Christine's walking & birds blog

There was a fresh fall of snow overnight, and the emergence of the sun this morning tempted us out. The temperature hovered around freezing, but fortunately there was no wind.

It was coming up to high tide. Walking through the camp-site we counted the oystercatchers dozing at the water's edge (twenty or twenty-one - we made it different each time!) and I pointed out a handful of ringed plovers and turnstones. But it was Greger who spotted the purple sandpiper.....

.....which was eagle-eyed of him as it wasn't standing against the water at the time but was "hidden" among the boulders. It's my first purple sandpiper in Ullapool. The female stonechat was still along West Shore Street, hunting today in the seaweed from her railing perch at the back of the beach.