Sunday, May 31, 2015
Despite the forecast and the already falling rain, we went for a long drive. By the time we got round to Oykel Bridge it had brightened up, so we stopped for a coffee. Sand martins were swooping over the river while a spotted flycatcher, exploiting the same feeding area, was difficult to pick out when it landed on grey slabs of rock on the opposite bank.
This is probably a second individual.
Yesterday, two redpolls were flying around out the back, being very vocal and quarrelling with the house sparrows.
We didn't spend much time outside the car today; even when the sun came out, the cold wind made conditions unpleasant. I can't believe it's the first day of June tomorrow.
Thursday, May 28, 2015
A redpoll visited the back lawn again this morning, half-hidden in the meadow-like tangle of grass, daisies and dandelions.
The bird was feeding voraciously, tearing the parachute-like seeds off dandelions - I'm glad I didn't get around to dead-heading them. We take so much from birds and other wildlife with our tidy garden habits. (What, us? Tidy garden habits? Really tidy people wouldn't even have dandelions in their gardens - which is a shame, because they're big and bright and cheerful.)
Monday, May 25, 2015
A glaucous gull flew over the Ullapool spit heading out to sea; it's not the snowy Achnahaird bird but a younger individual, not so pretty - if a glaucous gull can ever be described as pretty.
The curlew was spotted and snapped from the car.
The ringed plover was at Ardmair and also snapped from the car.
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
We got up early and arrived at the Ben Wyvis car park at 8.30 am. The only other walker there was an elderly man who wished us a good walk as we set off. Through the woodlands we heard wren, willow warbler, goldcrest, and siskin; a buzzard soared above and a raven flew past. The wind soon became a problem; but a pair of ptarmigan at the 600m contour cheered us up.
As we admired the ptarmigan, the elderly man overtook us. A little way below, two more walkers were approaching rapidly. How do people walk uphill so fast?! But at last we gained the broad summit ridge where we struggled along in a cold wind that took all the pleasure out of the walking, stopping now and then to scan the edges of large snow patches on the eastern flanks - but there were no dotterel, just a couple of meadow pipits. Eventually the elderly man passed us on his descent; and then we were approaching the summit ourselves - for the second time.
It was freezing on the top and we ate our lunch quickly. Greger suggested carrying on along the ridge instead of going back the same way, and dropping down from the bealach as a way of descent to make a round walk of it. This seemed a good idea because it would get us off the high ridge and away from that brutal wind - and just above the col, when hope was almost gone, we spotted a dotterel just ahead of us. This was bright enough to be a female - a probable male bird was nearby.
The birds uttered little contact or alarm calls which I would have loved to record but the wind made it impossible. Finally they flew off up the hill and we went on, elated that we'd seen them.
The first part of the descent from the col was very steep.
As we made our way down, a golden eagle cruised over.
The going was slow, following a stream with interlocking spurs and areas of bog which, in the end, we stopped trying to avoid and just splashed through. In several places we were startled by red grouse, erupting croaking from the heather - and disappearing over the hill before I could switch the camera on. The picture shows (probably) Alpine clubmoss (Diphasiastrum alpinum) and opposite-leaved golden saxifrage (Chrysosplenium oppositifolium).
The walk was about 16 kilometres long and the weather stayed dry throughout, but as we drove away from the car park the first drops of rain began to fall.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
Meall a' Chrasgaidh
For our second Munro of the year we decided on the most northerly one of the Fannichs. Our hill is the one to the left of the valley - so it wasn't a very long walk-in, while our starting point was on the 300m contour (height of mountain 934m).
Above the moorland skylarks sang and soared, a pair of snipe flew around, and a red grouse glided off across the heather. On the edge of the forest a willow warbler sang. On the shores of Loch a' Bhraoin there were two common sandpipers and a wheatear. As we climbed steadily a dipper flew downstream; and then a Tornado roared past, banking sharply to the right to follow another valley.
Just after this we came to a short gorge; looking along it we could see the white spray from a waterfall - and a bird, flying around in it or more likely, beyond it. It looked the right size for a ring ouzel - and as we crossed the stream beyond the gorge a pair of ring ouzels flew past, the male alighting briefly.
Looking along the Destitution Road to An Teallach, with the sea beyond.....
After a tediously steep and boggy climb we finally got to the top. Once again I did quite a bit of whinging on the way up, while Greger was dissatisfied with his lunch seat. We agreed we were too tired to take in the next top seen in this picture (Sgurr nan Clach Geala); it looked so close but appearances can be deceptive. We left it for another day but walked towards it for a descent from the col.
The walking on the dry, tundra-like plateau was splendid. If only it was all like this! (Sgurr Mor is the pointed top seen to the left.)
