Thursday, April 22, 2021

There were three species of diver in Achnahaird Bay, although only a winter-plumaged great northern ventured close enough for a photo.


Driving back to the junction I caught sight of six whimbrel in the black rams' field; I braked, reversed, leaned across and opened the passenger window (not easy as the winding mechanisms have stiffened up) and sat on the single-track road with the engine running, snapping off hopeless shots against grass as the birds made their way towards me.


Eventually the sight of a large truck looming up in my back windscreen made me drop the camera on the passenger seat and make a hasty exit! The trouble was, the noise and size of the lorry flushed the birds and they flew off across the headland. Eating my lunch over there a bit later, I spotted a single whimbrel foraging among the stones. 


A wagtail landing near the car inevitably got me wondering if it was a white one. There seems a clear-cut contrast between the black nape and a fairly light grey mantle - but are the flanks the desired clean white?


I suspect not. Never mind. Back at the junction, my first lesser black-backed gull of the year was in the rams' field. It looked slightly stunned, as if wondering what it was doing there.


A second great northern diver - with more advanced summer plumage - was snapped at Ardmair on the way home.


Meanwhile, Greger had been to Inverness. He left this morning with a shaggy mop of lockdown hair - and returned well and truly shorn!

// posted by Christine @ 9:14 AM
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