Lewis and Harris

Meet Lewis (light) and Harris (dark), Robert & Jean's two new Golden Retriever pups.

The alarm was set for 5:40 to try and catch the Black Grouse dawn lek, but around 4:00 I needed a trip to the loo! Being in a dark strange house it was an interesting trip - along the long bedroom, up a small flight of stairs, open the door, attacked by the dogs in the dark!

They were trying to get into the bedroom, down the stairs, I was trying to somehow keep them out, they were playfully niping, I lost my balance and fell over, so the three of us are on the floor in the dark - somehow I got the bedroom door shut and found my way to the loo without my two friends.

They really are a lovely pair of dogs, brothers from the same litter. I grew up with a dog - a West Highland Terrier, as did Mrs L, a Blue Roan Cocker Spaniel, but we've never owned a dog. It'd be great, but it'd also be a great tie, so we never will, but it's good to have friends with dogs that we can enjoy.

Anyway after all the excitement I never got back to sleep and the morning dawned a bit dull and damp, we had distant views of about ten males, but not really lekking, however in another area there was a lot of lekking noise, but no sign of the birds, probably just out of sight over a rise in the ground, but with the golden rule of observing leks being not to disturb the birds we weren't going to get out and investigate.

After a relaxed breakfast it was a slow scenic drive back to Perth where en-route RCB found a White Wagtail - it's a passage migrant, unlike it's close relative our resident Pied Wagtail - note the grey back and pale white underparts.