ISLE OF MULL. WHERE EAGLES DARE

After two weeks of continuous rain and the worst May in living memory last year on the Isle of Mull, soggy April didn't bode well for this year's trip. But Mother Nature has a habit of balancing the books and this time    the weather was superb. Well most of the time anyway.

The Sound of Mull is a stretch of water between the island and the Scottish mainland. Willow Warblers, Cuckoos and Oystercatchers like the ones above and below are also the sound of Mull at this time of year. You're never too far from the coast and wherever we went these three species never seemed to be far away.

Last year the poor weather confined us to the car for a lot of the time and because of this we found quite a few Otters while slowly driving along the deserted lochs. This year most of our travels were on foot and we only came across one.

We spotted it lying in the sun on a small outcrop of rocks surrounded by seaweed on the edge of Loch Na Keal, the main loch on the western side of the island. This is a stunning sea loch overlooked on one shore by Ben More the highest mountain on Mull (pictured at the top of the post) and at 3169 feet qualifies as a true Munro. Carol and I, along with two friends, bagged it a few years ago. It was hard going then and I haven't felt the need to do it again since!

With sunbathing and grooming finished our Otter's attention switched to food and a short legged scamper to the incoming tidal edge soon saw him slipping gracefully through the water. An environment much more suited to this semi aquatic animal.

It wasn't more than a minute or two and just one dive before lunch was caught and consumed on a sun warmed rock a bit further down the coast.
Eagles. Otters and Eagles. These area unquestionably two of the main wildlife attractions on Mull. And although we managed to find good numbers of both Golden and White Tailed Eagles ourselves, the only way to get up close and personal to the latter is to go out on the Mull Charters Sea Eagle trip with Martin, the skipper of the Lady Jayne. A most excellent and exciting journey on the relatively sheltered waters of Loch Na Keal.
Last year the weather put the mockers on this trip so we were both excited to be able to get two places on the boat on the tuesday and that the weather would be sunny and therefore pictures wouldn't be too difficult.

Come the day, the cloud came and the cold wind blew and it was very grey. The eagles didn't mind though. I was busy practising with my camera on the local gulls, I think these are immature black backs but i'm not sure, when.............. 

....... a White Tailed Eagle arrived overhead. The pictures below tell part of the rest of the story.

In all the eagle came three times, twice it picked up the free Mackerel tossed overboard by Martin but on the third attempt the fish was stolen from under its beak by an adult Great Black-backed gull. I saw the gull take the fish and swallow it, then fly off nonchalantly, completely unaware that the eagle was not amused and was in hot pursuit. There followed a few minutes of pure wildlife excitement (unless you were the gull) as the eagle pursued it, just a few feet behind. I didn't realise that eight feet of wingspan could fly so fast and be so manoeuvrable. Every twist and turn of the large gull, who looked diminutive by comparison, was matched by the eagle and we feared the worst  as it appeared to gain the upper hand in the sky about 500 yards from the boat. Despite the size of the gull it would have made a nice meal for the eagle, Fulmar are a regular part of their diet too in these parts. But as I watched with bated breath I saw a splash in the sea beneath the gull as it wisely jettisoned the stolen goods and made its escape as the eagle dropped down to reclaim what was rightfully his. Exciting stuff!

RAINY DAYS AND MONDAYS.....

Family commitments kept me busy at the weekend so a quick visit to New Hythe was in order this morning. I set off in bright conditions but the forecast of deteriorating weather proved to be correct and pretty soon conditions had degenerated to what is beginning to feel like the norm, grey skies and drizzle. 

After my previous success in finding a Downy Emerald dragonfly (my first ever), and my total failure to ID it correctly (I committed the cardinal sin of assumption), I was hoping for more dragonflies and butterflies. I saw absolutely none, so I spent an hour or so peering into the undergrowth looking for, well, anything really.  

The Slow Worm above was found on the east scrub, the cool conditions making it a tad lethargic, gave me the opportunity of a close up. Nice face shame about the tail, or lack of one! The highlights of my other meagre discoveries are pictured below.

FROGHOPPER (CERCOPIS VULNERATA)

CARDINAL BEETLE

COMMON BLUE DAMSELFLY

SCORPION FLY

You're right, these aren't bugs, they're Swallows resting in a tree alongside Brooklands lake. I took this last week and i've included it because I like it, don't know why, I just do.

Other news is that we have seven Blue Tit chicks in the camera nest box and the Nightingale is still singing just past the bottom of the garden.

