Turnstones

We walked along the beach below Dunrobin Castle again today, in part because there's a strong northwesterly blowing which is bringing in sharp showers and this beach is relatively protected. Below the thicket where we watched the blackcaps on Saturday we....

....spotted movement in the kelp washed in by the rising tide. This was a small flock of....

....turnstones, waders which we've seen before along this same section of beach. With their black bibs, bright orange legs and short, dark bills, they're relatively easy to identify. They allowed us to approach quite close before taking wing, when we counted nine of them.

Having walked well beyond the castle we made our way back through the extensive woodland that extends for a couple of miles between the beach and the A9. One of the many paths that are open to the public is one that runs along the top of the steep cliffs of an ancient coastline, where benches are provided where one can sit and enjoy the view across the Moray Firth.