Sunday notes

A grey morning, but with a lot of activity by birds. Hooded crows are chasing each other over the basin, across the road, and flocks of gulls wheel over the harbour. Yesterday, a goldfinch decided to look for food in the backyard.

Tripod came in handy, as the light was not good out the back. Siskin finches were recorded in their hundreds across Lewis, where one is enough to cause a commotion in the birdwatching fraternity.

Noel continues to cause a stir in Canada, with winds up to 90 mph, waves up to 47 feet, flooding and a fair bit of damage. A tropical cyclone is about to hit Luzon Island in the Philippines, but the dangers are estimated rather differently by the official hurricane agencies in Honolulu and Manila