Clachtoll Bay & Split Rock

A pair of Common Terns arrived on Culkein Slipway this morning to get the day off to a good start. One of them fishing in the bay while the other just sat on the slipway waiting to be fed. They then did a wee courtship dance before the first bird resumed its fishing duties. Suppose it's her checking him out - If I've got to sit on your eggs all day then I need to be sure you're up to feeding me properly.

We then moved on to Clachtoll Bay, where there were a pair of Red-throated Divers, a Great Northern, Razorbills, Guillemots and Eiders. In today's photo of the bay you should be able to spot me taking the photo of the Red-throats. Much debate then ensued as to whether the birds in the fields and headland north of the bay were Whimbrels or Curlews. Finally we agreed they were all Whimbrels and we got more evidence to support this when we returned to the Ranger Station and there was a note in the sightings book of 15 Whimbrels in the fields to the north from yesterday. We also noted there was a report of an Iceland Gull at Loch Sgeireach we had a look for it on the way home, but no sign.

Meal out tonight with Robert & Jean & Buachaille, we were driving and meant to pick them up at 18:15 - we left our chalet at 18:17 for the ten minute drive. We drove past Loch Sgeireach again and then in the fields just south of it guess what - a first summer Iceland Gull. Well late or not we had to turn the car round and get a photo. Not the easiest thing to do, turning round on single track roads, but we got in position, the gull posed nicely and we were only twenty minutes late.

Check out RCB for a montage of the day's birds - Common Tern, Red-throated Diver, Whimbrel & Iceland Gull.

Apologies for the lack of any blip interaction these days, but we're surviving on the intermittent use of BT Hotspots and there's not too many of those up here and that's likely to be the case for the next two weeks too.