BUGS, BIRDS, BUTTERFLIES AND BLOSSOM

The sun was shining and the air was full of the scent of May blossom as I made my way, ankle deep in mud, around the sunken marsh this morning. A Hobby arrived from nowhere and circled overhead, one of three seen today. Some of the Hirundines and Swifts who were feeding over Brooklands lake saw it too and appeared to escort it as it circled higher and drifted away. Further in the distance a Buzzard also took advantage of the welcome thermals and accompanied by its own escort, a local Crow, drifted slowly northwards.  

I was hoping to find a damselfly or two today, and I did later on, but before that I was pleased to see this beautiful dragonfly fly past. With brand new, soft and ineffective wings, it soon stopped and hung itself out to dry in the morning sun.  

I thought this was a newly emerged Hairy dragonfly judging by its hairy thorax, a hawker who is usually the first on the wing in Spring. Confusingly, this one adopted a damselfly type pose and looks nothing like a mature adult.
Many thanks to Marianne and Greenie for rescuing me from my confusion and pointing out that this is in fact a Downy Emerald dragonfly. I've never seen one before, and they're certainly not common at New Hythe, but if I see another I'll definitely recognise it!! 

Common Whitethroats, Cetti's Warblers, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs, Chaffinches and Nightingales were all seen and heard singing. While the Blue Tits above and Great Tits below were busy collecting food for their new broods.

A Lesser whitethroat rattled away in a Hawthorn bush alongside Abbey Mead lakes. I didn't manage to see it today, as the leaf cover gets fuller and fuller the chance of seeing some of these shyer species gets even more difficult.

Now here's an odd pair. A Cormorant and a Red Eared Terrapin sunbathing together on an old tree stump protruding from the lake. It took me about fifteen minutes to creep close enough for a decent picture but I think it was worth it. I had a feeling that the Terrapin was a bit miffed at having to share its favourite spot though.
In and around the east and west scrub I saw Green Woodpecker, Willow Warbler, Jay, Reed Bunting and Goldfinch, and in the distance at the far end of Millstream lake a Cuckoo was calling, one of two heard today.

Along the railway path on the way back to Brooklands I stopped to watch a troupe of adult and juvenile Long-tailed Tits as they made their way through the insect rich hawthorns. It was difficult to tell how many birds there were in this group but it was quite a few and at times they seemed to be all around me, calling continuously and flocking to an adult every time they appeared with a beak full of juicy bugs.

Considering the decent conditions today I didn't see very many butterflies. A couple of unidentified white species, one Speckled Wood and a fleeting glimpse of a Peacock all evaded the camera.

More obliging though was this Orange Tip who flew by alongside the mound just as the sun went in. This prompted a landing and at last I got my first decent shot of the Spring of this smart little butterfly.

The nettles here were at last full of bugs of all shapes and sizes. The handsome hoverfly above is Leucozona lucorum (I think).
I spent the last half hour sipping coffee while sitting on the bucket in the wood, watching the river and the sky. The river only produced a couple of Shelducks and a few Mallards while the sky did a bit better with Kestrel, Hobby, Oystercatcher and a Kingfisher to give me a very nice 47 species of birds and many more unidentified species of insects.  

WHEATEARS AT NEW HYTHE

It was a bit chilly when I arrived at Brooklands car park this morning. It was overcast and gloomy, the cold mist was rolling in off  the North Downs, and the air was laden with the stench of the paper mill's early morning breath. Expectations were low.

But when I emerged from the short railway tunnel which opens out to Brooklands lake, things got better. From the surface of the lake to as high as I could see the air was filled with birds, House Martins, Sand Martins, Swifts and Swallows, swooped, swirled and swerved to catch all the delicious insects which were hatching from, and flying over the lake. I watched for a while, wondering how they avoided mid air collisions, this would be air traffic controls worst nightmare, and then I made my way to the sunken marsh.

It was here that I saw the Chiffchaff pictured above, collecting nesting material in among the brambles, seemingly unconcerned by my presence. Despite the gloom, the Nightingales continued their song, as did a few Cetti's Warblers, Reed Warblers and a Cuckoo, one of possibly three heard today.     

The tide was very high on the river and consequently nothing much was seen. So I made my way along the side of Abbey Mead lake where several small trees blocked the path, victims of the April mayhem. Blackcaps and Jays were seen along here but not much else apart from the Reed Bunting above and only Coots disturbed the surface of the lake. I got a text from Dennis as I approached the railway line, he'd just seen a Wheatear on the east scrub. I've only ever seen one here about three years ago, so I got there as quick as I could and Met Dennis and Doreen a few minutes later. They went on their way and left me to search for the bird and a few minutes later I found it, then I found another, then I found another, then I found another! Four Wheatears, I couldn't believe my eyes. I was joined by Alan Woodcock who had been ringing close by and between us we confirmed the presence of two males and two females. New Hythe, New Hythe so good............ 

