ISLE OF MULL THURSDAY 19TH MAY

The weather forecast for wednesday was for gale force winds, rain and hail, add this to 9 degrees centigrade and you have uncomfortable conditions for walking. So we decided to head for the forestry commission area close to Glengorm castle, pictured below, in the hope that it would afford some shelter. But it didn't. The heavens opened as we arrived, so we took cover in the cafe until it eased. I don't know about you, but I don't mind too much if it starts raining during the walk, but I absolutely hate it when it's chucking it down as i'm putting my boots and stuff on. Guaranteed to make me grumpy.



Not only did the forest fail to provide much cover from the elements but it failed to provide much in the way of wildlife too really. Although to be fair, you couldn't really expect too much given the conditions. We were treated to an aerial display from three Buzzards soon after setting off, they didn't seem to mind the wind, and the rain was holding off at that time. A couple of Cuckoos also put in an appearance, there seems to be a lot of these up here. I'm not sure what their preferred host birds are, Meadow Pipits and Dunnocks possibly, there are no Reed Warblers on the island, although Sedge Warblers aren't too uncommon. Magpies and Jays are as rare as hen's teeth too. A situation that some would be pleased to have on the mainland no doubt.

On the other hand, there are quite a few of the above, Hooded Crows, they are a handsome bird with their black bib and grey body, which I hope to get a better shot of during my stay here. It's these chaps who are the self proclaimed sheriffs of the skies here, they're usually first on the scene when a big, bad, bird of prey needs chasing out of town.

We saw a sign which said 'shore walk', so we changed our planned route and headed for the rocky coastline, it was then that the proper rain started. To make matters worse we were hungry for lunch, but the thought of rain sodden sarnies wasn't appealing, we'd tried them earlier in the week at Loch Frisa and didn't like them at all. We needed a miracle. And there it was, perched on a small piece of level ground, just 50 yards from a rocky, kelp lined inlet was................a bird watching hide!! It was unlocked and empty, and the roof didn't leak. The funny thing is, we've done this walk before, in the last five years or so and we hadn't seen it. But it was, according to the brass plaque above the door, erected in 1996. Anyway, a leisurely lunch was eaten in the dry, during which time Carol spotted a familiar shape gliding across the inlet, an Otter! I wouldn't have been surprised to look out and see a rainbow with bluebirds flying over it at that point.

I didn't of course, but I did see one of the many Oystercatchers on the rocks close by, who was happy to let me photograph him while he shook the rain off his back.

He shouldn't have bothered, it was soon back again. The walk back was long and quite arduous, punctuated by Coal Tits and Bullfinches and hailstones which stung our faces and bounced off the track like jumping beans.

Let there be light!! At last, a brighter day. Even though the sound of rain outside had me burying my head in the pillows in desperation this morning, it soon passed. Our short drive to Langamull this morning was in sunlight and spirits and hopes were high. A short piece of forest walking, which has in the past produced some nice sightings of Crossbills, soon gives way to the most beautiful, unspoilt coastal meadow and white, sandy, rocky beach. If you haven't been to the NW highlands and islands of Scotland you would probably think I was exaggerating when I say that the white sand and sparkling blue sea, on a sunny day, are reminiscent of the Mediterranean. Trust me they are, but thankfully what is missing are the crowds.

Wheatears, Meadow Pipits, Sandpipers, Ringed Plovers, Oystercatchers, Common Gulls, one pictured above on her nest, Shags, a couple of Great Northern Divers in summer plumage, spectacular diving Gannets and oh so elegant Terns had the place to themselves, apart from me and Carol of course.

The burst of sun also bought out a dragon, just one, but it was worth it when it turned out to be a superb Four Spotted Chaser which thankfully settled, at last, before I stumbled over the edge of the cliffs in hot pursuit. This is only the second dragon of the week, the first remaining anonymous. The sun also tempted the first butterflies on to the wing, with Speckled Wood and Green-Veined white making an appearance.

I managed to get a picture of sorts of one of the many Wheatears along the coast but they were very flighty and seemed to know exactly the distance required between camera and subject to make a poor shot even poorer.

