The main event of today was a couple of hours spent watching the mouth of the Spey at Tugnet. A big gull roost out on the mud contained mainly Herring Gulls (107) and Great Black-backed Gulls (54) with six Common Gulls. A couple of Common Sandpipers were flying up and down the banks of the river and both Arctic and Common Terns (the latter outnumbered by the former) were moving constantly overhead (arriving from the sea with fish and disappearing upriver, then heading back in the opposite direction). After a while, three smaller terns with more rapid wingbeats and a harsher call arrived from the sea and headed inland (without fish). I suspected they were Little Terns, and this was confirmed by the appearance of a pair, and then a second pair washing and preening on the rocks in front of me. I watched them for 20 minutes and obtained some passable digiscoped images. I then walked a little way upstream recording various passerines including Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Corn Bunting, House Sparrow, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Greenfinch, Swift, Swallow, House Martin and Sand Martin. A little later, a watch of the Moray Firth produced a big gathering of Goosanders (approaching 100 birds) and small numbers of Gannet, Guillemot, Shelduck and Red-breasted Mergansers. In the cool still weather, many hirundines had resorted to feeding along the shingle beach and over the sea.

An early visit to Cullen Bay was all about wild swimming rather than natural connections. However an afternoon walk around Forres produced the first Moorhen (two) of the trip, two broods of Mallard (seven and one), a very dark juvenile Common Gull, potential breeding Oystercatcher and four butterfly species (Red Admiral, Meadow Brown, Small Tortoiseshell and Speckled Wood).

I made an early start to the day to follow up a report of a singing Quail at Broadly. Unfortunately, I was unable to relocate it. However, I enjoyed the sound of singing Corn Bunting and the sight of two Rabbits in the morning sunshine. A daytime visit to Elgin was to tie up a SlowWays loose end so there was little in the way of natural connections to report. Later, an evening visit to Bow Fiddle Rock confirmed that Kittiwake, Herring Gull and Great Black-backed Gull all currently have hatched young out on the cliff. Best sightings however were a Common Blue on the maritime heath and a Minke Whale feeding out in Cullen Bay.