Retrospective from earlier in July - Scotland part 5

This entry is for the 15th July. On the 15th we went by boat to Iona via Staffa. Again it was a rather showery morning. Rather than go right down to the South of the island we decided to go on a small boat from Ulva Ferry - still needed to allow an hour to get to the ferry (especially as there was the possibility of road works nearby) but much nearer. On the way we saw a sea eagle perched in a tree just by the road - but couldn't stop unfortunately. Then just in the harbour of Ulva Ferry (well it's more like a small inlet), there were dolphins. I believe they were dolphins as according to the whale watch survey team, the harbour porpoises a) don't usually come that close into the harbour but b) don't do the leaping out of the water business which these were definitely doing. Brilliant.

Good trip over to Iona via Staffa, home of Fingal's cave. I decided not to try to go into the cave as it was slippery and I had the dog - but what we saw was nevertheless brilliant. The second photo, if you look carefully, shows a puffin. We didn't get close to the puffins, nor see that many - I suspect many had left their nests by this time of year (and we didn't have long on Staffa) but we did get good views of them on land. (And if I had a better camera...). I will add more to this entry later.

retrospective from earlier in July - Scotland part 4

14th July

Wednesday
A much more bleak rainy srart to the day. On my walk with Tyson i did not even try to identify the little brown birds today as it was a short walk, knowing we were going on the whalewatch later. The attached photo is what the moorland walk is like in the rain..... I did hear what I thought might be curlew but not the full call so perhaps lapwing? and I did sme recording. Coming back I saw a bird of prey with a really long tail, Bigger – much bigger than sparrowhawk or kestrel – but not a buzzard or eagle and as it flew saw a distinct white patch on its rump (the rest was grey). I hadn't a clue what this might be and looking it up in the book, I think hen harrier. Having seen a marsh harrier it did fly rather like it and I also saw something that I thought might have been a harrier in Connell. I need to check whether they are around here. I was later told there were a pair of hen harrier on the moor. Yes!!!

Then, on the way home tonght I saw what initially looked like a large gull and then it dived into the loch after flying around and hovering – this was around buzzaard size but not a buzzard – brown coloured but not only brown – it had some white on so osprey perhaps? And yes, there is a pair of osprey on this loch. (Where else would I see eagle, osprey and hen harrier in the same day? It's amazing)

Whale watch trip
OK no whales! But lots of birds: gannet and young; manx shearwater (but would I recognise again if no-one to tell me?) ; fulmars and kittiwakes – which apparently have just the tips of the wings dark as though dipped into paint – I have seen them before but was not sure of recognition. Also guillemots and black guillemots; puffins (not so many); cormorant and shag (though i can't tell the difference), and great auk!
Also common seals and basking shark – and as I added to the previous entry it seems that the two fins seen yesterday was indeed basking shark – the fin and the tail of the same animal – apparently loads around yesterday which was a beautiful day. This morning was pretty wet by comparison. We did see sea eagles: one perched on a rock near its nest - but it was not that close.
Porpoises seen today but not by me
Then flychatcher in garden – very like sparrow in many ways but with fly in mouth and kind of hovering to catch them. Also got glimpse of snipe, I think.

retrospective from earlier in July - Scotland part 3

Day 4 Tuesday
On my walk with Tyse this morning I experimented with recording some of the bird song to help with the little brown bird issue – it seems to have recorded OK but is taking a lot of power, so will see. On this walk around 8.45, the weather was much brighter and it was a much prettier walk than it has been the last two days. There was a lot of birdsong and brown bird movement, but no eagle sightings until I got right back to the house and saw one briefly.

Then we went and had lunch at Calgary? farm house and saw further birds of prey – but some were buzzards, though we think the first we saw was another eagle. Without a good view and at a long distance where size can't b easly judged it is difficult.

