My Scottish Adventure plus ring Storm Petrel on an uninhabited island (Part 1)

[John]

I posted this last night and it was lost amongst the many posts that are flying around in the ether. I had typed it on a word document and thought I had deleted that part of part one but after checking I found I hadn't. So here is what I had posted last night.

I promised I would do a thread on my ringing expeditions off the North Coast of Scotland and here it is. I hope you have stamina as it will probably be a long one. I will just relate the first year, 1998, as the second year was pretty similar anyway.

I think I had better do this in stages otherwise I think you will lose interest.

Basically in July 1998 & 1999 a couple of mates and I had been invited to join a select band of ringers that ringed Storm Petrels on a remote Scottish Island situated a couple of miles off the North Coast of Scotland. The island’s name being Eilean nan Ron and was about two miles off the coast, north of a small fishing village called Skerray which in turn was north of Tongue. It was owned by the Duchess of Sutherland and it was she that gave our group special permission to go ahead and camp out on her island for 5 days. In fact there were three groups spread over two weeks and as one group finished their stint so another group would take over.

All three of us had never done this before and we were going along just to help out as best we could, but in the end I was tutored in the skills of extracting these fabulous little birds from the mist nests, plus also under direction actually ringing some. I also got to ring Great Skua chicks, Great Black Backed Gull chicks as well as a few other species.

The 5 days were only part of a two week expedition (in fact thinking about it we always started out on a Friday tea-time and came back home late on the Sunday, so it was 16 days in all). On the way up we would bird different areas of Scotland and do the same on the way back.

The main party leader (John) also did a 3 month Ring Ouzel survey deep in the wilds of Scotland in an area known as Invermark Lodge. This was about 25 miles NW of Brechin and was actually a base situated in some Grouse Beaters lodges. These in turn were situated near the banks of the Beautiful Loch Lee. Thankfully I knew him quite well and because of this he managed to secure us three nights at no charge in these lodges so that was the start of our Scottish Adventures.

Because it was so late in the season for Ring Ouzel the chance of finding one here was remote and that is the way it turned out as we never came across one in either of our visits to there. John was only there at that time to wind down the survey and get his notes up to date.

On the first day of the first year he asked if we would like to see a failed Eagle eyrie that still had the pair frequently showing close by. It was to be a very long trudge up and across some highish peaks towards Lochnagar (at the peak of Balmoral Forest). It was extremely hot when we set out and the long climb was both exhausting but exhilarating with stunning views everywhere.

On the way Red Grouse were everywhere and we came across a few Meadow Pipit’s, Grey Wagtails, Curlew, Wheatears, Spotted Flycatchers, a few Common Sandpipers in the streams and many more birds, including a couple of Lesser Redpolls. Raptors were well in abundance and we came across Sparrowhawk, Peregrine, Buzzard, Osprey and Kestrel but obviously our main quarry were the pair of Golden eagle we were promised. After what seemed hours we came to the top of one peak with a sheer drop to a narrow valley. It was here we were told to sit and just watch over to what looked a small flat area amongst the rocks on the far ridge. We sat and ate our sandwiches whilst basking in the warm sun with a gentle breeze wafting over us. It was idyllic and calm as there was virtually no sound but for the odd mewing Buzzard and the occasional Meadow Pipit zipping by.

We had sat there for about 30 minutes when a movement was noticed and from the gully to our right came out a pair of Golden Eagles (the first I had ever seen). At first they were distant. They started to come closer and we all went down flat on our bellies in the hope that they wouldn’t get scared off with our silhouettes. It wasn’t long before this magnificent pair was within 100 feet of us and they gave us some fabulous views of their aerial skills. As they started to descend into the valley below us a surprising thing happened when a kestrel suddenly appeared and started to buzz them and it was then that you took in the magnitude of their size as they totally dwarfed the kestrel. Still the Kestrel hit home his attacks but the eagles seem to take no notice and just carried on along the valley until they disappeared.

