Christine's walking & birds blog

Monday, June 01, 2026

Yesterday we took a walk up the quarry road and to my great delight I heard a wood warbler singing. It came close to the road several times, fluttering and hovering rapidly through the branches. This is probably it - although a willow warbler was also foraging nearby.

I walked up there again this afternoon after the rain stopped, but the wood warbler was either silent or had moved on. I heard a tree pipit singing but the bird was distant and remained unseen. A male cuckoo came flying across the sheep field at the top of the road, and a bit later I heard the "wikwikwik" call of a female - again, unseen. Above the river pool, I hoped for my first dragonfly of the year, but there was nothing. I would never have seen this tiny beetle - so well-camouflaged was it - if I hadn't noticed something fly towards me and then land on the wet rocks. I've since identified it as a two-banded longhorn (Rhagium bifasciatum).

The white-tailed eagle flew across as I drew level with the lower quarry; it turned once and came towards me, then did a sort of mid-air stop.....

.....and I wondered if it had caught something. Nearby, swallows and house martins were flying high in circles, so something good was up there - but would an eagle bother with such tiny morsels? Anyway, it continued on its original course and I lost it over the edge of the hill.

A trip over east to Alness brought the sad sight of a dead wych elm (Ulmus glabra) - with a neighbouring tree clearly also suffering (presumably Dutch elm disease).

I'm glad that somewhere, I have photos of the tree I took when it was flourishing, and some close-ups of leaves and seeds. We walked through the woodland but there was nothing like the birdlife we've encountered here before. Greger commented "We've come all this way and all we got was a dead tree!" - but an osprey saved the day, flying up the Cromarty Firth and disappearing inland. No terns went up from the shingle bank as it passed over - were we too early for them?

A visit to Achnahaird brought a sanderling - for once, a rather brighter individual than the greyish ones I usually seem to see.

I've given up listening for grasshopper warblers at one site; the estate has got rid of much of the bog myrtle which the warblers used as song-posts. I thought this might be to make a grassier, more open habitat, suitable for game birds - and this was confirmed when a red-legged partridge, which I hadn't noticed, walked away from the fence as I got out of the car.

It was wary of me, but not panicky; no doubt because by now it's used to people. Come the autumn it will run the gauntlet of the paying guns - a non-native creature imported for that very purpose.

// posted by Christine @ 1:26 PM 0 comments

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Bees have evidently made a nest in the low wall restraining the lawn area - zooming in and out of a tiny gap so fast that it's difficult to get a decent shot.

I think this is the early bumblebee (Bombus pratorum), as with the buff-tailed bumblebee it's only the queen that has a buff tail, and these are too small for buff-tailed queens. I think.

Meanwhile, the herring gulls haven't been deterred by the buoy placed on last year's nest site - but have squeezed themselves in between the chimney pots instead!

One of the pair has been seen on an adjacent roof, apparently collecting moss and twigs which it takes back to the nest - where the sitting bird adds it to the rest of the pile.

Looks like we're going to have a re-run of last year's fun and games. Oh dear.....

// posted by Christine @ 4:34 AM 0 comments

Saturday, May 16, 2026

I walked up the quarry road in bright sunshine and the inevitable cold wind. A narrow-bordered bee hawk-moth was nectaring on birdsfoot trefoil.

A dipper was seen on the upper reaches of the Ullapool river; it was food-carrying so I didn't linger. Likewise with two agitated mistle thrushes. Willow warblers and cuckoos were heard - and I had a glimpse of two cuckoos chasing across the moorland until they were lost behind the trees. On the hill path, I found a few palmate newts still in the largest puddle; imprints in the mud show that the path is also used by mountain bikers. I suppose enough survive each year to keep coming back (the newts, I mean). A butterfly landing on the path ahead turned out to be a painted lady - my first for several years, I think. A green hairstreak landed nearby.

A soft "jip, jip" ahead alerted me to the presence of crossbill, and I grabbed a poor pic into the sun of a male bird before it flew.

I turned left at the seat and went up to the higher top, where I was serenaded by a skylark. Grouse droppings were seen in a couple of places - probably red, as I've seen red grouse here once before. On the way down I noticed a patch of (probable) bearberry - although it seems I'm too late for the flowers as the ones in my photo are going to seed.

