Christine's walking & birds blog

The sparrowhawk flew low along the side of the road to Rhue and swooped up onto the fence post.


I stopped on the single-track road and took a hasty shot, and then another car appeared round the bend and I had to get quickly back in and reverse into a passing place. This also happened out near Old Dornie on Sunday, when I spotted the grebe as a tiny dot in passing. I couldn't see much of the road ahead, but took a chance and stopped to look at the bird through the bins - only to then hear a sharp toot on a horn from a local waiting in his truck at the passing-place just up the hill. Double Oops.

The rock-pools at Rhue seemed bereft of life; I suppose the intertidal zone also has its seasons. There were a few tiny fish darting around - probably gobies. Then I spotted a slightly larger fish immobile on a rock.



I haven't seen this one before; it had noticeable white facial barbs. It could be a bullhead (or long-spined sea scorpion, Taurulus bubalis).  This fish, says my Observer's Book of Sea and Seashore, has no swim bladder, and so must rest on the bottom of the pool when it stops swimming. Well, that fits. But I'm not sure. Perhaps it's a blenny, although I'm inclined to the bullhead. Fish are a minefield to id, I reckon.

Talking of fish, the Portland Bird Observatory website reports that a couple photographed a sunfish off the Isle of Portland two days ago - but tantalisingly doesn't carry the photo.  I'd love to see an ocean sunfish. I think I would be able to id one of those.