Thursday, August 16, 2018
On this windy, showery day, at least 15 adult black-throated divers were in Gruinard Bay.
Eight were fairly close in on a high tide, preening, sometimes diving, but generally just lounging around and enjoying one another's company now the kids are off their hands. There was quite a bit of bill-touching going on which I managed to catch just once with the two divers on the left - though whether this is something breeding pairs do to strengthen their bond or something practised generally within the group, I don't know.
Graceful, enigmatic, rather harmless birds - and yet in 2013, one was found shot dead near Achnasheen.
On the drive home, we spotted 25 goosanders in a line on Little Loch Broom.
And, apart from about twenty common terns and three redshanks at Poolewe, and one greenshank at Gruinard, that was it.
// posted by Christine @ 3:28 AM 