After such a magnificent moment it was time for the long haul back to the lodges. On the way I had one of my very saddest moments in my birding life. I had been watching a Meadow Pipit close up and my three friends had moved ahead of me by a few hundred yards. The Mipit flew off and I started to quicken my pace to catch up when a flurry of feathers by my feet caught my attention. I had actually trodden on a hidden Red Grouse and blood was pouring from its moth. It was flapping like mad and I shouted to catch my mate’s attention. Straight away John shouted back that I had to pull its neck. I couldn’t believe it but it was obvious I had to do it to put it out of its misery. It was then I found out how fragile these bird are as I thought that I had not put too much pressure on the pull but all of a sudden the head had parted from the neck and I was left holding the body in one hand and the head in the other. I was physically sick there and then and was totally distraught with what had happened. It was a very quiet time for me as I made the rest of the way back to the Lodge and this stayed with me throughout the night.

I have put a few very bad photos below of The Invermark Lodge and surrounding area. Unfortunately I didn't own a very good camera at the time so please exceuse the quality.

The first photo is the lodge itself. The second is of Loch Lee. Unfortunately it was very cloudy on the day we took these photos. The far distance is where we had to start our climb to look for the eagles. The third photo is the Pine woods at the back of Invermark Lodge and the final photo is part of the walk we took towards the Eagles.

I will post part two probably tomorrow night.

John

[Mark43]

Well i didn't lose interest and am already waiting for part 2 John.

Never having had any experiences like this i like to read about other people's.

Well i would have swapped with you in an instant for an experience like that except maybe the Grouse bit.

[Ollie]

Very interesting John. Bad luck on the Red Grouse. I look forward to reading the next installment.
Ollie

[John]

Glad you liked it so far. I have finished typing it all out and I warn you that it is over 5,700 words long. Let's see how many comments come out of this one as I think I will possibly set a record for the longest typed thread by one member.

It is well worth staying with as it is full of some incredible moments and spectacles.

John

[digi]

Excellent John, keep them coming.

[John]

Originally Posted by digi

Excellent John, keep them coming.

This part will be the last for a few days as my computer is a bit sick and I am taking it to a shop to hopefully be cured.

Part 2.

After a fitful night’s sleep for me it was decided by the three of us that we would go to the Montrose Basin that day. It was about 6am when we started out. There had been a Wood Sandpiper reported and it didn’t take long for us to find it. Apart from that the basin was relatively quiet but there were a couple of hundred Eider and a couple of Red-breasted Mergansers that got our attention. There wasn’t much else about but we still had plenty of hours of daylight to use.

The pager was announcing a King Eider just above Aberdeen at Newburgh, some 60 or so miles away. We decided to go for it as none of us had ever seen one before. It took us a couple of hours to get there but what a spectacle it was once we were there. The numbers were astronomical with in excess of 2,000 Eider, over 1,000 Sandwich Tern, 500+ Arctic Tern, 100 or more Little Tern, 30+ Common Tern, loads of waders, including 100+ Bar-tailed Godwit, 20 plus Ringed Plover, Dunlin, Sanderling plus a few Red breasted Merganser and Goldeneye but as yet no King Eider. There were also huge numbers of seals out on the far sands. What an awesome sight this was turning out to be. We walked towards the mouth of the estuary and here the Eiders were thinning out a little. As we were scanning another birder close by shouted that he was onto it. Quickly picking up our scopes were soon running across the sands to him and minutes later were onto a magnificent Drake King eider. A fitting end to a stunning day.

It was now time that we returned back to the lodge in preparation for the trip up towards Eilean nan Ron. A good nights sleep this time and we were up early and refreshed. John was going ahead of us and getting there a day earlier than we were so we bade him a temporary farewell as we left to go north.

We had planned to stop at Loch Naver in two night’s, which is about twenty miles south of Tongue but on the way we were to stop at Loch Garten, near Aviemore, and the surrounding area to see what we could find. It was actually quite productive with Crested Tit, Common and Scottish Crossbill, Redstart and Osprey coming our way. The pair of Osprey’s had fledged one chick but sadly we chose a very dark, dank day to go so taking a photo with my basic camera was out of the question.

