Thursday, April 16, 2020
On our daily walks round the village, we'd noticed people going up or coming down the quarry road; and on the BBC News website for Scotland, an item said that landowners in the Highlands had been told not to close footpaths. So today, we walked up the road until we were in sight of Loch Achall, and then came back over the Ullapool Hill paths.
Willow warblers were singing all the way up - I lost count, but we must have heard at least twelve.
A puddle on the hill path contained a wriggling mass of tadpoles, and a second, larger puddle held its usual spring newts. The webbed hind feet and the filament at the end of the tail show this to be a male palmate newt.
This of course will mean the start of the Other Species Lockdown Daily Walk List.
A pair of stonechats watched us from the skyline, possibly already nesting in the heather.
The walk was about 7 kilometres. We made our way down to the village, tired but with spirits lifted.
A chiffchaff was singing as we descended. We saw a few other walkers and one runner, but I think I was the only one wearing a hat! For me, despite sunshine and blue skies, the wind still has an edge to it.
// posted by Christine @ 12:12 PM 