We stopped for lunch at a particularly scenic spot and noticed an Oystercatcher sitting about twenty yards away on a really exposed outcrop of grass topped rock. It seemed quite relaxed with our presence, unusually for this highly strung species, but it flew away noisily as we walked past later and noticed the 'nest' and eggs pictured above. With all this wilderness she had chosen a spot right alongside the footpath, albeit a quiet one.

Before we left the white sand beach we saw a pair of Ringed Plovers who had a little ball of feathers on legs in tow. I would have loved to get a picture of it but didn't want to risk upsetting them. I guess life is tough enough for them without me interfering.

The last port of call on our route was the tiny fishing harbour of Croig, quaint, quiet and quintessentially Scottish, this is a gem of a place. A couple of houses, a couple of fishing boats, a couple of lobster pots, some Herons, some Redshanks, some Curlew and some Seals, common I think. I'd tell you more but I don't want you all going there I want to keep it all to myself.

New Hythe Lakes 18th October

My first piece of luck at New Hythe this fine still morning was running in to Jerry Warne along the sunken marsh footpath. I don't think he'd been there too long before I arrived but he'd already listed some good stuff flying over. Flying over was the theme today with quite a bit of winter thrush and finch movement coming from roughly East to West. I'd already added Redwing to my October list but with Jerry's help and his incredible knowledge I managed to add Fieldfare in the form of several small flocks and a Redpoll which I probably wouldn't have got myself.

It got even better when one of two Skylarks flew over and suddenly my NH year list rose to 97 and my October list to 54. In fact it was better than that because this was a life tick for me at NH having never seen one here before.
In between further flyovers of thrushes and various finches we heard the unmistakeable pinging of at least one, possibly two Bearded Tits, seeming to come from within the sunken marsh, fantastic!
The only disappointment was that we were unable to see them despite constant scanning across the marsh. It seems that they too were flying over as opposed to in the reed beds because we heard the calls disappearing up river roughly SE. Shame really because a sighting would have been number 98 for the year, but never mind this is a good record having only ever seen one here before in May last year.
In between all the excitement a Kingfisher, one of three seen today, flew upstream calling loudly and a few Mistle Thrushes rattled to each other as they passed over. It was at this point that I left Jerry and moved on up the path only to return five minutes later to alert him to a Common Seal, pictured badly below, which was loafing about near the far bank. We spent a bit of time watching him play for a while with a Flounder he'd caught, before he finally ate it and moved off upstream. I've seen a Seal along here a couple of times in the past but it always seems bizarre to me to be out walking inland and see one of these superb marine creatures swimming alongside me in the river. A quartet of Little Grebes completed the splendid picture before I made my way along to the East Scrub.

The only bird of note seen here was a male Sparrowhawk which glided nonchalantly over the scrub setting off all the alarms as he went.

It was here also that I saw Den & Doreen and as time was running short I headed back with them, retracing my steps past Abbey Mead lake where we spotted three Pochard at last, the first i've seen on this lake this Autumn. Back along the river we managed to see a couple of Teal, two Swallows and a Kestrel among the more usual suspects. Bullfinches were also heard but not seen unfortunately as I need this bird for my October list. But never fear, a last minute single Jackdaw stepped up and saved the day bringing the list to a creditable 55. I ended this great morning optimistically wondering if a 60 might be on the cards by the end of the month!!

Finally, on 13th October I posted a picture of a fungi species which was identified by a couple of my fellow bloggers as an immature Parasol Mushroom. It was still there today so I thought I'd post a second picture of it as a mature Parasol Mushroom.

More Mull

I'll pick up today where I left off yesterday, on Lunga in the Treshnish Islands, Inner Hebrides. I've resisted the temptation to post more pictures of the Puffins, you can have too much of a good thing you know!

We walked round to the far end of the island to find somewhere peaceful to eat our lunch, passing Harp rock on the way which is a massive sea stack, home to thousands of breeding Guillemots and Razorbills. You need three hands here really so that you can put a finger in each ear to cut out the noise and the other hand to hold your nose to cut out the smell of the guano, it makes your eyes water.