We camped up near Aviemore and after a good nights sleep in our tents it was time to leave for our next stop. On the way we were treated to Red Kite at Tores island (north of Inverness), loads of seals out on the Cromarty Firth and a stop at one of the best places to be at Sunset (Struie Hill (just short of the B9176 and the A836 junction). Sadly we were there well before sunset but if anyone is in this area towards dusk on a sunny day give yourself a treat and go there. It is absolutely awesome. We eventually arrived at Loch Naver at about 11pm still in total daylight. It was surreal putting up the tents in total daylight and to the backdrop of the sounds of the geese like calls of the Red-throated Divers out on the Loch.

We were up at the crack of dawn, tent packed up and then a quick scan of the loch and we soon found 4 Red-throated Divers in full summer plumage. Great start to the day but we had the 40 or so miles to go to get to Skerray and the boat trip over to the island. First port of call was to the local village shop in Tongue to top up on the supplies to take to the island. No shops over there so we had to get enough food to last us at least 6 days. Pulling out of Tongue we came across a field with some of those magnificent Highland cattle in. It is now that I wish I owned the type of camera I own now as some brilliant photos would have been had of these beautiful animals.


The next instalment will possibly be at the weekend now.

John

[digi]

Thanks John, this is really interesting.

[John]

Originally Posted by digi

Thanks John, this is really interesting.

Glad you liked it digi but it is only a foretaste of what is to come.

Unfortunately my PC is now in with a repairer and I don't expect to get it back until possibly the weekend.

The next instalments are well worth waiting for as it tells of the thrills and spills of ringing Bonxie chicks (Great Skuas) where the chicks bite back and the parents come at you with eyeball to eyeball attacks. Moving onto ringing the Stormies as well as abseiling for other birds.

Watching Otters at play as well as seeing Dolphin, Porpoise and Whales.

Close encounters with Golden Eagle and White tailed Eagle plus much more.

John

[Mark43]

Crikey John..........borrow a PC or something

[John]

Originally Posted by Mark43

Crikey John..........borrow a PC or something

Unfortunately I have it already typed out on a word document but I will also be adding a few photos along the way so it is necessary to use my PC.

I must admit I was hoping for more response from the members but perhaps it is too long a thread. Mind you, It is nowhere near finished yet as there is quite a bit more to add. It would be nice if more members were to read it and give some feedback on whether threads that are very long are not what is wanted.

Hopefully my PC is repairable without the need to wipe the hard drive clean.

I'm just thankful I can use the works PC to keep abreast of what is going in in WAB.

John

[digi]

Originally Posted by John

Glad you liked it digi but it is only a foretaste of what is to come.

Unfortunately my PC is now in with a repairer and I don't expect to get it back until possibly the weekend.

The next instalments are well worth waiting for as it tells of the thrills and spills of ringing Bonxie chicks (Great Skuas) where the chicks bite back and the parents come at you with eyeball to eyeball attacks. Moving onto ringing the Stormies as well as abseiling for other birds.

Watching Otters at play as well as seeing Dolphin, Porpoise and Whales.

Close encounters with Golden Eagle and White tailed Eagle plus much more.

John

Can't wait !!

[John]

At last I have got my computer back, all cleaned up and ready to go.

Right, let's continue the action.

Now we were at Skerray for the first time. The harbour is basically a small bay with a harbour wall built across the mouth of the harbour allowing a small opening to the sea. We stood up onto the wall and were hit with a fierce wind. In the harbour all was quiet and relatively calm. On the other side of the wall the sea was raging. We didn’t know what boat we were using but to be honest all the boats in the harbour looked too small for the two mile crossing to the island. It wasn’t long before we were joined by a middle aged woman enquiring whether we were the party she was taking over to the island. Looking out over to the sea again I remember saying that I thought it too rough for a crossing but upon pointing down to the minute boat below us she informed us that she had crossed in worse weather than this and we weren’t to worry.

