Friday, February 11, 2022
There were several small pools in the dunes at Achnahaird, but there was no bird life on or around them.
The clue to its identity was the spine at the front of the dorsal fin which is raised as a means of defence against predators. The mouth is small, but the powerful jaws and teeth enable the fish to deal with a diet of shellfish and crustaceans.
In the UK it was once thought to be confined to southern Britain - but is now seen more frequently in northern waters. The website where I found my information (britishseafishing.co.uk) has a photo of one found on the Isle of Tiree in 2014.
On the way home we stopped briefly at Ardmair. A buzzard was sitting on a bloodied prey item (feathered, I think) on the stones but it flew off when I got out of the car.
It didn't go far, flying low to the far end of the beach - and as it did so, a great northern diver that was fishing just offshore there called once from the water. I can't remember if this was the rising call or the tremolo, but I'm trying to work out if there is a link between these divers calling and the close presence of a raptor.
// posted by Christine @ 10:32 AM 
