Sunday, April 07, 2019
There was a question on University Challenge a couple of years back, along the lines of "What arrives in the south of Britain approximately two weeks earlier than in the north?" The answer was "Spring". Living in the otherwise glorious north, that difference becomes almost painfully apparent, as blogs and websites from the south of England begin reporting migrant birds and we wait impatiently for our own first glimpse of summer visitors (apart from those in camper vans).
Wheatears remain my only definite summer migrants so far; and today my tally was seven, all male birds. This is one of three at Badentarbat, where singing was heard (just) through the blustery cold wind and a great deal of chasing was going on.
Two were near Altandhu, a bit above the Reiff junction; one was at Old Dornie, and the seventh was at Ardmair on the way home.
However, golden plover are on the move - and six were on the salt-marsh; I almost walked right into their midst, and only stopped short when a quick movement ahead caught my eye. The birds tensed and moved closer together. Slowly and carefully I made my way round them so that I could sit on a large boulder and (hopefully) reduce camera shake; the birds seemed content with this and resumed their foraging.
From the timings on the photos, I can tell that I watched the plovers for at least twelve minutes. Several of them came closer to me, and they became alarmed again only when a group of dog walkers headed our way - but then changed their minds and veered off across the sand. So I was surprised when the plovers suddenly stopped foraging, stretched their necks and clustered together - and then abruptly took off, calling. I looked up, and circling above was the probable cause of their flight - a peregrine falcon.
Two greenshanks were again wading and swimming in the Allt Loch Raa, and a pair of shelduck persistently attacked a flock of wigeon until the smaller ducks moved off along the riverbank to bathe and preen elsewhere.
Driving away, I glanced over at some greylag geese in the sheep fields near the Lochinver turnoff - and realised that there were a few golden plover just beyond them.
I pulled into a passing place and clicked off a shot through the fence from the car, but the rising ground was hummocky, and I couldn't count them; it's possible they were the same six birds I'd seen earlier.
// posted by Christine @ 11:33 AM 
