25/101.
Philomachus pugnax Ruff
Location: Levenhall Links natural reserve, East Lothian, Scotland.
Conditions: Warm, humid, sunny spells but plentiful cloud, late afternoon.
Photograph quality: 2-3.
Comments: This should be number 23 chronologically, but I only realised I had a potential shot of a ruff yesterday, when I finally started going through all my photographs from Scotland systematically. There was always a chance I'd captured one - I took lots of pictures of the assemblage of large waders while I was at this location, as I knew a couple of ruffs were there, but they weren't visible at the time I reached the second hide.
I noticed one bird that was slightly smaller than the godwits around it, and although its head is at awkward angles, in the first shot you can see its beak, which is much shorter than these other birds'. iSpot, a website where wildlife sightings can be identified and double-checked, returned a massive positive confirmation - including a response from the British Trust for Ornithology, so I can add this to my list of confirmed sightings.
I'd love to see a ruff more clearly, especially in breeding plumage, but that will have to wait until next year. Anyhow, I'm a quarter of the way to my goal, which is pretty good.
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