The day may have started brightly but the forecasts were for westerly winds to be gusting over gale force by mid-morning so we set off early along the coast path towards Dunrobin Castle with a relatively light breeze at our backs, intending to avoid the high winds by returning through the woodlands.
As the year moves on the sun is lower in the sky and shining straight into our faces as we look out to sea, making finding the shore birds increasingly difficult, but a large flock of waders made themselves evident by frequent....
....practises of their close-formation flying.
They were redshanks, over fifty in number. We also disturbed a dozen or so curlews which, after voicing there displeasure, flew away along north along the coast.
A quick search amongst the rough grasses close to the shore revealed the lone northern marsh orchid which flowered here in 2021 and 2022 but not this year. While most of the orchids have long disappeared, this one has grown a rather strange spike.
The 'fall' has started so enjoyment of the return walk through the woods was limited by the carpet of leaves which, effectively, camouflaged....
....the few fungi that are up at the moment. I don't enjoy woodland walking as much as the coast so now there's a further deterrent.
The day may have started brightly but the forecasts were for westerly winds to be gusting over gale force by mid-morning so we set off early along the coast path towards Dunrobin Castle with a relatively light breeze at our backs, intending to avoid the high winds by returning through the woodlands.
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