It was an intrepid bunch of nine who, having ignored the bleak weather predictions of gale-force winds and horizontal rain, met at Alness Point and were immediately assailed by the spring-like song of Chiffchaff and Skylark. It was dry but pretty blustery and the high tide roost was relatively quiet though a splendid male Red-breasted Merganser was cruising through the rough waters amongst Widgeons and Teals. Shelducks, Redshanks and a lone Curlew were sheltering on this side of the spit.
We headed to Dalmore where the wooded car park was busy with mixed flocks of tits, Siskins, finches, Goldcrests and a Treecreeper and Pied Wagtail and Redwing also showed.
The wetland on the way out to Yankee Bridge had numerous herons, ducks, gulls and Oystercatcher but Reed Bunting and Linnet were notable in their absence….sensibly hunkering out of the wind. Out to sea, a couple of Eiders braved the choppy waters and onshore each indentation seemed to have a Curlew in it, with heads down out of the wind and just a stripy back in a sandy hole. But the human party was facing the south-westerly and didn't tarry too long as with streaming eyes we struggled to pick out anything more than Mary's possible Ringed Plover that disappeared over the bank never to be seen again.
At Dingwall the sun came out and Redshanks and Dunlins gave us a few beautiful murmurations. There were decent views of Scaup and distant views of Pintail and no views of the Ruddy Shelduck at all.
We headed to Dalmore where the wooded car park was busy with mixed flocks of tits, Siskins, finches, Goldcrests and a Treecreeper and Pied Wagtail and Redwing also showed.
The wetland on the way out to Yankee Bridge had numerous herons, ducks, gulls and Oystercatcher but Reed Bunting and Linnet were notable in their absence….sensibly hunkering out of the wind. Out to sea, a couple of Eiders braved the choppy waters and onshore each indentation seemed to have a Curlew in it, with heads down out of the wind and just a stripy back in a sandy hole. But the human party was facing the south-westerly and didn't tarry too long as with streaming eyes we struggled to pick out anything more than Mary's possible Ringed Plover that disappeared over the bank never to be seen again.
At Dingwall the sun came out and Redshanks and Dunlins gave us a few beautiful murmurations. There were decent views of Scaup and distant views of Pintail and no views of the Ruddy Shelduck at all.
Happy Birders (Fiona Reid)
We stopped off at the flooded fields in Fodderty and there were Pink-footed and Greylag Geese, a couple of Lapwings, and good numbers of Tree Sparrows, Linnets, Yellowhammers, and Reed Buntings in the hedges and fields despite the gale.
Loch Kinellan was wild and white-horsed so we had to have lunch in our cars, but as soon as the sandwiches were finished, we all got out to find it light and dry enough to see all the grebes, ducks, swans, Coots and Moorhens that we could have hoped for. Smaller birds were still scarce however so we decamped to the more sheltered woods of Loch Ussie and there saw Raven, tits and Mistle Thrush, and at the loch were Cormorants in the trees and plenty of Goldeneyes.
61 species were seen and as the rain came on in earnest, we headed off - still hoping to see an elusive Pheasant!
Loch Kinellan was wild and white-horsed so we had to have lunch in our cars, but as soon as the sandwiches were finished, we all got out to find it light and dry enough to see all the grebes, ducks, swans, Coots and Moorhens that we could have hoped for. Smaller birds were still scarce however so we decamped to the more sheltered woods of Loch Ussie and there saw Raven, tits and Mistle Thrush, and at the loch were Cormorants in the trees and plenty of Goldeneyes.
61 species were seen and as the rain came on in earnest, we headed off - still hoping to see an elusive Pheasant!
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