A select group of five plus Doug Mainland as leader joined forces at Lochinver carpark at 10am. Four of us had travelled from Tore and birds seen on the journey were Red kite, whoopers (Glascarnoch 9, and Loch Droma 1 ad 1 juv), chaffinch, meadow pipit, hoodie, starling, jackdaw, mallard, buzzard and stonechat. It was a blustery day but whilst chatting in the carpark at Lochinver grey wagtail, house sparrow, carrion crow were seen plus GBB, Common, Black headed and Herring gulls feeding in the bay, with grey heron on the shore. A curlew flew past. Taking the narrow road down to Achmelvich, Ian Evans and Gwen Richards of the Assynt Field club spotted a flock of passerines in the mixed birch, alder, hazel, rowan etc woodland. Good views of gold, chaff and bullfinch, plus great, coal and blue tit, robin, dunnock and wood pigeon. On a wee lochan were mallard and teal. From a good overlook into Loch Roe common seals with pups were resting on rocks with one splashing frenetically about.
Achmelvich treated us to blue skies, turquoise seas, white sand and many diving gannets, with kittiwake and gulls whilst close-in were guillemots, razorbills and one black-throated diver . Clachtoll gave us rock doves and pied wagtails.
The tide was well out as we pulled into Culkein Stoer but greylags were feeding on the grass whilst curlew, oystercatchers, ringed plover and rock pipit were on the sand and weed. Whilst lunching, a red-breasted merganser flew by and a flock of barnacle geese came in off the sea. A pair of raven were spotted and a dog otter was close-in amongst the surf.
We walked out to the headland where more gannets were passing and diving in. A flock of 18 barnacles overhead and three red throated divers. Six duck flew by and landed on the sea – rather surprisingly they were teal. In the stone wall edging the track, a wren was heard and on the rocks a late wheatear.
Stoer lighthouse area gave us a kestrel but it was too windy to spot anything else of note. Finally a brief stop at the reedy Loch na Claise where a moorhen darted into the reeds.
We departed for home at 4pm. A good day, good company (Doug Mainland, Angus Miller, Mary Galloway, Ben Warwick, Ian Evans and Gwen Richards), good weather and 44 species.
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