Christine's walking & birds blog

The first thing I noticed when I went out to open the gate this morning was the powerful, gusting wind - and the second thing I noticed was how gorgeously warm it was! A wind from the south, calling me home. I walked the round at Ardmair, much buffeted, for exercise but there were very few birds to be seen. Battling my way back into my car, I realised that the window on the seaward side was filthy - the spray from the sea was evidently carrying some sort of silty debris. I got out again and threw what was left of my mineral water over the window and side mirror. What a mess! At home, I saw from the weather forecast that the wind would reach a peak of 51mph gusts at about 2 o'clock, and I wanted to be out in it. The ferry was in dock, not having sailed to Stornoway; I guessed they were waiting to see if the wind would die down for the early-evening sailing. Misty lines of white travelled at speed across the loch as the wind whipped up the surface of the water; and isolated large "blows" made me think of whales, or the possibility of waterspouts.

I walked along West Terrace heading for the steps down to the river spit, and at the bend in the road I was bent almost double by the wind and flung against the road sign; I stayed there for some minutes, assailed furiously by the strongest gust I've ever been out in, and trying not to clutch the top of the sign which was sharp! A faint lull had me hurrying to the flight of steps, which I found relatively sheltered as I made my way down to the spit. I reckon these winds were worse than the ones in the named storms earlier this year - very exciting, but all the birds (apart from a few of the hardy larger gulls) had disappeared.

My obsessive scanning of dip-feeding gulls at the southern end of Ardmair beach finally paid off this morning. Watching from the car, I thought I glimpsed a tiny gull among the black-headed gulls and ventured a short walk to the houses. This gave me no shelter at all as the strong wind was coming straight off the sea, but after a while I could see that there was a smaller bird - probably a little gull. By this time I was freezing, so I went back to my car and drove away to have my lunch; but seeing no-one at Stonechat (one of the holiday homes) I pulled into their lay-by and watched the gulls from behind the fence. My pictures were all rubbish, so I snapped a hovering kestrel instead (a snow-streaked Ben Mor Coigach in the  background). The ferry was seen, outward bound for Stornoway.

A morning visit to Ardmair in persistent wind and rain brought no white-winger, so I went home for lunch. I returned in slightly drier conditions but it was still very gusty, and most of the gulls remained over by the fish farm. I didn't feel like walking to the spit (which only gets you marginally closer anyway) so I stayed in the car and began to take some pictures of a black guillemot, even though it was a long way out. Suddenly, something bigger seemed to erupt from the water and eclipse the guillemot, which streaked away in panic.

I thought it was the head of a seal or an otter, but the picture I took just after this one shows a great northern diver! A kestrel was hunting along the beach, and a bunch of geese in the sheep fields appeared to be all greylags. Oh well: as Scarlett O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

Despite the wind and the rain and after a morning of domestic jobs, I visited Ardmair and watched the usual gulls dip-feeding from the car. Then I spotted a beautiful white-winger among them, which flew along the beach towards the camp-site. I'd turned and parked so that I could watch and snap from the car, but that meant I couldn't get out of the door - the wind was too strong - and I managed just a couple of shots while twisting awkwardly round in my seat before the gull disappeared.

There are features that suggest it might have been a glaucous, but I'm not sure. However it was great to see a new white-winger, which almost glowed against the dark sea. Tomorrow, I'll get my priorities right and go out early to look for it again, leaving household tasks until later.

Three times yesterday I swept the snow off my car, although it was clear I wasn't going anywhere. There was more snow in the night, and by this morning it was probably 10-12 inches deep.

It was very pretty out the front.....

...while out the back, by standing on the bed, I could get a view of a snowy Beinn Ghobhlach.

The redpoll is still in the garden along with chaffinches, greenfinches, goldfinches, blackbirds, dunnocks, robins....and a solitary redwing.

Greger drove to Aberdeen yesterday. He'd booked a night away so that he could get into the Tesla centre for a new heater early this morning; this way, he'd be able to get home in daylight. Unfortunately, the parts hadn't all been delivered, so it was a wasted journey. I think he quite enjoyed it though. He's had all-season tyres put on, recommended by several other Tesla owners and which proved very good; and he followed a gritting lorry from Loch Glascarnoch to Ullapool, which made him feel extra safe! He got home about two in the afternoon, and was quite surprised at the amount of snow we'd had. He carried on shovelling where I'd left off (I now have a bad back!) and cleared enough to get the car just inside the driveway.

