Wednesday, April 08, 2015
The day started fine and sunny and we drove to Achnahaird to do the 8.5 kilometre walk round the headland via Garvie beach. A stonechat was a bit too far away for a photo so he became part of the view across the river and the saltmarsh.
After lunch a strongish wind sprung up, and we spotted a white-winged gull flying west along the cliffs on the far side of the bay.
We approached a cove where seals had been hauled out on the rocks last time we did the walk, barely giving us a glance; but this time they panicked and slid into the water - all except for this moulting seal.
As we traversed a heathery hill that sloped to low rocky cliffs and the sea, a faint croak was heard on the landward side of the path; and a female red grouse scuttled away from us, keeping low to the ground. The male checked us out before following her up the slope, and I grabbed a poor shot; but maybe it was looking into the sun that seems to have given extra brilliance to his combs.
Walking back along the road we saw some toadspawn in a pool and a red-throated diver on one of the lochans. Before heading for home, Greger kindly drove across to Badentarbat so that I could look for the white-winger - and sure enough, there was the glaucous, looking huge and snowy among the other gulls. They took off at my approach; he was the last to go and even then, he just circled low and then went down again slightly further along the beach.
It's always nice to see the glaucous, although I think today he was upstaged by the grouse's eyebrows.
// posted by Christine @ 2:37 PM 
