It was an upsetting end to a walk which started so well.
I always look forward to visiting the Forvie Nature Reserve. We don't go there in summer 'cos of some silly idea that I might disturb the ground nesting birds. But now the fledglings have all fledged, we're back again and I should be free to roam.
The best bit is of course the beach. A mile and a half of pristine sands. The perfect playground for a wire-haired fox terrier. I couldn't wait to get there.
We've reached the sand dunes. Not far now!
But what's this? Gail is saying I need to be on my lead? But Gail, we're almost at the beach!
And then I get it (sort of).
Not just one dead guillemot but literally hundreds, scattered around the high tide line in varying states of decomposition. Gail tells me these birds are almost certainly victims of avian 'flu. As the tide is in, they are hard to avoid. We see at least one bird carcass every five meters, all the way up the beach. Gail is looking upset, tearful even. I am subdued, and not only because of the lead thing.
PS from Gail: I've been reading about the devastating effects of avian 'flu in the UK all year and we've seen several victims on previous walks. But I think it was the conflation in my mind of so many dead and decomposing guillemots here, with this week's news reports of thousands of drowned humans washing up on shore in Libya following the catastrophic collapse of two dams, that so disturbed and overwhelmed me on Saturday afternoon.