A wheatear had been seen on the summit, but my heart sank as we dropped off the bealach onto the steep grassy slopes leading down. It's a wrench to leave these airy uplands without a sighting of ptarmigan or dotterel. But a short distance down, a dark shape by the side of the path turned out to be a male ptarmigan.
Eventually we were back on the valley floor, where we picked up the path and began to follow it out. Several puddles along this path held tadpoles; I don't suppose many of these will survive - but obviously enough do, as the hills are always full of frogs in the summer.
On the way up we had lost the path and crossed the river where it narrowed quite easily on stones. This time we stayed on the path and found that where it crossed the river, no line of stones went all the way. So we took off our boots and waded (or paddled really - for most of the way it was ankle-deep only). But it was full of snow-melt and freezing cold, and as I scrambled out, I only just avoided stepping on a tiny froglet.
Once we'd got our socks and boots back on though, it was surprising how quickly our feet became warm and toasty again.
On the walk back a greenshank took off from the plantation area with hysterical calling, and a coal tit sang from the conifers. So it was quite a bird-rich hill-walk, particularly if I add in meadow pipits and pied wagtails. The walk was 14 km long.
Saturday, May 09, 2015
Early(ish) this morning I drove north, pausing at Ardmair to watch a fishing otter making an arrowed streak of bubbles across the calm water of the bay. At Keanchulish Estate, a cuckoo was on the wires again and it wasn't long before I heard reeling. I snapped the grasshopper warbler, through the fence and at some distance, as it sang from the top of bog myrtle bushes - in flower (catkins) but not yet in leaf.
I returned home and we set off on a walk up Ullapool Hill through the Rhidorroch Estate. Willow warblers were singing everywhere and the gorse was a blaze of yellow. There was still a slightly icy wind but the sky was blue and the sun was shining, so we won't moan too much. Picking my way round a large puddle across the path I realised it was full of newts. This picture shows (I think this is right) a male palmate newt at the top, folding his tail in close to his body and vibrating it to encourage the female to pick up the package of sperm he will deposit.
We had lunch on the bank of the Ullapool River close to where it emerges from Loch Achall.
A dipper whizzed up and down the river, a grey wagtail fed nearby, and two swallows came down now and then to drink. Otherwise, there was a distinct lack of birds on our walk today.
Some birds obviously like our rather weedy garden. I wonder if they're having a hard time finding food during this slow, cold spring - still with more of winter about it than summer.
Friday, May 08, 2015
I woke to find Greger listening with headphones to the dismal election news on his iPad. He's worked all day putting together the Ikea sofa-bed. I went early to Keanchulish, where redpolls were flying around calling.
I got a record shot of the grasshopper warbler when it flew onto a bramble stem.
Shame it's just the back of the bird, but nevertheless I went home happy to my breakfast after my first self-found and first Scottish grasshopper warbler; especially as, just before I drove away, an osprey flew over heading east.
Thursday, May 07, 2015
Yesterday was wet and windy, but late afternoon I went for a short drive to Ardmair - and then, on a whim, a bit further to the Keanchulish Estate. I was just contemplating the mixed messages given by a new walkers' gate on the one hand and a large yellow sign warning "Beware of the bull" on the other, when I heard a short burst of reeling from the scrubby area between me and the main road.
I walked back towards the road and looked down on a waterlogged area with brambles and nettles - ideal for grasshopper warblers. However, although I heard a couple of longer bursts of reeling, I failed to see the bird; several willow warblers and two male blackcaps were present, and a cuckoo called from up the hill. Finally the rain drove me home.
An early visit this morning failed to bring any reeling at all and there was no point hanging around in the freezing wind with spatters of rain. There was compensation back at home with a pipit (probably meadow) in the back yard, which I snapped through the bedroom window.
An hour later we were having lunch when I noticed a bird on the wall at the back that didn't look quite like the usual house sparrows. It was a twite.
He sat quite still, sometimes with his eyes closed; and I would have suspected him of sunbathing but for the fact there was no sun. Then he turned round - and I was left in no doubt as to his reason for being there. I don't know what the plant is, I'll have to look that up - then put one in our garden.
Meanwhile Greger took delivery of two items of furniture from Ikea, and put the chest-of-drawers together without much trouble.
The second item is a sofa-bed and he reckons assembling that will take all day tomorrow. He's now watching the election stuff on the telly and is moaning about all the people who vote Tory. (He has no vote in the general election.) Although generally Labour, I've tactically voted LibDem; but I fear the SNP will sweep the board, with Charles Kennedy losing this particular seat.
Friday, May 01, 2015
Yesterday: The glaucous gull was foraging on the sheep field at Achnahaird; the double-topped hill Beinn an Eoin (very roughly pronounced "Beyn an Yawn") always looks as though it should be higher than its modest 618 metres.
The day was sunny and bright - and freezing, freezing cold. This morning two meadow pipits were on our front lawn.
