Scotland 2016 Pictures Day 6

We left at 10:40AM for Nairn beach in the Skoda. It was blowing a hoolie but the wave looked as if it had collapsed though. It was entertaining through the woods with branches swaying everywhere and debris on the roads. I got out to move a fallen branch off the road at one point. Vis was poorer than expected over the Moray Firth. I suspect that was due to dust blown up into the air. We paused at a car show room where Jack's old car was for sale as that was where he part exchanged it for the mini.

We arrived at Nairn Harbour at 11AM. Stella and I had a quick wander on the rocks and beach below the car park before I returned. On the way back I saw a cloud of sand headed my way and shut my eyes quick before the sand arrived and gave me a quick blast. After rendezvousing with Jack, at 11:15AM I walked on my own to the nearby dunes on the other side of the harbour while Jack and Stella went to Basil harbour cafe for coffee and cake. My walk took me over a bridge over the harbour access channel. The wind blowing through the wire railings was very noisy. Then along the other side I reached the sand dunes which I explored for a while. Then I exited onto the beach itself which at half tide was huge. I went to the water's edge to take pictures. On the way the sand was being blown up by the wind and swirling all around me. It was quite mesmerising, and thankfully staying at ankle height. After taking in the amazing scenery I returned to the dunes to explore on the way back to the harbour. I did spot 2 Meadow Browns but no other butterflies.

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Driving into Nairn.	A flock of Gulls (Mostly Herring plus a few other types) and a Hybrid Hooded Crow.		180 degree panorama from below the jeti.

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Stella going for a wander around the rocks exposed by the low tide.	TODO: What is this ship's name and what is it for?	Another panorama of the harbour.	The bridge over the River Nairn to the dunes on the other side.	Looking upstream as I cross the River Nairn.

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The River Nairn as it flows out to sea.	River Nairn panorama from the Eastern side.	Heading out onto the sand dunes.	TODO: Identify bird.

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Sand dune panorama.	Looking back towards the harbour.	Views of the beach from the dunes.

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On the beach the strong wind was whipping up the sand into mesmerising swirls around my ankles.		Beach 360 panorama.	Pools of water left behind by the tide.

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Sand blowing over a log.	The Nairn Fishwife statue.	Beach panorama from the car park.	Leaving the harbour, passing a nice flower bed on the way out.

I returned to the café and joined Jack and Stella at 1155AM. I chatted to Jack and Stella and had a pot of tea when Stella ordered another round of coffee and cake. Once we finished we left at 12:25PM. After a slow walk to the car Jack drove us to the local Sainsbury's for some supplies. I think the wind had beaten him today. I ate lunch by the car while Jack and Stella shopped. I had all I needed for rest of the trip and was keen to tuck into my Tesco egg and cress sarnies I bought yesterday. (I know eating Tesco products in a Sainsbury's car park felt a little naughty lol.)

At 1:20PM we rounded the top of the hill above Lethen, half a mile from Jack's place. Jack pointed out a sheltered spot that might be good for Scotch Argus. I decided to get out and explore. He let me off maybe 50 meters down the hill. I enjoyed the wind as I walked back up to the spot he pointed out. It turned out to be a very small T shaped track. It certainly was sheltered from the wind and it felt hot in the sunshine there. But there wasn't much to find. Just a Ringlet and a Speckled Wood, plus a few small moths. So I walked down the hill past the field where I got my shoes wet, enjoying the strong wind again. I got back to Jack's place at 1:40PM.

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Cumulus near Lethen.		Looking over the fields below the road above Lethen.	Going Northeast up the road to the wood at the top.

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The sheltered track in the wood.	Two shots of a Ringlet.		Speckled Wood.

Once settled back in I downloaded and sorted my photos and rested. The rest of the day was spent inside. At 5:15PM it started raining. There had been cinema plans but they had been canned as Jack and Stella were tired and the weather was pants. A little before the rain came in the maximum wind was recorded on Cairngorm of 87mph gusting 114mph. Local winds were something like 40mph gusting 60mph. I left my timelapse going until 7:30PM, 12 hours after it started. I photographed feeding birds too and processed moth pictures. As soon as I stopped the timelapse a rainbow appeared in blue sky which was curious, so I kicked off another short evening timelapse for an hour or so.

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Blue Tit.	Male Chaffinch.	A curious pose from this Female / Juvenile.	Sparrows on the fence.	Chaffinches feeding on the table.	Another Female / Juvenile Chaffinch.

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The moment the Sparrows flew off.	More shots of Chaffinches feeding on the ground. I think these must be Juvenile Males with their reddish colours just starting to show.		The rainbow.	Virgae lit up by the lowering sun.	Wispy low clouds forming over the trees.

The main activity of the evening was watching TV recordings and completing the Frankfurt diary captions before starting to process the flight home pictures. I eventually retired for the night at midnight.