Christine's walking & birds blog

On another day of poor visibility, it was often difficult to pick out the solitary brambling among all the chaffinches (20+). The birds are wary, and as the garden is at the front of the house they are frequently disturbed, streaming up into the surrounding trees at the least provocation while I scan frantically for a white rump.


I seem to be in a constant state of rage these days. For a start, the days are so short that it's hardly worthwhile going out; it's almost 3.30 and more or less dark. Secondly, I've come to hate Christmas, and I'm glad when it's all over and we can look forward to spring. I stopped sending cards last year, and hoped people would get the message. There isn't anyone I want a Christmas card from.

More importantly, I've come to a decision about a bird seen during a walk up Cul Mor in early October.


The pipit was foraging around a lochan at about 660m. Although at the time (again, in poor visibility) I assumed it was a meadow pipit, the pictures seem to tell a different story. But I failed to find any literature that suggested it could, at this altitude and distance from the sea, be a rock pipit.

On the other hand, how many birdie experts go walking in the hills? And if they don't, how do they know rock pipits don't hang about around upland pools? I'm flaming-well putting this down as a rock pipit, and it's going on the hillwalking list.