Christine's walking & birds blog

The whinchat was again on wires in the Coigach area, on a day of blue sky and sunshine but with a persistent wind from the north.


I ate lunch on the beach at Badentarbat, serenaded by a wheatear. I've seen only one female wheatear this year. A whooper swan was far out on Loch Vatachan, seemingly being mildly hectored by great black-backed gulls. It hauled out onto a grassy islet and went to sleep. Two sedge warblers were singing.

Two common sandpipers flew past me along the short stream flowing out from Loch Raa and went down on the stones and bank.



Where the stream runs out onto the sand, a greenshank was feeding. It might have been the strong wind, but its plumage sometimes looked rather disordered as though it was beginning to moult. A failed breeder? Or perhaps a successful breeder, given that I saw my first greenshank of the year here in February.


On the way home I pulled in to see if the whinchat I saw earlier this year was still there - and it was, so that's definitely two individuals. But I've yet to see a female - although it's possible they are sitting on eggs, I suppose.