A cracking summer plumage sanderling was at the boat club this morning. This is about my fifth record of the species at the flash, but the first I have seen at the boat club and the first in autumn. Also this morning a redshank and about 102 lapwings at the boat club, with more flying around the spit, but these were too distant for me to count.
Monday, 28 August 2023
Sanderling, Pennington Flash
A cracking summer plumage sanderling was at the boat club this morning. This is about my fifth record of the species at the flash, but the first I have seen at the boat club and the first in autumn. Also this morning a redshank and about 102 lapwings at the boat club, with more flying around the spit, but these were too distant for me to count.
Thursday, 24 August 2023
Great white egret, Pennington Flash
Sunday, 13 August 2023
Incredible bluefin tuna, Peterburn
Saturday, 12 August 2023
Death by midge at Peterburn
Friday, 11 August 2023
Big Sands and petering out at Peterburn
Thursday, 10 August 2023
Beinn Eighe
Wednesday, 9 August 2023
Fin whale and breaching minke whales off Peterburn
Tuesday, 8 August 2023
Stac Pollaidh
In recent years I've spent a couple of weeks in the Ullapool area, but this year I decided to stay at Gairloch instead, just for a change. However, that's still only a two hour drive to Stac Pollaidh and since Elaine had never climbed it before we headed over that way today.
Monday, 7 August 2023
More minke whales
Sunday, 6 August 2023
Minke whale soup in the Minch
Saturday, 5 August 2023
Red Point
Loch Gairloch in August is great for seeing decent numbers of divers with most in summer plumage. Today I counted at least 18 black-throated divers and 10 red-throated, but I had to wait until we arrived at Red Point to see the first great northerns of the trip.
Red Point is about 10 miles south west of Gairloch and from the car park at the end of the road it's possible to take a round walk of about 5 miles which takes you down onto Red Point north beach, around the headland, across Red Point south beach and back through Red Point farm. It's a really beautiful and spectacular walk, with views across to Skye, Raasay, Applecross and Torridon.
There were plenty of gannets about, as well as black guillemots and three species of diver, with twite and cuckoo on the farmland and a juvenile white wagtail.
Friday, 4 August 2023
Minke and probable fin whales at Rubha Reida lighthouse
Minke whale.
Wednesday, 2 August 2023
Garganey at last
This morning a female or juvenile garganey was briefly in front of Horrock's hide before flying in the direction of Ramsdales. As far as I know this is the first garganey of the year at the flash and certainly the first I have seen. It's not often we get a blank spring, but we did this year. The above photo is from August 2015.
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