Flies....

On today's glorious autumn morning I set off to walk along the beach to the south of Golspie where the sea has recently, very generously, returned most of the sand it took away some weeks ago. The walk started badly, having to cross boulders and rocks covered with....

....millions of small, black flies, most of which were also setting off in the same direction as me, forming a narrow jet stream of massed insects which flowed along just below the rocks at the top of the beach. In fact, I found it was fine to sit on a rock in the path of the hoard because most simply diverted round me, with only a few that were obviously not paying attention hitting me.

It seems likely that they're Fucellia maritima, one of the kelp flies, a species which is quite common along British beaches.

They continued to pass for most of the walk then, quite suddenly, they stopped.

It was just as well that the flies were there to provide some interest as the beach was otherwise almost totally deserted of wildlife. In the half-hour walk south I saw three oystercatchers, two redshanks and a curlew, none of which allowed me close enough for a good photo - look very closely at the one above and you might be able to spot the oystercatcher - and on the return leg I saw not a single wader.

A few small groups of eider were paddling about offshore, accompanied by gulls which, I assume, were trying to muscle in on any shellfish the ducks might bring to the surface, with a few cormorants further out.

This beach and its adjacent sea seem to be becoming more and more deserted of wildlife. I didn't even find a dead crab washed up along the tideline - a post from a year ago reports our finding a skate washed up. Where, for example, were the sanderlings which should have been running up and down the beach in front of the waves? Where were the birds that should have been feasting on the flies - the only ones I saw were two rooks, who were having a problem catching such small prey in their heavy bills.

Compare today's sightings with this post of September 29th 2020.