Sunday, March 27, 2022
It's been a lovely day, and early afternoon I was surprised to find the car park at Rhue empty. I walked down to the lighthouse and spent a peaceful hour looking out across calm water towards the misty Summer Isles. Now and then, my first porpoises of the year broke the surface far out past Isle Martin.
Only slightly disappointed that I hadn't seen a wheatear I returned to my car, mindful of Greger stuck at home with a bad back. Driving along the single-track road I spotted a pale-breasted bird fly onto a rock just up the hillside - my first wheatear of the year! He looked beautiful standing on the rock against the blue sky and for once, the sun was in the right place, behind me. But I couldn't stop just there. I pulled in to a large passing place and walked back - and the wheatear had vanished. I followed the steep track up the hill a little way, but had a feeling that the bird would probably stay low, where it could run easily on the sheep-cropped turf. Eventually I tried looking down the slope towards the loch, examining every fence on the crofts. And there he was - a long way off, but unmistakeable.
My first returning summer migrant.
// posted by Christine @ 11:33 AM 
