Heat detector in the kitchen started regularly beeping to indicate low battery level. Less than four years since manufacture, and the battery is supposed to last ten years. Took it apart. The soldered-on/tagged CR123A 3V cell was at 2.81V. Whilst having a quick shuftie for the instructions, came across some old bird watching information, which included our (a school friend and kindred spirit regarding things ornithological, and myself) notes on a strange bird seen on Rhum. Had to then find and check old diaries to establish the year, as it just said the 21st of May. It was 1977, my last year at school, and a couple of days after finishing my Highers. A brilliant trip with us pair the only youngsters with some older more experienced blokes. I was sixteen at the time. Weather and birdlife was fantastic, with the fortunate bonus of hardly any midgees about (yet).

Back then you had to collect a mass of details about any possible rare or unusual bird sightings, and then submit them to somewhere or another before they could be officially accepted, and most often they wouldn't be accepted! They set a very high bar. Miss some wee detail off your submission, and you'd have no chance. Indeed the older folk would filter it out and not allow it to be submitted. I suspected that the records were normally only accepted by the official recorders when they were submitted by folk they knew. The above wasn't submitted. The older person (Malcolm Porteous from Edinburgh) probably reckoned it was a female Reed Bunting, whereas we were confident it was a much more unusual and off-course migrant, a Rustic Bunting. Oh well. May add some other tales from that weekend in (distant) future Blips.

The lack of belief from the older folk about any rare or strange bird sightings, along with there being a bird photographer and film maker in the area, were part of what caused me to start photography, with the hope of being to gather some photographic evidence. Everything was much more expensive, and difficult to source - both equipment and reliable information - back then, which impeded being able to obtain a decent big lens for such use... plus me being in poorly paid work for years.

Extra - battery in the heat detector alarm.