Christine's walking & birds blog

Hail and thunder last night were followed by general dullness and rain today; but a lull in the showers called us out for a drive up the Dirrie Mor, where we enjoyed a short walk across the dam and along the northern shore of Loch Glascarnoch.


The fence to the left held a male stonechat; and a few minutes later he was joined by a female.


Greger did well to pick out a dipper, foraging like a tiny, quick duck off a spit among the tops of drowned bushes.


On the drive home, at least thirty goosanders (many drakes) were seen from the road far out on Loch Broom. Back in Ullapool in failing light we parked on West Terrace and walked down onto the waste ground. On the bank of the raised beach and in the bushes were chaffinches, goldfinches, and four twite.


I was aware of a chunky bird among them and finally turned the bins on it - to see a waxwing feeding on the few remaining berries.


That's a nice bag of small birds for what had seemed an unpromising day.