Into the maelstrom!
I see nobody managed to find anything rare while I was away, despite Helen's instructions
.
I had a quick look from the flat yesterday morning but didn't see much apart from a
Kittiwake.
This morning it was looking decidedly rough. In fact,
the harbour was actually closed today, and it's easy to see why from the pictures below.
Something I shall be keeping an eye on over the coming months is the colony of gulls that nest on the roof tops behind my flat. Over recent weeks a few
Herring Gulls have been prospecting their nesting sites. I shall keep you informed of their progress via the medium of the photograph (see the first picture).
After this morning's rain subsided, I set off for a walk around the Ness. The wind seemed to be keeping everything on the move as great swirls of gulls were whisked about the river mouth. Unfortunately there was nothing white-winged amongst them. A lot of
Eiders were sheltering on the harbour but I couldn't find either of the Royals amongst them. It looks like these aren't around at the moment, but perhaps they'll return. Also on the harbour were 9
Red-breasted Mergansers. Otherwise most birds seemed to have been blown away or were seeking shelter elsewhere. Four
Purple Sandpipers were on Greyhope Bay, a
Rock Pipit and a
Lapwing were in the lighthouse field. From the foghorn one
Red-throated Diver went south and there were quite large numbers of
Fulmars and a few
Kittiwakes lingering offshore.
The car has now been removed, but signs of its presence remain (see picture 5 below).