On the zig-zag path down to the road I snapped a scene of gladsome blue.....

.....and listened to a close but hidden blackcap pouring out a song that was as welcome as that of the skylark on the summit. This was my first walk of any length for a long time, and I was relieved to find my fitness returning.

// posted by Christine @ 12:15 PM 0 comments

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

I had only just walked through the gate onto the cliff path when I spotted whimbrels down on the rocks - three of them, taking precarious refuge from the very strong winds.

On the machair, where the sea thrift is beginning to show, I found groups of frantically feeding ringed plover and dunlin - and my first golden plover of the year.

Think I'll just call this a Motacilla wagtail!

Across the headland at Badentarbat I was admiring the bogbean flowers in the pool when loads of greylag geese (well, about a dozen) suddenly rose with a clamour from beyond the reeds and flew low over me. I scanned the sky and found the cause of their panic - an adult white-tailed eagle, possibly on the hunt for goslings.

The eagle circled over the pool several times while the geese flew about protesting loudly - and was last seen being escorted from the premises by a couple of hoodies.

The only bonxie of the day was spotted here, flying out to sea. The remains of the sperm whale on the beach are now blackened and much pulled about - but it's best not to get too close, as the pong is still terrific!

My day list was 21. The good news is that there were plenty of wheatears around, some singing and flying up in display; but (unusually for the site) I saw no skylarks or stonechats. One common sandpiper was heard down on a loch-side as I drove out of the area; but I heard no cuckoos or snipe and saw no ospreys. It's a cold spring - the sun and the wind seem to battle it out each day, and the wind so far is winning.

// posted by Christine @ 10:33 AM 0 comments

Sunday, May 03, 2026

I knew it was a bit early for any sort of wader fest at Achnahaird, but I went anyway, hoping for whimbrel at least. Somewhere north of Ardmair I passed a cuckoo sitting on a roadside fence - my second of the year. My usual walk round brought several wheatears, skylarks, linnets, and my first twite of the season.

The only waders I managed to see were half a dozen ringed plover and two dunlin. Two terns were fishing far out, but I couldn't tell if they were common or Arctic. A single greenshank was wading and feeding in the short river, seen from the junction lay-by. Driving out of the area I pulled in at the bogbean pool and found several plants in bud and one in flower.

As usual in this pool, this is the pin form, with the long style and its yellow stigma protruding from within the petals. From a different angle, I could see the brown anthers deep inside.

I'm glad I haven't missed these - unlike the gooseberry flowers in our garden. Last year, the small bush we inherited got lost in a tangle of buddleia and other stuff; after we'd cleared this away a few weeks ago the bush looked dead. A bit later I noticed leaves unfurling; and inspecting it today, I realised it has flowered unnoticed and that tiny gooseberries are already forming.

Five days ago we decided on our first pelagic (Greger was more for it than I was, strange to relate) but it wasn't a great success. To begin with, very dense fog in Stornoway prevented the ferry from leaving on time and it arrived in Ullapool one hour and forty minutes late! Vehicle loading at the moment is also a bit more complex; owing to a problem with the bow ramp, fewer vehicles are being carried so that they can turn round on the boat. We watched a couple of large trucks being reversed on last - this meant they could just drive off first at the other end, making room for others to manoeuvre. They seem to have worked it all out quite well, but it's yet another headache for poor beleaguered CalMac. I still prefer the full name - Caledonian MacBrayne. It has a ring to it. Several ferries are being repaired or away for refit; and we were surprised, when in Aberdeen, to see the Isle of Lewis in their harbour. It seemed strange to see the red funnels of CalMac on the east coast.

We saw our first puffins and Greger spotted the only Manx shearwater of the trip. As we made our way across the Minch, the fog still lay along the horizon - a thick dark band - and a remnant trailed behind the beach known as The Braighe.

As we sailed back home, the haar crept across the water until it enveloped the ferry; the fog horn was sounded quite a few times. We came out of it quite suddenly among the Summer Isles, so the last part of the trip was great for those wanting to take photos of the landscape - while I spotted a white-tailed eagle on one of the island summits. Things'll have to buck up a bit if we're going to equal our sighting of the very co-operative pomarine skua last year; but let's face it, that will be a hard act to follow.

