This morning we went for a walk from our accommodation which took us through a nice area of marshland with scattered pools. There were a few waders flying around, oystercatchers, redshank and dunlin, most of which I didn't even raise my binoculars for, when suddenly another wader flew past at close range and was instantly identifiable as a female red-necked phalarope even with the naked eye! I watched it circle around us and then land out of view on a pool nearby.
At this point I should make it clear that we were not off-piste, we were in fact walking along a well used tarmac road.
After waiting a few minutes with no further views, we carried on our way but I made a mental note to have another look on our way back. An hour later we were back and Elaine left me to make the sandwiches for lunch. After just a few minutes the phalarope appeared on the pool but quickly disappeared into the vegetation. It was difficult to be sure, but there appeared to be second bird with it in the vegetation. I saw it fly a couple of times, but no prolonged views. Still, I was delighted to just have seen it, completely unexpected.
I returned the following morning and the bird was still present but once again I only managed fleeting views and by this time the weather had taken a turn for the worse, with rain and strong winds, and I didn't get opportunity again.
Tiree certainly lived up to it's reputation as one of the sunniest places in the UK and what a beautiful place it is, but very different to other Hebridean Islands we have visited.
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