Watch the birdie ...for 40 YEARS

PATIENCE is a virtue and for Reverend Sandy Sutherland, 40 years of waiting has finally paid off.

The minister and amateur photographer has been trying to capture the perfect shot of a golden eagle and its chicks.

And now the 62-year-old from Fortrose, Ross-shire has done it after snapping this image at the Glen Tanar estate in Aberdeenshire. The minister took the picture last July but has only just made it public.

Mr Sutherland said: ‘I started bird watching in 1975 and it was then I first had the dream of photographing birds at the nest. And for photographers with this ambition, a golden eagle is sought after.’

‘I finally got to realise my dream of picturing a golden eagle at the nest with its chicks. I couldn’t have been happier.’

Worth the wait: A golden eagle arrives at its nest – a shot Mr Sutherland took 40 years to snap

Patient: Rev Sandy Sutherland