For any wildlife photographer visiting the Outer Hebrides in late spring, one of their target species would undoubtedly be the Corncrake. A small migrant that is only found in this part of Britain throughout the summer, where it breeds.
Probably due to the very cold spring, the Corncrakes seemed to be very late displaying and in the first week of my trip I only heard the occasional one calling. Usually by the middle of May they should be heard in abundance. The fact that the vegetation hadn't really started to grow was possibly another factor, giving them little cover and making them vulnerable to predators.
With temperatures down to 3 degrees centigrade and a wind that was regularly over 40mph, it wasn't the ideal conditions to be trying to photograph Corncrakes. I had almost given up the idea of getting any shots of them at all. Then, towards the end of my second week, there was a warmer, calm day and by chance I came across a bird that was showing well alongside the road. A good hour was spent contorting out of the car window with the camera as it moved around, occasionally calling it's unique "crex crex" call. It just shows what a decent bit of weather can do, as there were many more heard calling that day.
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Steven Round Bird photography