The crossing for me was exhilarating, but not for my other two friends who were being rather ill in the front of the boat. As we pulled out of the mouth of the harbour the wind hit us full on but the skipper knew just how to steer the boat into it and soon we were out into open water, rocking and rolling with the white water waves, with Black Guillemot, Fulmar, Bonxies (Great Skua), Manx Sheawater, Gannet, Shag, Guillemot, Razorbill, Puffin, Eider, the odd Sandwich Tern as well as the common gull species accompanying us across to the island.

The skipper had previously loaded up quite a few large containers of water for everyone on the island to use as there was no water on the island. To get on the island we had to jump from the boat onto a flat concreted area. It was a bit dicey timing the jump just right but we did it. The next tricky bit was transferring the gear and water off the boat whilst it was continually rolling in the waves but we did it without incident. Thankfully the rest of the group had come down from the campsite to welcome us and carry the water up the 50 or so steep steps we had to climb up.

Soon were on the camp site which was situated amongst the ruins of the long departed houses that had been left to the elements since about 1931. Here is a link to a brief overview of the area. http://www.undiscoveredscotland.co.u...ine/index.html

The tents were soon erected and we all settled down to a meal that had been prepared by the other camp members. Some of the camp members had been ringing throughout the night and had been excited by the results. We were straining at the bit to take part but first of all it was necessary to get our heads down for a few hours in readiness for our all night ringing.

Whilst we had been eating our food we had been treated to Great Skuas flying over us, Twite, Meadow Pipit, Hooded Crow & Wheatear all around us. The odd Rock Pipit and true Rock Doves also made appearances whilst a few Swallows swooped in and around the ruins with lone appearances of Whinchat & Skylark to add to the species list.

After a few hours kip we made our way to the north headland which was about a mile away. We set up a series of mist nets on top of the cliff to cover about 200 foot in length, checked to see that all the equipment was in place and sat down to have a meal, a brew and some light hearted banter.

We were waiting for dusk to arrive as it was then we switched on the tape deck and started the calls of the Stormies.

I have attached 3 photos.

No 1 is the little boat we went over to the island on.

No. 2 is part of the campsite. By the end of the day there were more arrivals and there wasn't a space left.

No. 3 is a distant look at the old ruined village. Note there are no trees to be seen. In fact there are no trees on the entire island.

John

[John]

We had about three hours of darkness to play with, that was all, as it didn’t get fully dark until midnightish and was light again for about 3am. This year the conditions were relatively calm and warm for the entire 5 days and nights (the following year had poured down with rain for the first three of the five nights and we had got absolutely soaked).

It wasn’t long before small dark, bat like, shapes were seen flying into the mist nets. It became a bit of a race to get to the birds quickly and extricate them from the nets. My job was to be the gofar, collecting the small cotton bags, with a couple of birds in them, and taking them to the ringer, then bringing back the empty bags back to those collecting the birds.

Each night they asked me to stay with the ringer for about half an hour to see how they ringed the birds. It was fascinating watching them ring the birds, measure up all the relevant features, wings & head etc. The next job was to enter the details of the sizes, ring numbers fitted, ring numbers already on the birds etc. The latter was necessary to determine how long between ringing it had been. Also the ring numbers once checked would tell you where they were previously rung and possibly how old they were. These figures were sent to (I think the BTO) and a few months down the line the information gathered from this spell of ringing would come back to John. Over the two years I was with them the oldest Storm Petrel we were aware of was over 34 as that had been how many years it had been between ringing. How old the bird was would remain unknown but it certainly was over 35. We also knew of birds that had been rung in such far flung places as Portugal and South Africa.

