Red Throated Diver

And unlike the last time I saw one at Portobello it was living up to its name, resplendent in summer plumage. I had been watching a big group of auks and Goosanders in something of a feeding frenzy very close to the shore - a shoal of sand eels perhaps - and got talking with another birdwatcher, M, walking by. He said a swimmer he had just spoken to said they had seen a Red Throated Diver earlier and had I seen it? At that point I hadn't and he headed off along the beach while I stayed watching the Guillemots for a while. When I caught him up, the diver had appeared, as if summoned by our conversation, and we both took photos of it. I then followed it as it worked its way along the beach, not far offshore and at time closer in than groups of swimmers. There are investigations ongoing to see if there is a sinister reason for all these unusual birds so close onshore. Perhaps they have just found a plentiful food supply? Let's hope that is all it is, and not something more serious affecting the North Sea ecosystem.