// posted by Christine @ 11:52 AM 0 comments

Saturday, April 25, 2026

Greger spotted a wheatear as we set off across the dam on this spectacularly sunny day - and eventually we saw three males, flying around singing in attempts presumably to woo a single female.

Perhaps I'm beginning to "see" white wagtails everywhere and these are in fact pied - although it's interesting to note that 30 white wagtails were recorded on North Uist yesterday (Western Isles Wildlife website).

We went to the second gate, and a rough count (probably an underestimate) gave us 13 singing willow warblers - we seemed to be never out of earshot of willow warbler song during our 5km walk. A harsh chattering call alerted me to my first redpolls of the year; two or three individuals were chasing each around until one landed briefly and distantly in a birch tree.

A cuckoo was heard in the distance, and a common sandpiper was uttering its rather peevish alarm call from the loch shore. At one point, a sudden loud flapping halted us in our tracks as a bird broke cover in the trees and flew low along the bank, mostly hidden by conifers. We thought grouse, but whether red or black it was impossible to say.

Back at home, I snapped a picture of a tree bumblebee - my first here, I think, although they were frequent visitors to our garden in Taplow.

Talking of which, two things have put me off gardening recently; the first was getting my hands on unseen cat poo while clearing out old dead stuff from beneath our pretty Spiraea bush. At least the owners of dogs can be fined for not clearing up after them, but cat owners - amazingly - aren't held responsible for where their pets relieve themselves - which is, more often than not, in other people's gardens. The other thing was - ticks. I've had three already this year, two tiny larvae (six legs instead of eight) which are supposed less of a threat, and one adult - which was already engorged with my blood by the time I realised it was there.

I also had a spooky moment recently when I went to the loo in the night. A couple of small noises from above made me look up, thinking an insect was trying to escape through the skylight. As I gazed up trying to see it, a pale, ghostly face suddenly appeared against the black sky - and instantly disappeared. It reappeared, this time with the addition of a neck as the cat craned to see me better. It looked as astonished to see me as I was to see it. House sparrows nest in our roof space, and no doubt it was after them. That's now one herring gull and one cat caught peeking at me through the skylight - the gull, when I was in the altogether. This animal voyeurism has to stop!

// posted by Christine @ 2:20 PM 0 comments

Friday, April 24, 2026

Yesterday: I walked the crag for the umpteenth time this year, hoping for a ring ouzel. The lovely calls of black-throated divers rose from the lochan below, and from the top of the trail I could just make out two individuals, preening and diving. This is not a breeding loch.

As they fell silent, a distant "cuckoo" was heard from somewhere beyond the loch. A wren was also heard, while other birds seen were meadow pipit, wheatear, willow warbler, siskin, chaffinch, and my first goldcrest of the year.

On other visits I noticed that the crowberry was in flower; but the flowers are extremely small and difficult to make out. There are a few in the photo, with long stamens(I think) sticking out, and a few buds.

22nd April: On a bright but windy day I took a walk along the beach at Ardmair and saw two wheatears and a possible white wagtail.

21st April: We walked up the quarry road (10+ willow warblers heard singing) and back over Ullapool Hill. There were still a few newts in the puddle on the high track, and when we arrived back at the car a sand martin flew over - not our first this year as we saw at least ten birds around the Ledmore nesting site on 14th April, but our first in Ullapool. We then called in at the garage for ice creams, and drove round to West Terrace to eat them. Having had quite enough of the wind during our walk we sat in the car - and as soon as we had unwrapped and started to eat our ice creams, a herring gull landed on the grass verge next to us. A second bird joined it. I thought they would walk about on the verge "worming" as they sometimes do here - but the first gull then flew up onto the bonnet and glared at us through the windscreen.

Have tourists parking along the road begun to feed the gulls so that they've come to see any car as a potential source of food - or did this gull just happen to cruise by and see us eating? It seems that herring gulls are growing more skilled at spotting food and bolder in their pursuit of it; but their attempts to snatch food from people eating outdoors are somewhat different to the deliberate attacks made on us when chicks are being protected in the breeding season.

Oh, and I still haven't seen a ring ouzel!

// posted by Christine @ 2:22 AM 0 comments