On the third day they asked if I wanted to ring the birds myself. I felt both honoured and worried. Honoured because I wasn’t a trained ringer, and they trusted me to do it, and worried because of how small and vulnerable these birds looked. But I managed it with relative ease, obviously with excellent direction, and over the next couple of nights rang quite a few Stormies.

On the 4th night, after ringing for half an hour I was called to the nets to have a go at extricating the birds. Now this did really worry me as there was a real art to doing this but John, and a Russian and a German ringer assured me that as long as I studied what they did I would be all right.

The first Stormie was treated with total gentleness but it was obvious that these birds were far more robust than they look and soon I was easing out first the wings and anything else caught up in the nets. I was told that I couldn’t be too slow in taking the birds out as it might cause them to struggle and injure themselves, so I quickly learned what pressure I could use and soon I was into the swing of things. On the 5th night I was left to do it on my own after John and the others had watched me for a few minutes. That will go down as moment in my life that I will never forget.

Half way through the night an excited shout went up. “We got a Leaches”. Everything stopped for a moment and then it was confirmed that a Leache’s Petrel had been caught (photo below). We couldn’t stop to look at it at that time as we were too busy so it was decided that after it had been rung and the details entered it would be kept quiet in the cotton bag so we could all have a look at it. Not long after the Stormies, for the first time, really slowed down in numbers so we decided to call it a day early. We all gathered around the ringers and the Leaches was taken out of the bag for us all to look at. This was the first Leache’s to be rung on this island for at least 5 years and only about the third in 10 years. It was also my very first look at a Leache’s and I even had the chance to hold it and to admire the bird close up.

I have total admiration for these Storm Petrels. Little bigger than a House Sparrow, they spend all the daylight hours out at sea, battling the elements, before returning to land at dusk. Below is a photo of one that we found in daylight in the bracken near the cliffs. It had left it to late to fly off and was hunkered down amongst the bracken too frightened to fly off in case the gulls got it.

I have attached a photo of the Leaches we caught and the Stormie that was found in the Bracken.

Again I apologise for the quality but these are 8 years old and taken with a very basic camera.

John

[John]

It's a shame that this doesn't appear to be a thread that generates much interest but I said I would encapsulate the whole two weeks into a thread and so I will finish it off as promised. I will post the rest of it in the relevant parts straight away and not bother waiting a day bewteen each part.

This next part was what happens when you go to ring the Great Skua chick.

Because we only rang in the few hours of darkness this allowed us to have a short kip then go out late morning to ring anything else that we could. Some of the birds I couldn’t help out with. Birds such as Fulmar, Kittiwake and the various Auks that nested down on the sheer cliffs. These had to be abseiled for and a couple of the team had just the equipment to do it. Three people stayed with them as lookouts to make sure that nothing went wrong with these proceedings.

Whilst they did this the plan for the rest of us, on the first day, was to ring the Great Skua chicks. These chicks are left in small scrapes on the slight rises of a few very small hills on the island. We were to split up into parties of three. As my two friends and I were new to all this it was explained how this worked. The first thing we had to know was that the chicks parents would almost certainly be standing on the peak of the hill, away from the chick, watching for any encroachment on the nest area. Anything that approached was subject to an ambush style attack from the adult. The way they did this was to drop down the other side off the hill, if we approached too near, and coming in from the blind side come at you head height and with a full blown attack, eye ball to eyeball contact. This is why we had three in the party. Two had to walk in ever decreasing circles around the hill whilst the third member walked a hundred yards away down the hill looking out for the forthcoming attack. As soon as the Skua was spotted taking off the shout would come up.

I stayed with the German ringer and John stayed down the hill whilst the other chap and me started our circling of the hill. True to form the shout came up as we reached about halfway up the hill. We turned to face where John was pointing and sure enough the Skua was little more than head height and heading straight for us. I had a very cheap old Pentax camera at the time, and certainly didn’t have time for any fancy settings, but I faced the bird with my camera clicking away. The first shot was of the bird about 30 feet away, the second was eye ball to eye ball (a bad photo attached below) and the third was as the birds legs flashed past my face, the wind from the wings brushing the side of my face.

