Gav Troon's Photographic Memory

Gav Troon's Photographic Memory Photographer based in Moray, Scotland, but will travel the whole country given the chance. Birds, Wildlife, Landscapes, Aviation, Humans, Others.

Another view from the NC500’s western side of the loop, taken from a viewpoint near Kylestrome just north of the well-kn...
06/09/2026

Another view from the NC500’s western side of the loop, taken from a viewpoint near Kylestrome just north of the well-known Kylesku Bridge. I like the ‘folding’ appearance of the land, where the geology of the formation of this tough landscape is evident.

NC500 viewpoint
Kylestrome, Sutherland, Scottish Highlands // July 2026
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There’s a perfect, secluded spot just beyond the RSPB reserve at Bullers of Buchan on the Aberdeenshire coast which is h...
01/09/2026

There’s a perfect, secluded spot just beyond the RSPB reserve at Bullers of Buchan on the Aberdeenshire coast which is halfway between the facing clifftops and sea level, and at the peak of breeding season there’s almost a constant blanket of auks sweeping in an upward trajectory from water level to cliff level at top speed. There’s no cleverness in these shots though – it’s pot luck and split-second decisions which bird you choose to try and focus on. I wouldn’t like to disclose what the success rate was, but this one was perfect amongst a sea of duds – a Razorbill.

Razorbill racing by
Bullers of Buchan, Aberdeenshire, Scotland // June 2026
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It’s cheating a bit to say this is a wildlife shot, but the butterflies in their pavilion at the Artis zoo in Amsterdam ...
26/08/2026

It’s cheating a bit to say this is a wildlife shot, but the butterflies in their pavilion at the Artis zoo in Amsterdam live very much as they would in the wild, albeit walled in. This one, a Tiger Longwing, is a beaut.

Tiger Longwing
Artis Zoo Butterfly Pavilion, Amsterdam, Netherlands // July 2026
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In search of birds on a small loch up in the hills near Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness which never materialized...
18/08/2026

In search of birds on a small loch up in the hills near Drumnadrochit on the banks of Loch Ness which never materialized – but had a great time photographing these Common Blue Damselflies instead and their ownership disputes over the various reeds they were resting on. This pair landed at the exact same second which provided a good photo opportunity, but one was quickly dislodged by the other.

Common Blue Damselflies
Loch nam Bat, Scottish Highlands // July 2026
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For me, this is where the NC500 tourist route around the north of Scotland gets interesting if you’re westbound – more d...
31/07/2026

For me, this is where the NC500 tourist route around the north of Scotland gets interesting if you’re westbound – more dramatic mountain scenery just before you turn south at Durness and head down the west coast. This is a very fine view from the Kyle of Tongue bridge, looking back to the mountain range of Ben Loyal, its highest summit of An Caisteal deceptively small at just over 2,500 feet high.

Ben Loyal view
Kyle of Tongue, Sutherland, Scottish Highlands // July 2026
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Smoo Cave, one of the most popular tourist attractions in one of Scotland’s most sparsely populated areas, Sutherland. T...
29/07/2026

Smoo Cave, one of the most popular tourist attractions in one of Scotland’s most sparsely populated areas, Sutherland. The cave is around 11 miles east of Scotland’s most north-westerly tip, giving it a definite feeling of remoteness.

Gone underground
Smoo Cave, Durness, Sutherland, Scottish Highlands // July 2026
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In one of the largest areas of wilderness in Scotland stands ‘The Unknown’, a nodal-iron skeleton and monument to the Hi...
20/07/2026

In one of the largest areas of wilderness in Scotland stands ‘The Unknown’, a nodal-iron skeleton and monument to the Highland Clearances. Eight and a half feet tall, it’s positioned to stand overlooking the vast, empty Sutherland landscape, and that it does with formidable presence in this lest-visited pocket of the world. I tried to capture the view its permanent gaze looks upon from behind, but it was towards the sun and the sculpture too high, so a bit of imagination is required. Anyway, tree versus metal carries a bit of a surreal look.

The Unknown
Borgie Forest, Sutherland, Scottish Highlands // July 2026
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Wildlife photography rarely turns out what you expect unless you’ve limitless time and money. What usually happens to me...
19/07/2026

Wildlife photography rarely turns out what you expect unless you’ve limitless time and money. What usually happens to me is the thing I went out to see isn’t there but something unexpected occurs instead. That thing I went out to see will happen on a different, unexpected day. And so it was with these Black Guillemots. There were six pairs milling about on the water right in front of me, feeding, chasing, fighting… and a good half of them followed each other onto this rock and spent their time bickering amongst themselves. I was so long sitting there, I didn’t notice the tide coming in.

Black Guillemot scene
Findochty Coast, Moray, Scotland // June 2026
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It took a minute or two to comprehend that I was watching a Peregrine Falcon male kill and eat its own chick here. At fi...
18/07/2026

It took a minute or two to comprehend that I was watching a Peregrine Falcon male kill and eat its own chick here. At first I thought it was a big, fluffy chicken it had predated. This behaviour is called filial infanticide and is more common than we think – the chick was likely deficient either physically or in some other way, and nature will sometimes decide to recycle and move on. The falcon carried the dead chick away and laid it on a neighboring sea-stack, returning to it occasionally when a gull showed interest. It appeared to be the last of a failed brood.

Peregrine Falcon male killing and eating its own chick
Moray Coast, Scotland // May 2026
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Five small birds: Great Tit, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, and Linnet. Size is meaningless!Thanks for looking!
06/07/2026

Five small birds: Great Tit, Dunnock, Pied Wagtail, Sedge Warbler, and Linnet. Size is meaningless!

Thanks for looking!

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