On the way back to Brooklands I thought I heard a Lesser Whitethroat rattling away in the bushes, I hung around for a while and eventually managed to get a sort of picture, below. I think this is the first time i've got any shot at all of this secretive little bird.

Another text, this time from Martin Warburton, told me that a Common Tern had arrived at Brookland and sure enough there it was. Like the still present Hirundines and Swifts, it too appeared to have a taste for insects. I didn't see it dive, just a dainty little hover before dropping down and picking insects off the surface.

A bird of prey flew low over the mound as I chatted with Dennis and Doreen. I wasn't sure but I thought straight away that it was a Hobby. This was confirmed five minutes later when it returned, maybe attracted by all the Hirundines and flew low across the corner of the sunken marsh and then up over the mound again. Wheatear, Common Tern and Hobby were all New Hythe year ticks and bring my total to 91 species so far.
Lastly, the Nightingale that I heard singing just past the bottom of my garden on friday night is still singing away and has accompanied me all the way through this post. I hope his song isn't in vain.

A CHOIR OF NIGHTINGALES

With some much appreciated help from Eddie Denson and a much less appreciated dawn o'clock start, the Nightingales got counted on the west side of the railway track at New Hythe in TQ76A this morning. At least on this occasion they weren't 'singing in the rain' and I did manage to get a passable picture of this one at the Brook House entrance to the country park.
The good news is that there were no less than sixteen singers counted, a veritable choir of Nightingales! Add this to the seven counted on the east side of the track and we have a sub total of twenty three. I say sub total because hopefully there will have been some found across the river by a different surveyor, whose results I haven't seen yet. Bear in mind this is just one 2km square tetrad, if only this was typical across the country. Unfortunately it won't be, or anything near it I guess.
While on the subject of Nightingales, on friday night at about 22.20 I was in the study and thought I heard birdsong coming from the back garden. I walked out on the patio and to my surprise it was a Nightingale, singing in the dark, just beyond my garden fence. This was the first one I have heard from the house in 31 years, ironically it was also the day I completed my first ever Nightingale survey. It was still singing intermittently this afternoon, I will have a listen tonight now that the lashing rain and howling wind has stopped......until tomorrow!

NEW HYTHE, NEW HYTHE!

After a week away walking in the Tramuntana Mountains in north west Majorca it was good to be back to the easier ground of New Hythe lakes this morning. I was away for the start of the National Nightingale Survey so I was keen to get started on my surveying duties and decided to begin with the section of TQ76A that runs to the east of the railway line and includes Brooklands and Abbey Meads lakes. There's a lot of potential habitat in this square which is why i've divided it up, I will be covering the west side of the tracks including a large section of the Country Park tomorrow morning. After the survey, during which seven singing Nightingales were noted, I did my usual walk right across the site. The sky over Brooklands lake was full of Hirundines, mostly House Martins but the odd Sand Martin and Swallows were also seen, all these were outnumbered though by the Swifts. What a great sight to see these stunning birds wheeling overhead, their sharp wings scything through the air as they swirled backwards and forwards scooping up the plentiful supply of insects. It didn't feel like Spring, but it certainly looked like it. A Cuckoo calling from somewhere in the sunken marsh area completed the picture.       

Over the river I watched this Fox, as did the Heron in the background, as it took a few tentative steps in the water. Maybe he'd watched the Heron fishing and thought it was worth a try. 

But the water proved to be too cold I think and he thought better of it.

Every now and again the sun briefly came out and almost instantly the sun lovers followed suit. The ragged Peacock above was the only butterfly I saw all morning and the Bee flies, below looked as smart as ever. You never see them looking tatty.

The Common Whitethroats have arrived in force at New Hythe, a bit later than usual I think. It's good to hear their scratchy little song being delivered from the tops of small bushes again and in the south east corner I heard, and waited patiently to see, a Lesser Whitethroat.

Before crossing the railway track I saw this female Blackcap pluck a snail off a dead twig, i've not seen that before. Maybe she thinks she's a Song Thrush. On the other side of the track a male Blackcap, below, was singing at the top of his voice, perhaps they'll get together.

The east scrub was filled with the song of Nightingales, even though it was late morning by now. It was here that I had oner of those moments when you think, 'if only I could get a picture, it would be utterly fantastic' I saw a Nightingale in a Hawthorn bush. It was singing as if its life depended on it and its tail was fanned out displaying to a female I think. Then a sunbeam shone through the bush lighting the bird and illuminating its tail so much that it looked like a Redstart. That'll be the day I get a picture like that. The Nightingale below was the best I could do today!

  

As I walked along the south side of the east scrub looking for Water Voles (which I didn't find), I noticed this Mallard who had obviously noticed me first and hidden herself and her ducklings under an overhanging bush. I sneaked a quick picture and left her in peace.

