Having an unexpected day off, I was unsure where to head, but overnight light winds and the promise of a decent first half of the day, I hedged my bets in visiting the NW corner of the UK to the small village of Balnakeil, a site renowned for rare birds over the years, including a Daurian Starling many years ago.
I was excited to explore this area knowing there wouldn't be any birders around for miles, and I got off to a good start with a Lesser Whitethroat and a few Goldcrests making themselves known. A further wander and I was rewarded with a Barred Warbler which proved to be very mobile and elusive, but two Hawfinches which flew in were slightly more cooperative. Further interest was the long-staying Treecreeper, a Magpie and a Wheatear. The nearby marsh held at least seven Ruff. I saw the Barred Warbler a further four times, but I just couldn't get a photo of this very secretive bird.
I briefly checked Durness as there were some excellent gardens there, but all I could find was a Garden Warbler. An Otter and a Stoat were other noteworthy things seen.
This hopefully won't be my last visit this autumn to this far-flung area.
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| Lesser Whitethroat |
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| awful pic of the Barred Warbler |
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| Hawfinch |
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| Balnakeil |
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| Stoat |
