Christine's walking & birds blog

Once again I heard a cuckoo from the far side of the loch, and then a sedge warbler from down on the bull park.

A walk through the dog-walking field brought singing willow warblers, chiffchaff, and blackcap - but no grasshopper warbler. I returned to my car and drove to Ardmair, where I walked the round. I'd failed to see any wagtails on the beach, so once back on the road I scanned the sheep fields - and spotted three distant wagtails which look good for white (a couple of pied wagtails were also present).

Looking again at my wheatear photos from two days ago, I realised that the green plants to the right of the bird are probably mountain avens. This was exciting, as it gives me a second location for the flowers when they come through and also confirms that the outcrop is limestone. It's not self-found as I read about Knockan Crag being good for mountain avens when I was researching it - but I walked the geology trail that particular year without any success before getting lucky at the Bone Caves. Thanks, Mr. Wheatear!