SHAG

NESTING SHAG

We found our lunch spot but soon had to move when we realised we were sitting close to a rather irate Shag (above). We didn't want to disturb her any more so I took a quick picture and we moved away, leaving the Emerald eyed lady to nest in peace.

GUILLEMOT

GUILLEMOT'S EGG

Further along the path we came across this abandoned egg which I think is a Guillemot's. Their eggs are laid on bare rock ledges with no nest usually and it's thought that the eggs have evolved with a rather pointed end which means that if they roll on the rock ledges they roll in more of a circle, thus having a better chance of staying put. This may or may not be true but I choose to believe it because it makes for a good story!

COMMON SEAL?

Later in the week we decided to do one of our favorite walks from Langamull and back via the tiny, picturesque harbour at Croig. This is a great walk, we'd seen a dozen or more Crossbills before we even got our boots on in the small car park. The walk takes you down to the deserted white sand and rock beach at Langamull where we saw Common Sandpipers, Curlew, Rock Pipits, Buzzards, Pied Wagtails, Black Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Gannets and loads of Wheatears amongst many other species.
Continuing on to the back of Croig where the seals haul out on the low rocky outcrops, the Red Breasted Mergansers dive in the shallower water and the Lapwings and Oystercatchers nest in the tussock grass and beds of flag Iris. At this point we had walked probably four of the circa seven mile round and had not seen another soul. Such is Mull.

Of course one of the wildlife stars of this part of the world are the elusive Sea Otters. We usually manage to find one or two but it's by no means guaranteed so we were excited and a bit relieved to find this one below on a trip south from Dervaig on the shore of Loch Beg. I spotted it from the car as we were driving along and we managed to get on to the rocks undetected to take some pictures of him lazing on the seaweed covered rocks. Even better was to come when he decided to go hunting and every time he dived we edged a bit closer and eventually managed some closer shots of him eating his catch. Some of the pictures make him look fierce but this was just where he was chewing his food. Having said that I wouldn't want to be bitten by those ferocious looking fangs.

Without a doubt the avian stars of the area are the White Tailed Sea Eagles. In all we managed to see seven of these awesome birds, plus two Golden Eagles. There are ten nesting pairs on the island at the moment plus immature non breeding birds. Unfortunately the most famous pair who reside on Loch Frisa have failed in their attempt to breed this year. The first chick died in the unseasonally cold weather and the second egg failed to hatch despite the female sitting on it for the best part of sixty days, I think it usually takes less than forty days. Fortunately at least eight of the other pairs are currently successfully raising chicks. The pictures below were taken by me from a boat on beautiful Loch Na Keal and the male Eagle is picking up a fish thrown overboard by the skipper and taking it back to the nest in trees visible about 3/4 of a mile away to feed to the chicks. To say that this was an exciting moment wouldn't do it justice, I really struggled to hold the camera steady in hands that were shaking with excitement. That and the very poor light made it difficult to capture but i'm pleased with what I got. Click on the pictures to enlarge them.

WHITE TAILED EAGLE

The Isle of Mull is without doubt one of my favourite places. This is how I would like more places to be, places where you don't feel that wildlife takes second place but where you feel it's an equal partner and isn't consigned to reserves and small parcels of habitat surrounded by 'civilisation' and can be seen in places where it chooses to be, not where we choose to place it. I've been lucky enough to go to a lot of locations in the world over the years and the only other place where the feel is the same as Mull is Stewart Island off the southern tip of South Island, New Zealand. Luckily The Isle of Mull is a good deal closer!

Friday 7th May

GREEN ALKANET (EVERGREEN BUGLOSS)

This plant caught my eye this morning at New Hythe, there was quite a mass of it growing together which looked quite striking in a brief burst of sunshine. If I have ID'd it correctly it is a plant originally from southern France and Spain which was brought here for the red dye that can be extracted from the roots. It's now established in the UK and the flowers are edible and can be used to decorate drinks and salads.

