A bird explosion!

As we were heading south yesterday morning in any event, we decided to pop into the Salar Smokehouse and buy our packs of their delicious Flaky Smoked Salmon to take back home with us at the end of the week. We always go home laden with the goodies that we can only get when we're here, and that salmon is a firm favourite. The shop isn't *quite* the same now that the business has been bought out by the Loch Duart people, but thankfully they've not meddled with the fish.

Periodically some of the fish "remains" from the smokehouse evidently get lobbed out onto the road for the gulls, as when we drove up we saw this...

...which each time a car drove towards it turned into this...

...a sort of "bird explosion" that could thoroughly freak you out if you'd seen "The Birds" recently!

The weather the last two days - a proper sea fog was drawing in when we went for our late walk along the beach on saturday night, and didn't really lift until the middle of the day yesterday. It's very odd to look out of the windows and not see the usual familar landmarks - from here that's the sea on three sides, and Loch Sandary and Cleattraval (the hill with the internet mast that's enabling these posts) on the other. We didn't let it get in the way of doing things though - Sunday was always going to be a gentle pottering sort of day in any event, and yesterday we headed to South Uist to do one of our favourite walks - a circular one with all sorts of interesting things along the way, as well as a fantastic cafe for lunch.

The wildflowers get more stunning by the day - this field of Buttercups, Marsh Marigolds and fluffy white Marsh Cotton was beautiful...

..and we're yet to identify this intense purple flower - this is probably one of a number of photos that will be winging its way to Fay in due course for an expert eye!

Once we'd got back to the car from our walk we set off to drive along one of our favourite roads - the Uskevagh road on Benbecula which winds out miles across to the east of the Island - the reward for some challenging driving (MrEH behind the wheel on this occasion) being the absolutely stunning views. On this occasion I can't show you I'm afraid as the cloudy weather didn't really make photos that worthwhile - you'll need to take my word for it! We did spot this handsome Snipe standing calmly on some heather just next to the road though...

...and then a little further on this glorious Golden Plover...

...not so easy to see at this time of year these - a few weeks earlier there are entire fields covered with hundreds of them, but once they are in full breeding plumage like this one they head off to the moorland and hills in pairs to breed. The other one was present but wasn't in a position I could photograph the two together. Typically as I got back into the car again the two could be seen standing together in full view!

Robyn