Two days ago, he dropped me down at the harbour and took a picture before he drove off. I scanned the gulls carefully, mindful of the sleety cold day in January 2015 when he dropped me at the harbour and I discovered that the Ardmair ivory gull had relocated; but no such luck today.

I walked round to the camp-site, seeing black guillemot, guillemot, and a drake goosander; and stood for a while watching and snapping three otters, diving and fishing in the loch.

They were being remarkably successful, diving every few minutes and seeming to find plenty to eat. I think this prey item could be a rockling.

Viewing photos of otters on the web, I was surprised that so many people find them "cute". I mean, I like to see them, but I've always thought they're rather ugly. People tend to approach wildlife these days from the perspective of being pet owners. Well, just don't think you can stroke them - check out those teeth!

There's a video on YouTube of a Beluga whale playing "fetch" with a rugby ball near the Arctic Pole, and all the comments I read (until I couldn't stand any more) gushed about how intelligent they are, and what a wonderful thing that a wild creature should do this blah-blah-blah.... I don't think this is a wild creature being spontaneous at all; it's much more likely to have had encounters with human beings who've taught it to fetch objects, probably with the incentive of a fishy reward. Russians, perhaps?

First rant of the year. I could've done the Post Office. I still might.

There was snow on the ground this morning, and the redpoll was again in the garden, joining in the feeding frenzy or resting in the rowan tree with his feathers fluffed up. I walked out onto the porch and got a slightly better shot.

When he flew to the feeder I could see his back, which was streaked dark and light brown, with a buff colour "bleeding" into the whitish wing-bar. He had a pink rump. He looked a lot smaller when his feathers were sleeked down; in fact he was about the same size as a female siskin, and certainly not as large as a chaffinch. His bill might have seemed small and cute but, again, that was when he was fluffed up; I couldn't see it well enough when he was on the feeder. On the other hand, he was fairly robust on the feeder, and while defending his place when he finally got one he appeared rather bull-necked and large-headed. But taken all round, I think he was a lesser. Unfortunate name, really. One day maybe I'll encounter a mealy or an Arctic redpoll.....but in the meantime, I'll enjoy this one.

A kestrel was at Ardmair today, hovering over the camp-site between showers of sleet. Back home, a redpoll was spotted in the garden at 3.30 pm and snapped through the window; "only" a lesser I think, but good to see one after a long redpoll drought.

Yesterday, an immature gull on West Shore was picking half-heartedly at a dead starfish; and when the gull wandered off I walked down to investigate.

 
Having viewed it only through my bins, I was surprised to see how small it actually was - about five inches across. I think this could be a spiny starfish.

A few days ago, a heron stalking the shallows of Loch Kanaird caught what I think is a scorpion fish.

The heron dropped the fish back into the water several times and also shook it.

I think this is the same species of fish that an otter was eating on the shore of Loch Broom about a week ago. They both showed features on their undersides resembling small arms, seeming to give the unfortunate fish a rather pathetic, supplicating appearance.

A white-winger was in the harbour today; but I can't make up my mind if it's a glaucous or viking gull.

I parked in the lay-by at Ardmair and walked along the road to the rough ground adjacent to Loch Kanaird - and the first thing I saw was a common scoter.

A raptor was flying across Loch Kanaird, but I lost it against the hillside until it rose above the ridge and circled for a while in the sky.

It's tempting to think it was a goshawk (seemingly narrow hand, bulging secondaries) but I suppose it was "just" a sparrowhawk. Whatever it was, it disappeared behind the ridge and I turned back to the loch, assuming the scoter would have gone. But she was still there, back in her former relaxed attitude among the ropes and buoys and boats, and eyeing me as though we'd conspired in something.

A large white "gull" on the far side of the loch, seen belatedly as it flew towards the sea, turned out to be a gannet; this, and a pair of red-breasted mergansers, were firsts for the year.

Turning again, I caught a glimpse of two large birds gliding side-by-side over the ridge and out of sight; but they reappeared and confirmed that they were indeed white-tailed sea eagles.  

A pied wagtail was on the beach at Ardmair this morning.

I spent yesterday plodding along muddy footpaths looking for the male long-tailed duck that flew up Loch Broom on New Year's Day, and I decided to continue the search this morning. Of course, the bird might have gone, but I wanted if possible to confirm the sighting as I only have my rubbish picture to go on. However, to give the car a run, I would first drive to Ardmair.... and there on the sea was a long-tailed duck!  

A long-tailed duck (drake) flew up Loch Broom at 13.03, so far away that it was just a dark speck moving very fast and low over the water.