My original plan today was to go to Dungeness, I changed my mind because the forecast was for a cold stiff north easterly and I thought that would translate to gale force across the flat landscape of Romney Marsh and Dungeness. So I went to New Hythe again, and i'm glad I did.

By the time I got to the East Scrub I had listed little of note and once again no Turtle Dove. As I walked across the first half of the scrub I noticed a large Gull on the ground about thirty yards from me. It was an adult Lesser Black Backed and you don't usually see them on the ground here, I walked towards it reaching for my camera at the same time expecting it to fly off at any moment. But it couldn't, the poor thing was injured and was struggling to move away from me. I think it may have flown into the overhead power lines which were directly above. I put the camera away and stood still wondering what to do when all of a sudden three large dogs came round the corner, they spotted it immediately and ran past me towards the Gull. Most people know that i'm not good with dogs, especially large ones but something had to be done. I took my coat off and ran towards the Gull which was now surrounded by the dogs and absolutely terrified, and threw the coat over the bird scooping it up off the floor. Meanwhile the dogs' owner turned up telling me that 'it's alright they won't touch feather', try telling that to the Gull!

Now what do I do. A large Gull wrapped in a coat in the middle of nowhere. I couldn't walk back to my car even though that would be quickest because I wouldn't be able to drive so I braced myself for the long walk to the Leybourne RSPCA centre. It took me about 30-40 minutes during which time the Gull managed to get it's head out of my coat and was trying to take lumps out of my hand. I got to the A228 dual carriageway eventually, having passed the lorry drivers' snack wagon in the layby there. I got a few funny looks from the chap who cooks the food in the wagon as I hurried past with a Gulls head poking out of my coat squawking like mad so I asked him if he did Gull burgers, he didn't answer, no sense of humour some people.

With a great sense of relief I reached the RSPCA centre and handed over the patient still wrapped in my coat which I presumed was going to need a very good wash knowing what seagulls poo is like. But I was very surprised to get it back without a mark on it, I like to think the Gull thought one good turn deserves another.
Eventually I got back to the East Scrub, just in time to see the helicopter below flying very low checking the same power lines that I presume had been the Gulls downfall. I thought to myself if this one hits the power lines and lands in the scrub i'm out of here.

I was quite tired by my exertions now but I thought I might as well go back to the car via the Sunken Marsh just in case..........and it was here that the next bit of excitement started. I was walking past the WW2 pill box on the side of the river listening for the purr of the elusive Turtle Dove when I spotted a Seal in the river alongside me. Trouble was there were so many reed stalks between me and it that I couldn't get a proper picture before it saw me and sank below the surface. Only one thing for it, run. I knew the next open stretch of river would be in the small wood adjacent to the creek where the outfall is and that was probably 300 yards away or more so run I did, most of the way at any rate. Having arrived at the spot I scanned the river and saw no sign, I thought i'd missed it but I positioned myself out of sight anyway and a couple of minutes later up he popped in front of me and I got a couple of shots in before he disappeared again and surfaced about 150 yards downstream and was promptly set upon by a dozen Black Headed Gulls who ALL bombarded him from their rear ends......how bizarre was that. I'm still laughing as I type this!

COMMON SEAL

While I was watching all this unfold two waders flew across the river from the New Hythe side to the Burham side. One was quite a bit smaller than the other and I think it was the Common Sandpiper I saw from this spot yesterday but I couldn't ID the other because of the distance involved although I thought it might be a Greenshank. I did take a long distance photo of it and I have sent it to Alan Woodcock, somebody who knows an awful lot more than me about waders in the hope that he can ID it for me. I'll post it up if I get lucky. When I looked at the photo's of the Seal I thought it looked more like a Grey Seal but I think i'm right in sticking with Common....................hard work this birdwatching isn't it!

By the way I'll call in at the RSPCA centre over the weekend and see how the patient is and post it on the blog. Should I take grapes or half a pound of Sprats I wonder.

Since publishing this post I have seen Alan Woodcocks blog and he has confirmed that the second wader was indeed a Greenshank which i'm absolutely delighted about as it's my first ever at New Hythe.