Waxwings Come to 't William

Seen today around the Union Road/ Seaview Gardens area of Fort William, a sizeable posse of Waxwings, apparently fresh in from Scandinavia in pursuit of what the Redwings haven't yet gobbled up of our autumnal berry crop



Go here for pictures of Redwings in action in our garden, feasting on the berries from the Cotoneasters

Redwings

We witnessed a large flock of Redwings in action in our garden today, feasting on the berries from the Cotoneasters:





(Apologies for the low grade picture quality: just my luck these birds arrived when I'd sent my best telephoto (EF70-300mm f4-5.6 IS) zoom back Canon for repair. As a result I only had an old Tamron 28-200mm lens to hand, and it is not sharp at the 200mm end. Ho hum...)

Sunset

Summer sunsets in Fort William can be stunning

Took this from the bedroom window at10.20pm last night

First Swallows Make A Summer

First swallows of 2008 seen here outside our kitchen window today

Last Days of the Mod

Friday saw the final stages of the competitive Mòd, with the Gaelic Choirs singing for the Lovat and Tullibardine Shield and other prizes. Elsewhere in the town, music was everywhere - in the pubs and bars, the High Street and the Parade. Only sorry to say I missed out on the band Daimh's Kilmallie Hall session on Friday night.

Click on a pic to see more













It all ended on Saturday morning, with a procession of pie bands and choirs down the High Street to the Parade, where the assembled choirs sang the 2007 Mod out, in Gaelic, surrounded by townsfolk and tourists.

As I said previously, this was Ruth's and my first encounter with a Mod, but it won't be our last. It's a shame Fort William can't host the Mod every year, but we'll maybe become Mod-followers, now we know how to play it. Watch this space next year...

It may not be much, but it's here....

The first snow of winter 2007, now showing on (from right to left) Ben Nevis , Carn Mor Dearg and Aonach Mor, from I'd guess about the 3700 ft mark!


(Picture taken noon today)