A Wedge of Swans

A bitter southwesterly was cutting along the beach this morning when we set off for our daily walk. The thermometer may have been registering six but the wind chill made it feel like one, and neither of us managed to be fully warmed despite two hours of very brisk exercise.

It's always the same: winter seems at its worst towards its end, when one is so looking forward to some sunshine and warmth.

Mrs MW spotted these, a wedge of swans flying high over Beinn Bhraggie, calling to each other as they went.

Britain's three resident swans are bewicks, mutes and whoopers but I'm not able to identify them at this range. The mutes are resident year-round but the other two migrate to their breeding grounds in March, the bewicks to Siberia and the whoopers to Iceland. I hope they weren't either of these species as they were flying very determinedly in the wrong direction.