Monday, September 08, 2025
Surely the windy weather we've been having lately would have dropped some waders at Achnahaird? I set off through the dunes, and had the machair to myself apart from half a dozen curlews, until "Is that a ruff?!" In fact, there were two.
The ruff were wary but resumed their foraging as I walked away. The salt-marsh was saturated and dotted with pools after the very high tide, and the third ruff of the day came gradually closer.....
.....until this flew over, when it disappeared!
Oh well. Other waders also took to the air, but after a zoom round, these landed pretty much where they'd been feeding before. There were knot, turnstone, sanderling, ringed plover, and a handful of dunlin.
It seemed that the machair was the place to be, because as I plodded across the wet sand towards the sea I saw nothing. Reaching the low cliffs I paused at the top to look back across the great expanse of sand uncovered by the falling tide.....
.....and noticed, through the bins, that three waders had landed to the right of the people walking at the water's edge. They were clearly godwits, and given the extent of the red underparts I think they have to be bar-tailed godwits. I was too tired to go back (still not completely recovered from that blasted virus), and this hugely cropped photo will have to do.
Returning to Ullapool, I parked on West Terrace and looked out over the loch. I was watching dolphins leaping near the far shore when all the gulls on the golf-course spit went up with shrieks of protest - and there, directly above me, were two adult white-tailed eagles.
I enjoyed my day - as did Greger. He went to Inverness to do some shopping, but the important thing for him is having a long drive alone during which he can listen to his latest Spanish audiobook. He's having a rest from crime and has turned to horror - El Silencio de los Corderos!
Saturday, September 06, 2025
Day 21 of the flu for me, which makes it seven days longer than the usual dose. Greger wanted to go on the ferry and I'm probably no longer contagious, so off we went. The weather was bright and warm as we left Ullapool and we had high hopes. 50 minutes in, Greger pointed to three birds flying south-east and I clicked off a couple of pictures. I had to wait until I'd uploaded the photos at home before I could brighten them and confirm that these were Brent geese.
There were a few pods of common dolphins around and I saw my first porpoises of the year. As we approached Stornoway the wind got up and there were a couple of showers of rain. We'd forgotten that on Saturday there's a longer turnaround time, and as I didn't feel like walking, we sat in the terminal until reloading. The return trip was colder but slightly less grudging with its sightings, and yielded up a Minke whale, more common dolphins, two or three probable Arctic skuas chasing kittiwakes, several bonxies, and two Manx shearwaters. The Brent geese were a first for the ferry; they were the third first this year after the Risso's dolphins and the basking shark - so they're in good company!
Thursday, August 14, 2025
Whether it was a haar or low cloud hanging over the hills and the village, we felt certain it would burn off, and set off on our latest pelagic with optimism. Unfortunately, a good start bird-wise was slightly marred by a small accident. Scanning the water near Priest Island, I got onto a petrel some distance ahead, alerted Greger, and moved round towards the lifeboat, desperately clicking into the scene without zooming as I'd already lost the bird. We laughed at the result later - I did actually get the petrel, in the bottom left of the picture.
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My excitement (I never learn to hide it!) had been clocked by several people who immediately rushed up to the rail, in hopes presumably of something more visible than this tiny bird, and I walked back round to Greger without noticing that the man nearby had a small dog. I decided to go to the other side of the boat, turned and tried to take a step - and found myself falling forward and hitting the deck! I joked on my last pelagic post about tripping over dog - but it was actually the taut lead I'd tripped over. I'm afraid the air was blue with some regrettable language as I gathered myself together and got up, terrified at first that I'd damaged my camera. I tried it out on Greger and the sea mist (which, incidentally, lasted until just before we reached Stornoway).
The next excitement was a skua that clearly wasn't a bonxie - my first Arctic of the year, I think.
The only other bird of note on the outward trip was a single Manx shearwater. We sailed into Stornoway in lovely sunshine, but by the time we left the mist had become so thick that the ferry sounded its horn several times. A cruise ship in the new dock, seen well as we sailed in, was now invisible! A bit later there was a slight lifting of the mist and suddenly the sea was alive with birds; we scanned frantically, spotting a couple of sooty shearwaters among kittiwakes.
