Wednesday, October 08, 2014
After two days spent indoors we decided to get out and about; but the forecast was too bad for walking, so we went on our southward drive down the coast. On the beach at Poolewe were three Brent geese.
A dipper was on the stream that runs down the beach.
As I watched the dipper, two otters - a mother with a young one - slunk and swam past down the stream to forage in the wet sea-weed on the shore. A chap from the camp-site who was mowing the grass told us that there's sometimes an old dog otter around which is nearly blind; it crosses the camp-site and blunders into caravans and tents.
Twenty whooper swans flew over when we were in the Inverewe Garden car park; and a redpoll was feeding, seemingly one-legged, along the path near the entrance.
On the way back along Loch Ewe, this group of twenty-five far out on the sea appears to be all black-throated divers (I'm going by the white on the rear of the flanks) - maybe juveniles.
While we watched them a familiar chunky shape flapped slowly across the loch and the road; a white-tailed eagle heading inland.
A last, brief stop above Little Loch Broom brought red breasted mergansers and goosanders swimming together, but only one pic of the goosanders was usable.
Then it was home, after a nice day of lazy, lay-by birding.
// posted by Christine @ 4:45 PM 
