Hailstorm at The Loons

Up to Birsay. At The Loons hide I was glad to be indoors when this hailstorm hit. It absolutely smashed down- I never saw anything like it. Being under a flat room meant that it was pretty amazingly noisy too. Birds there included a male and a female hen harrier. The male shot past the hide very close at one point- but too fast and close for a photo. They put up lots of snipe and a few settled just in front of the hide. I walked to Marwick and made coffee in one of the old stone fishermans huts, then back along and over Marwick Head to the Earl's Palace. More shots here.