I stood my ground for the second attack and was witness to an amazing feat of flying by the adult Skua. Again it dipped down behind the hill only to appear to the right of us and homed into us like an arrow. It screamed towards us at breakneck speed and we had to duck as it thrust its attack home. I swear its feet were only about a foot away from us as we ducked down. The Skua then settled down on top of the hill and stayed there as we started our search again. We soon found two chicks in a small scrape by some rocks. The adult stayed put but still watched us intently.

This was my next lesson. When ringing Bonxie chicks beware of their very sharp beaks. Thankfully it wasn’t me that found out the hard way but the German ringer when his concentration wasn’t what it should have been. One of the Bonxie chick’s flashed its head sideways as a ring was about to be put on its leg and bit down hard on his finger. Bonxie’s beaks have a sharp pointed tip that that rips at its food and this tip had been pushed well into his finger. When that happens you don’t pull your finger out as if you do your flesh would be ripped to pieces. You have to stay calm as the bird only holds, not bites even more. Thankfully the German birder knew this and even though it was obvious he was in pain he stayed calm whilst John prised open the bird’s beak. The German ringers finger was quite badly cut but John, being the experienced ringer he was, had brought the necessary first aid equipment with him and the fingers was soon wiped clean with an antiseptic wipe then a plaster placed over the damaged area.

These German guys are a tough lot as he shook off the pain and waved us to carry on ringing the bird, but it was me they were asking to do it. John showed me how to hold the Bonxie properly and passed the other bird over to me. (photo attached of the two chicks). They are very strong birds even at this age, and I was very mindful of that sharp beak, but I held the bird fast whilst John put on the ring, then clamped it around the leg. The two birds were successfully ringed, their details taken and put in the log and then placed back into their scrapes. We left to go to the next few hills. That day we must have rung at least7 or 8 chicks from Memory but the last one stood out the most as I was asked to ring it. John showed how to do it then he held the bird firm and passed me the ring and clamp. Again mindful of the beak I managed to ring the bird without incident. Another moment I won’t forget.

The photos below are of the attack made on me by the Bonxie and also one of two of the Bonxie chicks about to be rung.

Again I apologise for the quality but these are 8 years old and taken with a very basic camera

John

[John]

Because there were to be three ringing groups spread over the two weeks on the island the plan was to split the island into three for the daylight ringing and each group just had their third of the island to cover. Anything that could be rung in that third was ours to do. The Storm petrel station was to remain constant throughout. After three days we had covered our third of the island so for the last two days it was a case of having as much sleep as possible then just looking around the island in general.

One of the days was a bit special as one of the ringers said he had a treat for me. I promptly followed him for about half a mile to what looked like a sheer cliff. He assured me that there was a narrow path between the rocks and still not knowing what I was going for duly followed him down a very narrow ledge. There were 4 of us there and we were in single file. After going down for about 50 feet we came to a flattened out area where he stopped and pointed to a whole in the rock face. He slowly put his hand in and pulled out a gorgeous bundle of black fluff. It was a Black Guillemot Chick and he proceeded to ring it ad measure it. What a gorgeous thing these little chicks are. I have put a bad photo of this bird below.

On the 4th day we were sitting in the campsite when a Swallow kept flying around us and in and out of the ruins. It kept this up for ages and towards dusk it went into one of the buildings to roost. It was decided to put a mist net up to capture it so it could be rung and it worked as early in the morning there it was in the nets waiting for us (photo below).

One of the ringers had said that plenty of Porpoise, Dolphins, and a few Whales had been seen by the previous group so it was suggested that we sat on the cliffs facing the mainland and watched for any movement out on the sea. We had been sitting there watching various gulls, Skuas and Auks when one of the ringers excitedly pointed down below us. He half whispered “Otter”. All I could see was large rafts of sea weed covering the water at the rocks edge. Then an Otter appeared and clambered onto the weed and then I noticed that it was joining another Otter. They started to play fight each other then started to continually dive. It wasn’t long before one Otter came up with something in its mouth and proceeded onto the weed. I don’t know where the stone came from but the Otter proceeded to crack open a shell. We all watched totally enthralled, especially me as this was my very first Otter.

