Portnahaven

Our holiday let is about the fifth house from the far end of the street lining Portnahaven Bay. Comfortable, no passing traffic and the only noise you could complain about are the seals singing in the bay - idyllic I'd say.

Another day driving round in the mobile hide hunting our bogey bird a Merlin. Today we had a cracking view of one. Initially Mrs L spotted a brown hawk appearing to be following a larger Hooded Crow, but she couldn't id it or indeed keep following it. Then we both saw it again as it swooped low past us quite close by, then keeping low followed the roadside before dropping out of sight behind a slight rise.

From the view we had it had to be a female Merlin. The habitat was right, open moorland. The flight was right, fast and ground hugging. The look was right, pointed falcon wings, not an obvious moustacial stripe, brown plumaged (female/immature) and streaked below. Definitely not a Kestrel, it just had to be a female or immature Merlin, right? Well yes, but we won't be counting it, we're not that familiar with the species to be able to id it from such a brief view, but yes it was a Merlin.

Over with RCB you'll find Greenland White-fronted Geese, that's the only bird photo he took today and it took him till 17:20 (we're still on BST). Any rumours that he fell asleep in the back of the car after all the excitement of the Merlin, he'd like to quash immediately.