(gavia stellata)
The Red-throated Diver (or Red-throated Loon) is the commonest of the Diver species found in Scotland. In winter quite large numbers can be found in some estuaries - the estuary of the River Clyde between Ardmore Point and Greenock can sometimes have over a hundred birds. In summer it breeds mostly in north and north-western Scotland, especially in the Northern Isles. It will often breed on a relatively small fishless pond or loch and commute to a larger water or to the sea to fish. The birds photographed here are a breeding pair at an undisclosed location in the Clyde area of west-central Scotland. Unfortunately this breeding site sems to have been abandoned with no evidence of nesting activity for the last few years.