This beautiful Water RailW was spotted and photographed by Gary Smith on 16th March 2010 in one of the gardens at Raffin, near Stoer lighthouse.
There have been several sightings of Water Rail in Assynt this year already.
This one was probably just passing through and stopped for a break and to feed. They eat plant material and small animals.
Although they are very shy and retiring and easily overlooked there are occasional breeding records from Assynt.
A. Summers
Single bird, Clashnessie Bay (Peter Reynolds). May be the same bird as seen at Culkein Drumbeg on 21 January (23/01)
Two dead birds on beach, Bay of Balchladich (Peter Reynolds). This may be connected to the ongoing spate of similar incidents along the coast of Scotland & NE England. (23/01)
30 birds on wires, Lochinver Main Street (Gwen Richards) (23/01)
Single bird in flight, by Bone Caves car park, A837 (Carol Langford) (22/01)
Single bird, Culkein Drumbeg (Peter Reynolds) (21/01)
Two males and a single female, Culkein Drumbeg (Peter Reynolds) (20/01)
Single bird hovering, Culkein Drumbeg (DAH) (20/01)
Two males under bird feeders, Culkein Stoer (Kath Ainslie) (20/01)