Out on the sea we were soon seeing a few Porpoise close to the mainland and the odd Dolphin down the middle. Quite a few Common Seals (and if my memory serves me right, Grey Seals also) were spotted on a few of the flat rocks both on the island and mainland but it was ages before a Whale was seen. The annoying part is I can’t recall what type they were but there were at least three out there.

The three of us decided to leave the island early if we could. Thankfully there was an excellent mobile signal on the island and we managed to contact the boat owner and she agreed to come over at 8 am to pick us up. I knew the area quite well on the mainland and on my suggestion it was decided to go back along the western side of Scotland by going via Durness and Ullapool, and then onto Gruinard Island for the chance of White tailed Eagle.

We bade our goodbyes to the other team members, stating that we would be back the following year. The crossing back was a much calmer affair with little wind to raise anything more than a slight swell. My two friends had the chance to watch the birds on the water this time and we had extremely close views of Black Guillemot, Puffin, Razorbill and Guillemot as well as Skuas harassing the odd gull and Tern. The odd Seal would poke its head curiously out of the water as we passed through them and not too far away was a small party of Porpoise. This became an extremely enjoyable trip back to the mainland.

Below are photos of a Black Guillemot chick. A Meadow Pipit chick about to be rung and the Swallow that we had netted in the campsite.

John

[John]

We were soon calling into the shop in Tongue to top up on supplies again, then onto Durness and down the western side of Scotland. Having left Tongue we were soon passing over Kyle of Tongue and just had to stop to witness what seemed like hundreds of Seals basking on the sands. Arctic Terns were in abundance and it was great to watch them wheel and dive quite close to us, but time was moving on and we had planned to camp over night at a place called Clachtoll, which was still a long drive away from us. We passed alongside Loch Eriboll (scene of a stunning find for me in June 2002 when I found a winter plumaged White-billed Diver) but this year it was very quiet with nothing but common ducks and a couple of female Eider to be seen. Durness was a different matter when we parked up in the car park. Looking out to see we we treated to a couple of Bonxies (Great Skuas) doing aerial battles with Arctic Terns, Black headed gulls and anything else that they felt like picking on. Black Guillemots plus the ordinary Guillemot were seen out to sea as well as Fulmar, Gannet, all the Common gulls, a couple of Eider and a surprising 20 Sandwich Terns that were flying past the car park.

Moving further south we passed along the side of Kyle of Durness but this was very quiet with virtually nothing out on the water. There were a few sea Lochs we wanted to look at on the way down. The first one, Loch Inchard was birdless but the next one, Loch Laxford, didn’t turn up any birds but it did turn up another Otter that was just below us. This time the sighting was relatively brief and with five minutes it had disappeared. Normally from here I would call into Tarbet to have a look over to Handa Island but time was fast running away from us so we pressed onto Clachtoll and a beach campsite I knew of.

We arrived with still quite a few daylight hours left and after pitching the two tents a walk around this lovely campsite was on the cards. Don’t get me wrong, there aren’t that many amenities there it is just a beautiful spot at the side of a lovely white beach. Birds seen here were all the Common Gulls, Fulmar, gannet, a few Guillemot, Oystercatcher, wheatear, Pied wagtail, Starling, Rock Pipit and Meadow Pipit. After so much driving an early night was called for and we all slept well. It was passed 8am before I had woken up. The other two had beaten me to it and were already cooking the bacon, eggs, sausages and whatever else would go on the plate. A good breakfast and brew and we were ready for anything. The plan now was to call into Ullapool for some excellent fish and chips then onto Gruinard Bay for the White tailed Eagle.

A slow drive towards Ullapool took us along the banks of Loch Assynt. At the far end is a n