Curate's Egg

Tuesday May 16

The only sensible thing to do was... stay in bed and read.  A howling gale still, rain lashing against the bedroom windows. I can only suffer sitting up in bed for a short time, it's too uncomfortable on my knees. Fortunately, the rain eased, we were encouraged to chance the day.

I'd planned to start at Aird an Runair, to see if the wind had brought us some skuas. Instead we ordered the Telegraph at Bayhead supermarket -  not in until 5, late boat on Tuesdays - and made for South Uist and the Phalarope loch.

Alhough the sky ahead looked pretty dark, it cleared, the sun came out and we saw our first Short-eared Owl of the day. Two brawling Buzzards had us flummoxed for a while.

Reaching Loch Mor, we started scanning from the eastern end. Shelduck, Oystercatchers and Arctic Terns. There's a grassy hillock at the western end where we parked and scanned the favoured end of the loch. I was scoping Wigeon, a pair of Gadwall and two pairs of Arctic Tern. Pam remembered that the birds sometimes used some small pools south of the loch. Almost immediaely she saw a Red-necked Phalarope fly in and swim out of view into the grasses which form scanty islands in the water. Pam turned the car so that I could scope, enabling me to watch the lone female make her way to the western end of the water before doing a Houdini again. All typical behaviour. She's the only one back so far, we saw four by the end of this week last year - and they bred for the first time in many years.

Hebridean Jeweller's and its cafe beckoned. More earrings for me - birds and butterflies - after a drink and cake. Lovely jewellery, they really ought to make more wildlife earrings, considering the number of birders who visit.

Stinky Bay and the Range brought nothing new, yet more small waders busy living. I did see the most beautiful male Wheatear on the machair. Undoubtedly of the Greenland race, larger, everything brighter. Startlingly white eyestripe and a deep apricot breast. Stunning.

On the return journey, Stinky Bay had a group of 80+ Godwits, mainly Black-tailed.

As we left, my phone sprang into life, a three hour old message from J informing us that a few skuas were passing Balranald. I responded but reception is so patchy here that it wasn't sent until we were back in North Uist. Two Pomarine Skuas flew overhead before Grimsay......two Whooper Swans with golden heads from the peaty water, fed in a roadside pool.

The weather this afternoon has been superb - from the car. Blue sky, water in various shades of blue and green, rocky coastline, white shell sand and birds. Euphoric. The Outer Hebrides coastline is hard to surpass in its beauty. Shame we are too early for he wildflowers. Apart from some wind blighted Thrift on lichen-covered rocks.

After collecting my newspaper, we headed for Balranald and Aird an Runair. The Bees were still there and had been since 10 a.m., they are Skua obsessed. Lovely birds. We didn't stay long. Barry B stopped for a chat - we met him moth-ing in Norfolk last year - and we drove to Commitee Road where we had another Short-eared Owl. I love Owls, Shorties are a favourite, such a pleasure to see them daily. Golden evening light and a distant, very active bird are not good conditions (I'm making excuses again). He's dropped unsuccessfully here, before flying again.

Sometime to-day I remembered that I hadn't taken a photo of an Oystercatcher yet this trip. That had to be remedied. 

I could hear a lawnmower in our back garden as we drove through the gate. The driver introduced himself as Donald from next door.  At last I could ask someone about Stinky Bay, it's not named as such on any map. Yes, that's what the locals call it too and he had to think hard before coming up with what its proper name might be. It wasn't stinky to-day as there was minimal seaweed.
''Our'' Corncrake is creaking from the back garden........
The moth trap is on to-night, ever optimistic.