Christine's walking & birds blog

It was a nice place for lunch - just beyond the remains of the drystone wall, with a lochan to the right and distant Stoer lighthouse to the left.


It looks sunny and warm, but there was a persistent wind from the south-west for the whole walk, which kept us cooler than we would have wished and at times became unpleasantly strong.

I was wondering whether the pigeons I was snapping on the cliffs were genuine wild rock doves (they had white rumps), when Greger pointed out a black guillemot flying onto a ledge - by chance, I'd just caught another one in my pics without realising it.


After a day hoping for a sighting of a minke whale, we were almost back at Clachtoll when we spotted a pale object in the water, framed by the split rock; and we made our way across the beach and up onto the cliffs beyond for a closer view.


It was moving away the whole time, which made it difficult to judge size - but I think it could be the carcass of a minke whale, as it appears to have a white band across the flipper. It was drifting towards Achmelvich and last seen off Rubha Leumair.


I wonder if it's the individual we were so excited to see breaching a few days ago; whether or not, it was a sad end to our day. And a faded butterfly on the boardwalk in the dunes only continued the theme of vibrant life and beauty passing.


I think it's probably a painted lady. The camp-site was full and the beach was busy, making quite a contrast with our earlier walk on the quiet cliffs and rising moorland to the left of the picture.


The ridges and furrows in the foreground are apparently "lazy beds" - once used for the growing of potatoes.