they frequently passed close along the loch shore at a point were a bivi hide could be sited.

Summer migrant warblers time their arrival to coincide with the buds bursting on the tree canopy and the emergence of myriads of moth larvae which feed on the fresh leaves. Wood Warblers have returned to our local oakwoods in better numbers than in the past few seasons. Sadly there still appears to be a preponderance  of singing males unable to attract mates.

Chiff Chaff is at the northern extent of its UK range here in the Highlands. It is difficult to know how many of the singing males ever find mates. I have never had any firm evidence of birds breeding locally

Grasshopper warblers are so secretive that just getting to see one takes perseverance and luck.