Christine's walking & birds blog

Two days ago: The mountain avens were on a ledge off the main path at Knockan Crag, and I got as close as I dared on spongy, grassy ground above a steep drop in a maniacal wind - only to find that the flowers were past their best.

But what were those strange feathery things towering over a second patch of the flowers (or at least their distinctive leaves)? Looking it up at home I learnt that they are the mountain avens after flowering - the silky twists later opening out to carry the seeds off on the wind. Amazing. I'm so glad I saw them.

The day before that we drove down the coast to Inverewe and took a walk through the woods. We've seen spotted flycatcher here in the past, but now only willow warblers, chaffinches, and goldcrests were evident - all three heard but not seen.  There was nothing on the beach or the sea. My spring birding isn't going well. On the way home, we pulled into the lay-by at Gruinard beach, where we discovered that you get an hour's parking free - and then it's only an "invitation" to pay. Once again, I'd moaned on my blog about something before finding out the facts! Oops. In the field behind, I found a few ragged robins just coming into flower. Some time later, near the Fannichs' car park, I walked down to the little pool where bogbean grows - but it was mostly going to seed, with the few flowers left being of the thrum form. In the Coigach area, I'd noticed this year that the bogbean in the larger pool behind Badentarbat beach were mostly, if not all, of the thrum form, while those in the little roadside pool where I first saw them were all of the pin form. I also have to correct myself in thinking that pin and thrum simply meant each flower was either male or female, as bogbean are bisexual; but it does depend on which part of the flower is longer - the female in the pin form, male in the thrum.

You live and learn. And the more I learn about plants, the more fascinating I find 'em.