American Coot

Do we really want to travel all the way to Inverness just to see a Coot?

We had our reservations, but it was a Mega, so off we set. The weather was decidedly dreich, but the forecast was for it to improve and once we got over Slochd it certainly did - blue skies and sunshine. Now to find the bird. Being only the second day this Mega had been reported we were expecting crowds and parking problems. There were two other cars there and the bird was right there just in front of us, not in the least worried by our presence. Actually it was probably a bit peeved that it had come all the way from America and this was all the reception it was getting. We hung around for half an hour taking some excellent shots and once we left there was nobody there. Okay it was only a Coot, but it is rather different to our own Coots and given the weather and the proximity of views, definitely a trip worth making.

While we were in the area there were another couple of birds we attempted to tick but dipped on both the Lesser Scaup at Alturlie Point and the Ring-billed Gull at Dingwall, probably due to arriving there around dusk. A stop off in Inverness for new windscreen wipers and then an easy drive down the A9 with the first Mega of the year ticked - a good day.