Ullapool

Glaucous gull in Ullapool harbour, this bird has been hanging around for a year or two now apparently.

Ullapool is more than a staging post for other parts of the Highlands, it's nice town in a beautiful setting and is well worth spending some time exploring. We stayed in Pipers cottage on the banks of Loch Broom and were treated to some decent birding from our front garden and some spectular sunsets. I've been visiting Ullapool since 1979 and have some wonderful memories of the place, and despite this most recent visit being mainly for work it only served to enhance my opinion of the place. I can't wait to return!

The promenade at Ullapool.

A scruffy looking bird, but probably the most beautiful setting for any glaucous gull I have ever seen! Certainly better than the local rubbish tip or even, dare I say it, Pennington Flash.

Great black backed gull.

A few sunset photos from the front garden.

The front garden!

There was at least one great skua "bonxie" hanging around the loch in front of the cottage for the full week that we were there. It would often follow fishing boats into the harbour, and on one occasion I counted four bonxies harrasing gulls behind a boat.

The Stornoway ferry all set to go.

A few hooded crows were hanging around the beach, but the commonest corvid I saw was rook.

An early morning view of Loch Broom from the front garden.