A day's shopping in Inverness allowed little time for natural connections, although a short walk around the Ness Islands produced two Grey Wagtails, a Hooded Crow, a Grey Heron and the only Long-tailed Tit flock of the trip.
Later, an evening drive around some sites in inland Inverness-shire produced some nice birds in the form of Black-throated Diver (a preening adult), Slavonian Grebe (a pair feeding young), Red Kite, Greylag Goose, Spotted Flycatcher and roadside broods of Red Grouse and Pheasant. Heading back to Buckie via lower Strathspey, two Swifts were over Charlestown of Aberlour and three Magpies were near Broadley.
Signs of the end of summer included 25 Swallows on wires at Mulben and mixed gulls, corvids and waders following a silage harvester at Tomatin.
Back at Buckie, a pair of Swallow were attending a nest under the porch of The Tesco superstore as a House Martin twittered overhead
.