Christine's walking & birds blog

Yesterday, we walked out to Loch Achall via the hill path and back down the quarry road. The bird list was pretty dire - one buzzard and a pair of pigeons (either rock doves or feral pigeons) seen, and a robin, a chaffinch, and a great tit heard singing or calling.

Today, hanging out the washing, I saw the crocuses - a splash of happy colour in dark sad times. 

Later, I did a short, brisk walk round and was pleased to see that the godwit was still present. I didn't notice at the time that its head was tilted - maybe there was an eagle up there. Don't think so, though - the gulls and corvids would have been making a fuss.

At the spit with the tide rising turnstones and ringed plovers were foraging - but I couldn't see the purple sandpiper. I guess that's flown off to find others of its kind. Meanwhile the godwit is lovely to see - especially when it flies along the camp-site, which it does in an unhurried manner and giving observers below an old-fashioned look as it passes. It's always silent, and it struck me today that I've never heard a bar-tailed godwit make any sound - not as far as I know, anyway. I'll have to look that up, find out what they sound like. It's nice to have things to look up when you get home after your walk - makes the day longer, somehow.