Sunday, November 19, 2023

We didn't feel like walking today, so we drove down the coast to Aultbea. It was a patchy day weather-wise, with clouds down on the hills and the odd shower of rain but also the odd burst of sunshine. A little grebe was in the harbour at Aultbea, but after admiring it we carried on up to the car park to have our coffee and buns.

There didn't seem to be anything out on Loch Ewe - until a Slavonian grebe surfaced. Miles away, but I took a record shot.


It's a long time since I've seen two species of grebe in one day. We drove home slowly, stopping here and there to see what was around. Naturally, along a stretch of road with no lay-bys, I spotted a group of five common scoter; this was somewhere between Laide and First Coast, in Gruinard Bay. Greger kindly did pull up at the roadside (there wasn't much traffic today) and I was able to grab a few pictures in worsening light.



From the Mungasdale lay-by we could see a hundred or so barnacle geese in the sheep field, and scanning Gruinard Island I spotted a white-tailed sea eagle flying swiftly north. Later, following the Destitution Road over the moors, we were struck by the atmospheric appearance of the Fannichs: great grey clouds hung low over their tops, parting now and then to reveal patches of snow high up but then closing in again; and the glen running into the heart of the mountains looked dark and forbidding. Approaching Ullapool we could see that the ferry was in - and it was Loch Seaforth, returned from her annual refit. Welcome back!

// posted by Christine @ 10:46 AM
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