Again, the mist or cloud gave way as we neared Ullapool, with a persistent fragment lying across Isle Martin.
Sunday, August 10, 2025
We drove south down the coast in cool, showery weather. I spotted what looked like a buzzard far out over the sheep fields and then realised it was following a hen harrier.
The two birds had a bit of aggro before the harrier flew on, seemingly with something in its talons.
I picked up the raptors again, flying low over the distant beach - the buzzard in hot pursuit of the harrier. The harrier was lost to view but the buzzard flew back up the fields and landed on a post - clearly, with something under one foot - before flying off again and vanishing. Did the buzzard pinch the harrier's prey? Was it even a buzzard? Meanwhile, two small birds dashed about just above me hawking insects - and I can say with confidence that these were sand martins! Also seen - distant curlews and a lapwing, several pied wagtails, four red-throated divers found by Greger, and a very distant raptor which the camera helped prove was a golden eagle.
Monday, August 04, 2025
The sky was blue and the sun was shining this morning, so despite the wind we walked down to Shore Street. There were quite a few other people around, enjoying the blustery conditions. It's difficult to convey strong wind in a still photo unless there are gigantic waves, but the outer pontoon seems to be giving the marina some protection, although the boats closest to us were rocking madly.
Now, back home, it's raining as well as blowing, so nothing will entice me out again. Yesterday, I drove up to the Braes, but I'd only just left the car when I heard a familiar high call and looked up to see two peregrine falcons. I think this is a juvenile, as the breast is quite dark and streaked....
.....while this, with a paler, barred breast, is an adult.
Terrible pics, but these are the first peregrines I've seen for a long time. I then walked out to the viewpoint (the rocky outcrop in the trees to the left of the picture) and immediately spotted some dolphins.
This time, I drove straight back down to the village to get closer to the action and ended up at the camp-site point, where a small crowd had gathered - but as far as pictures go, I think I actually got better ones yesterday from 100 metres above the loch!
A bit of context anyway, with some of the Beinn Dearg group in the background.
Saturday, August 02, 2025
I drove up to the Braes for another dragonfly hunt - and ended up watching dolphins! Before going through the gate into the plantations, I walked out to a rocky outcrop from which you have great views over Ullapool and along Loch Broom. Seeing some circles of white water below, I scanned with the bins and realised that quite a sizeable pod of common dolphins was moving rapidly down the loch.
The dolphins remained for some time in the area, quite close to the harbour, and a small boat leaving the marina diverted to view them, initially giving the main group a wide berth. But the pod had now split up and there were dolphins everywhere, so I was surprised to see that the boat's speed didn't lessen. A bit naughty.
When I noticed that some dolphins were passing quite close to the camp-site point, I wished I was down there on the rocks!
Eventually the dolphins continued to make their way towards the sea and I abandoned the idea of the dragonfly hunt and drove down to West Terrace, from where I could just see them still leaping and splashing out towards the Summer Isles.
Friday, August 01, 2025
The ferry from Ullapool this morning was very full, but it was still possible to nip from side to side of the main seating deck in search of goodies - you just had to be careful not to trip over any dogs! Sightings included a probable Arctic tern, a handful of common dolphins, a distant whale, and a single sooty shearwater.
Just before one o'clock, as we approached Stornoway, 100+ Manx shearwaters were among auks and gannets to the south of the ferry's route.
On the return journey (with far fewer passengers) we saw a little more dolphin activity and a few great skuas. At 15.48 (about 40 minutes from Ullapool), I spotted something that I couldn't quite make out, until I had a sudden brainwave and suggested to Greger that it might be a basking shark.
The ferry was passing through a patch of fishermen's marker buoys at the time (was it just a dolphin near a black buoy?); but, comparing my picture with photos on the internet, and given the fact that the species is often recorded in the area, we think this could well have been our first basking shark!
Later: I thought that it might be a smallish basking shark, but of course it wasn't necessarily truly side-on when I took the photo; and this one, taken just a few seconds later, shows more space between the dorsal fin and the caudal fin.
It would have been nice to have seen a bit more of the shark - but I'm not complaining!
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