Flocks

At this time of year, many of the birds are moving around in flocks. Geese are to be seen in large numbers in the fields around Kilchoan at the moment, the size of the flocks and their locations varying from day to day. Their favourite places include the football field next to the Community Centre and the Estate land to the east of Mingary Castle. This picture shows a worried flock in the field below the parish church, with the houses of Pier Road in the background.

We seem to have one big group of starlings, based around The Ferry Stores, seen here in an old rowan tree between the shop and the jetty. For a time they strayed up towards our end of Ormsaigbeg but, to our relief - they're noisy, quarrelsome birds with appalling table manners -the novelty palled and they went away.

Small flocks of ducks have been with us all winter. Mallard tend to be in pairs or small groups, but the widgeon prefer are more gregarious, congregating either in Lochan na Nal, the pond just beyond The Ferry Stores (seen here at evening), or close against the beach along the Ormsaigbeg shore.

We have more curlew that we've seen in many winters, often found feeding in the Ormsaigbeg fields just to the west of the shop. They're usually in a group of ten or more, keeping close together as they work their way across areas of sheep-cropped grass probing for worms with their long bills. They're even more nervous than the geese, keep a good watch, and are off, emitting their plaintive cry, the moment they spot an approach.

The prize for numbers must go to this flotilla of shags working their way along the beach just below the camp site. There are over seventy in the picture, and there were more outside it - perhaps a hundred in all. It's a bit of a mystery what they were doing as few seemed to be actively fishing. Perhaps it was the shags' version of a social event, a ceilidh, or line dancing, shag style.