Saturday, October 29, 2022
A lovely day full of autumn colours called us out for a walk by Loch Glascarnoch. The first thing we saw was three adult whooper swans sailing majestically along the shoreline towards the dam, pausing now and then to dip their heads and feed.
After that, the birds were a bit thin; but one particular patch of young conifers and birches held a couple of meadow pipits, a pair of stonechats, five or six winter thrushes (possibly redwings, but they promptly disappeared!), and two reed buntings - which also vanished, as seems usual with reed buntings in this location.
For a while I thought we might have a "special" bunting, mostly because of what appears to be a white spot on the russety cheek; but, among other features, the bird in profile shows the convex culmen (top ridge of the bill) of a reed bunting. In another picture, the malar stripe appears black.
We drove to the windfarm road for coffee and cake, and a female stonechat landed in a nearby bush, examined the ground below intently for a while, and then flew away across the moorland. There were no black grouse visible in the conifers and birches, and no birds crossing that peaceful sky. Surely, I thought desperately, there must be something? I had a last scan with the bins - and there it was, a golden eagle!
It was very high and far away. Against the blue and on the edge of the cloud. Half-way to heaven.