We did a walk marked Treshnish in the book, a lovely walk above the coast looking out towards the treshnish islands (there are a number) and then close to the beach. We saw is oystercatchers, gannets, winchats (we think), also ravens and a wren – and hooded crows. The walk back once we had left the rocky climb form the beach was over marshy, boggy ground. This was where we saw the wren. Also many flowers: orchids, thyme, harebells for example, and wild bugle. Near Calgary beach on the way, there are several meadows flourishing with wildlife.

Coming up from the bay we saw something swimming in the bay – not a seal as there were two fins. J and I thought they were sharks – a large and small, as the body never came up from the water. The only other possibility is dolphins or porpoises but it/they weren't behaving like dolphins. Whatever it was swam up and down in the last bay, at times the fins moved through the water with some speed. After reading up and talking to people on the whale watch boat, what we saw was a basking shark - the fins were from the same animal - the dorsal fin and the tail fin. We have seen some film of them and also saw one from the boat - so definitely a basking shark. No photos though (I need a better camera!)

The walk back was over wet boggy grassland. Winchats (if that is what they are) were still apparent. Interestngly (or not?) we have not heard curlew, or lapwing.

Retrospective from earlier in July - Scotland part 2

Monday, 12 July

We've been staying not far from Dervaig. Each morning I have been walking on the moor near by with Tyse - and fortunately there are no sheep here so he can have a good run. I am as always completely baffled by the little brown birds. They behave pretty much like meadow pipits but are in slightly different habitat than when I have seen them before, and I'm not sure they look quite like meadow pipits.

Day 3
Today I saw the little brown birds better – and I think some at least might have been reed buntings – and if so perhaps I should have recognised them given that we have them back at MK, in Newport Pagnell. Other birds around included chaffinch, on the moorland early moring work However the exciting sight this morning was a sea eagle – flying across the loch (Frisa) and although I didn't get to see it too closely I could see that it was an eagle from its flight and could also see the white tail patch, so probably a sea eagle as they are nesting near the loch– in fact I saw it more clearly than when we visited the reserve. (Though, of course immature golden eagles also have a white patch - why do birds make it so hard for us?)

We then did a walk from Tobemorry to an old lighthouse along the coast. Though it was only a shortish walk, it was a beautiful walk through woodland looking out across the bay. Just after starting the walk we saw a large bird of prey flying amongst seagulls which turned out to be an eagle, again!,with clear fingers on its wings and a longish tail. Howeer as we were viewig from below we could not tell whether it was a golden eagle or a sea eagle. I assumed perhaps a sea eagle as near the sea but was told that the goldern eagles fly on the coast too.
Into the walk we saw several other birds – a gannet; a family of our hooded crows sharing out a crab; greenfinches and several small brown birds. Onoe looked like a sparrow but had an orangey red head – so though I need to look this up I think this was a redpoll. (when I did look it up it didn't match the redpoll so am still not sure ) Later on saw a winchat by the sea on some meadow near Calgarry. Saw a greenfinch and again some very spotty birds – perhaps shore pipits as they were on the shore? and looked and behaved rather like meadow pipits. Days later in the heritage centre they had a rock pipit there - so i think this one could have been the same.

The gulls were taken from the ferry. At the time I thought most were herring gulls - but looking now it is not lclear whether the legs are pink or yellow...though that could be the light?

So pretty good day!

Retrospective from earlier in July - Scotland

Somehow I haven't had time to post the blogs I wrote whilst away on Mull, about a fortnight ago now, so am starting to gradually put them up - but of course the dates are all wrong! (and I am going to do it in parts...)

10^th July 2010 Connell Ferry near Oban, Scotland
We stayed here last night after coming up on the lovely west highland train. There was a beautiful sunset last night and the dog and I went for an early morning walk up this road, this morning. There are oystercatchers near the shore, and saw a a buzzard. And another bird flying that I couldn’t see properly – looked like a grey long tailed bird of prey. The plant life is varied with many bog plants different wet meadow orchids – and honeysuckle very close to the beach, and gulls coming close as we were on the ferry to Mull. (There may be shots of them in the next post)