A Busy Loch Fleet

Loch Fleet was busy this morning with geese, ducks, waders and gulls exploiting the rising tide. 

The majority of birds were geese, the large flocks of pink-footed that have been here for a couple of weeks or so. At present they're roosting on the loch at night and flying north for the daylight hours to feeding grounds the other side of Dunrobin Castle.

With them, in almost as large numbers, were common gulls, probably incomers which spend the summer in breeding grounds across Western Europe.

Mixed in with them were far smaller numbers of widgeon, oystercatchers, curlews, and mallard.

It was a heartening sight: we've not seen the loch this crowded in a long time.