Day 29

 Thursday May 23

Really dark all day, louring grey cloud cover with intermittent rain. The rain was never heavy, just a nuisance. Pauline had a rainy day in the New Forest yesterday, and Sue and Ian are driving south in rain this morning. The northerly wind should be pushing the skuas in towards the shore, but that doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe it's a bit late for the main passage.

Not really knowing what to do after emptying a moth trap containing only one  - a Dark Swordgrass - we eventually drove south through Grimsay to Benbecula. After checking the usual haunts, we drove to Peter's Port. Another surprise, our second red Grouse on the islands, a male, dust bathing, roadside in the rain. I took a few photos through the windscreen, never very successful. More editing when I get home.

 


Reaching the end of the road, we sat in solitude for over an hour. We were scantily rewarded by the occasional Arctic Tern flying through, an immature Shag sat on a buoy and a few Gulls. 

Stinky Bay always has something to watch, Sanderling, Dunlin,  Ringed Plover, Turnstones all fossicking in the large seaweed accretion on the beach. I  keep hoping for a Curlew Sandpiper but no luck so far.

The Snipe I photographed yesterday was sitting on the tyre mound again, in a different position. 

As we drove north, the traffic increased beyond a joke. A ferry must have come in. Big groups of large lorries, motorhomes and cars meant constant diving in and out of passing places, many of them with little room for manoeuvre. The rain also increased, no point in going on to Committee Road. We turned round and set off for home. A large bird appeared on our right. The traffic was light now, so Pam was able to stop in a passing place. I hastily picked up my camera - I didn't even have enough time to fully extend the lens - and took five photos of a White-tailed Eagle. Not worth printing but here's a few anyway as I have no other photos today.




 

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