Walking near the cottage we are renting is always lovely, whatever the weather, and this morning I was looking at what makes it all so yellow - for yellow it is, a gentle breezy delicate yellow hovering above the grasses. Tormentil, Marsh marigold, Flag iris, Buttercup, Birds Foot Trefoil. There are occasional Northern marsh orchids, but not a single Fragrant orchid yet, and no sign of the Six spot burnet moth, no sound of the Corncrake either.
We walked up at Eoligarry in the afternoon under a cloud of light rain. 2 seals watched us progress up the beach, a trio of female Eider duck did the same. We usually watch terns here, but there were no sign of them today, nor any Gannets within easy visibility. A solitary Shag flies one way and then the other. A gull drops down to the surface of the water. I hate to keep comparing to last year, and years before that, but Eoligarry is usually noisy with Corncrakes and we didn’t hear any today, I hope that was just because of the wind and that we will hear them on a calmer day.