A nest of starlings are feeling quite at home in a post box in north-west Sutherland.

The pre-occupied postbox, situated in Clashnessie just north of Lochinver, was discovered by a local postal worker a couple of weeks ago and has been out of action ever since.

Starlings have made quite a habit of visiting the post box, having also taken up residence in 2021.

While the box is out of use, residents have been advised to use nearby alternatives available in Balcladdich, Stoer and Drumbeg.

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The postal worker said: "The nest is now all the way up to the top of the box."

"We have to wait until the birds have left, and then Royal Mail will come to clean the box and it will go back into service once the wee ones have gone."

David Haines of Assynt Field Club paid the starlings a visit on May 7. He said: "Both male and female birds constantly brought food for their demanding youngsters inside. They seemed to favour leatherjackets, the larvae of crane flies as the main food item.

"Of course, what goes in must come out again, after processing. Several times both birds flew in with food then came out a few seconds later with a faecal sack.

"They flew off with the faecal sack and dropped it a good distance from the nest. This stops the nest getting too fouled, keeps parasite numbers down and doesn’t attract the attention of predators."

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