Wednesday, March 21, 2018
The thermometer might well have shot up to 10°C (the Met Office forecast was spot on!) but we're paying for milder temperatures with wind and rain!
Looking back to my nice adventure on Monday, here's a pic of the bunting showing the hind claw on its right foot - giving the bird its other name of Lapland longspur.
The great black-backed gull on the beach at Badentarbat was having quite a struggle to swallow a fish. Research points to this being a gurnard, which has a large bony head and defensive spines on its body - not the easiest thing to get down, I imagine.
The gull walked around with the fish for some time, took it back into the water, brought it out and dropped it on the sand, then tried again. Success!
At Old Dornie six golden plovers were on the sloping fields with a mistle thrush, oblivious to the fire crackling across the hillside above them.
I wasn't sure whether it was a wildfire or muirburn; but a man coming up from a boat in the harbour confirmed that the crofter had set it. He clearly disapproved but I was non-committal, not having an opinion one way or the other as I didn't know much about it - although I thought it likely that some wildlife would be injured or killed. (Later, 2021: I've since read and learnt a lot more about muirburn and I'm now against it.)
// posted by Christine @ 6:30 AM 