Lunch was taken on the bucket by the river, where I added Kingfisher, Green Woodpecker, Sparrowhawk, Shelduck and Green Sandpiper to my list making a brilliant 53 species for the morning. 

New Hythe, New Hythe, so good they named it twice!

I'm trying to get my head round the new blogger format, so i've no idea how this is going to look!!

DUNGENESS AND NEW HYTHE LAKES IN THE COLD

David and I were disappointed to miss a Ring Ousel on the track to the visitor centre at Dungeness on thursday. I've only ever seen them on Snowden in Wales and once on the Langdale Pikes in Cumbria.

Just a few minutes later, a short way along the footpath, our attention was drawn away from the shrill piping of overflying Oystercatchers, to the hoverflies and butterflies which had taken to the air, encouraged by a few minutes of sunshine. I believe the hoverfly above is Eupeodes luniger and of course the butterfly is the Peacock, possibly my favourite, until the next species turns up.

One of the reasons for going to Dungeness was for the Sedge Warblers, which usually put on a bit of a show there as they pass through at this time of year.

We weren't disappointed, although I think it was a bit early, we heard quite a few but only saw a couple of willing individuals who sat on top of the brambles and proclaimed their arrival back in England for the summer.

They are very handsome birds compared to their Reed Warbler cousins I think, and this one posed nicely to prove the point.
Once the sun disappeared it turned pretty cold and the highlights were few and far between. The almost inevitable Marsh Harriers and the less common for Dungeness RSPB, Common Buzzard, were certainly entertaining. As was the Kestrel who hunted close by dropping dramatically to the ground several times in search of prey. Several Linnets sat atop the Gorse bushes, the males in particular looking splendid with their crimson breasts and Chiffchaffs and Willow Warblers and Reed Buntings were heard and seen across the site. Unfortunately the Ring-billed Duck seen the day before wasn't. Just my luck.

From Dennis's hide my luck changed and I finally caught up with the long staying, long distance, Long-tailed Duck. In a rare moment on the surface I managed to at least get a record shot before the next lengthy dive.

The sun made a last gasp appearance while we were at the willow path, prompting this and other lizards to stock up on solar energy while it was available. Surprisingly and disappointingly only one hirundine was seen, a lone Swallow battling the bitter wind over the ARC pit. It didn't feel much like Spring.

And so to New Hythe lakes today, Friday the 13th and it felt even less like Spring, despite being serenaded by a Blackcap in the car park as I arrived.

Along the edge of Brookland lake it was smelly and cold. Courtesy of the mill, the fog and a bitter North wind blowing straight down the Medway Gap. Despite this the air was full of Hirundines, possibly a hundred or more Swallows, Sand Martins and a couple of House Martins (82) who all wheeled around together in the murky air, swooping low over the water to pick up insects which were either hatching in the lake or driven down to the surface by the cold conditions. A couple of Pied Wagtails joined the fray, flying out from a low bush and semi hovering to catch the dark coloured midges as they buzzed past on flimsy wings.

I stayed a while to enjoy the scene before heading to the sunken marsh where a Cuckoo (83) called about half a dozen times from the north end of the marsh. At the southern end of the railway path a Nightingale (84) sang hesitantly from the bushes close to Abbey Mead lake and then flew across the fishermen's path giving me a short view.

We don't see too many Bluebells at New Hythe but there were a few growing near the Brook House track, where a second and possibly third Nightingale was heard. There were at least two Willow Warblers near here too and I also saw a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers chasing each other around through the branches, their behaviour, like every other bird, animal and plant, clearly triggered by something more than just air temperature.

I made my way back to the mound, pausing to watch the Wren pictured above, who was busy building a nest low down in the brambles. I don't know if it's my imagination but their numbers seem to be high at NH this Spring, courtesy of a mild winter perhaps. From the mound I watched as at least a hundred, probably more, Wood Pigeons took to the air in the distant gloom. As I tried to count them, what I thought was a Sparrowhawk at first, flew into the sunken marsh. A closer look revealed a Cuckoo which landed in a tree a couple of hundred yards away, probably the one i'd heard earlier. I soon discovered what had spooked the pigeons, when a Peregrine flew purposefully, north to south high over the back edge of the marsh.

As I made my way back to the car park I took the picture above. It's the edge of the mill roof and it was the preferred perch for dozens of Swallows. Maybe they'd had their fill of Brookland midges and were simply resting. But I like to think that they were swapping tales of their adventurous flights back from Africa. Or maybe they were moaning about the weather and wondering why they'd bothered.

And finally, in the reeds in the northwest corner I caught up with a Reed Warbler (85) heard by Dennis and Doreen earlier on. Thanks for that D&D.