Christine's walking & birds blog

The east coast of Scotland is the place for little auks - more so this year with an influx of hundreds brought over on strong easterlies from their Scandinavian wintering grounds; and Greger wanted access to his computer and desk for the day. So I headed for Inverness. There had been hail during the night, but up on the Dirrie Mor snow had fallen and Ben Wyvis wore a thick white coat. The car park was full, and I guessed some walkers would be taking skis up with them - lucky things!

Despite the sunshine it was very cold at Alturlie; and everything seemed to be happening on the far side of the Moray firth, near North Kessock. Auks whizzed back and forth, too far away to call. Long-tailed drakes and mergansers were also on the wing. Once more,  I searched for tree sparrows in vain. I then made the stupid mistake of driving on eastwards to Fort George; this was a waste of time, except for the spectacle of large flocks of pink-footed geese grazing in the fields.

My third location was North Kessock, under the road bridge; this turned out to be the most productive spot, but the light was already failing. Immature gannets flew up and down and dived in front of me. Juvenile kittiwakes were flying to and fro with the gulls. A guillemot preened just close enough for a croppable record shot.


A razorbill also came close enough to be identified. A bunch of shags sailed out from behind the lifeboat station, and as I watched them swim under the bridge, a tiny dark bird flew past them. It sort of crash-landed in the water - and then I lost it; but it was probably my first little auk.

Finally, a black guillemot was seen close in; like the one I snapped a couple of days ago, it was moving into summer plumage, but the barring on the wing-patch suggests that this one is a juvenile bird.


Driving back was easier as the roads had been gritted. Loch Glascarnoch with the mountains grouped round it looked lovely in the evening light; and deer had come down to graze near the road. Greger had had a good clear-up in the office and cooked a delicious meal, and after eating that, we both fell asleep halfway through Midsomer Murders.

And when I looked up today's little auk sightings on birdguides, there was one reported here in Ullapool. Typical.