Male Sparrowhawk in Garden

Looked out of the window this morning to see this immediately below the birdtable:

Male Sparrowhawk plucking a House Sparrow 

The Small Isles

Back in the 1980's I spent 2 nights with the Glasgow RSPB on Rum in the Inner Hebrides. The weather was absolutely superb, and ever since then I have been promising to do what is adversed by Cal Mac as "The Small Isles Cruise" which is basically a 7 hour non landing cruise round Eigg, Muck, Canna & Rum.

So nearly 30 years on, I finally got round to doing it. I had been telling the family for years that it was good. The trip is however, very much 'weather dependent' and as such I had been watching the forecast since last Sunday. Despite a developing low in the South of Scotland, Mallaig would be dry and as such we were good to go. We left Glasgow in the pissing rain on Saturday morning & by the time we got to Fort William it was dry still pissing! However, once we started to head West towards Mallaig, the skies started to clear and by the time we got to Mallaig at 1pm it was dry.

We dropped our bags at the pre booked B&B and after a sandwich we headed for the boat. Soon we were seeing rafts of Manx Shearwater and Guillemots, Razorbills and the odd Puffin. A Bonxie was also noted:

Manx Shearwater

Bonxie

First stop was Eigg and then onwards to Muck where the Veery was last year:

Muck

Black Guillemot

Onwards past Rum I was increasingly scanning for Eagles and we were rewarded with a single Golden Eagle over Canna:

The harbour at Canna

Church on Canna

Bottlenosed Dolphins also put in an appearance:

You never know when they will surface so despite them being close to the boat getting images isn't easy!

Heading for Rum there were increasing numbers of Manxies:

Manxies

As we turned towards the landing site on Rum, I got my eye on a male Hen Harrier coming across the hillside. 

Kinloch Castle, where I had stayed in the 1980's:

My digs were in the Hostel round the back

The 7 hours had passed all too quickly and the ferry was soon back in Mallaig. We had prebooked evening meal in the Cornerstones Fish Restaurant in Mallaig from where we caught a brief glimpse of 2 Otters 'playing' in the harbour.   

 

Ullapool Weekend

In a quest to add to my year list and in particular to fill a large seabird gap, my initial plan was to take in the Isle of May. However, the boat was full and therefore a change of plan was required. With Patricia & the girls at Jamfest in Liverpool all weekend I had an opportunity for a night away myself and so a trip to Handa was decided.

 Out of the house at 03:45, I reached Tarbet by 09:45. The small ferry is advertised as starting at 10:00 but its willingness to sail is apparently often dependent on it being full.  However, despite there only being 3 passengers at that hour in the morning it nonetheless departed.

Common Gull in Tarbet Harbour

I spent about 5 hours on the island and got all the seabirds including a few Puffins. Skuas are a major feature, with Bonxies in particular never far away. Some images:

Arctic Skua

Bonxie

Fulmar

Kittiewake

Oystercatcher & Sea Pink

Razorbill

Wheatear

Wheatear Juv

Other notables included Arctic Tern & Common Sandpiper. The journey back on the boat also produced 2 Black Guillemots.

I cannot remember the last time I saw a Golden Eagle, but I estimate it was back in the 1980's. Back on the mainland however, conditions looked quite good for soaring raptors and indeed nearing Ullapool I caught sight of a large raptor from the car. Fortunately, the road was quiet and I was able to stop and scope a cracking adult Golden Eagle.

After finding a B&B in Ullapool, I tried before dinner for Sea Eagle on Gruinard Island. Unfortunately, I was looking into the light and there was no sign. There would however, be another opportunity tomorrow.

After breakfast I was back at Gruinard for before 10, but in 2 hours there was absolutely no sign of Sea Eagle. Up to 10 Great Nothern & 2 Red Throated Divers in Gruinard Bay was of some compensation. At least 4 Red Kite over the Black Isle on the way home was also notable.

Nuthatch

Spent some time in the Dalziel Estate in Motherwell on Thursday morning attempting to add Nuthatch to my year list. It took me well over an hour to locate any but eventually I had at least 2 calling birds in Addersgill Wood.

Also spent some time in the Marsh Hide at Barons Haugh. C10 Lapwings, 2 Shoveler and calling Water Rail were notable.

Dippers are Very Common in Hartlepool

Almost 12 months ago, I twitched the UK's 3rd White Tailed Robin in a garden in Hartlepool. Little did I know that 1 year on I would be back in the same place attempting to connect with the UK's first Western Orphean Warbler for 21 years.

I was out the house by 3:15 am and on site in Hartlepool for 6:45 am. The dull dreary weather encouraged the premise that the bird would "not go far" in these conditions. But despite this there was absolutely no sign by the bowling green by 09:30 am by which time the realisation had dawned that I and perhaps 50 others had well and truely dipped. That's 2 failed twitches in a row now ! There was some suggestion that the bird was not of good health and may have perished in the night. I guess we will never know?

So by 10am I was at Saltholme RSPB, and after scone and coffee I went for a look round. The obvious target species was Yellow Wagtail & several showed quite well:

Yellow Wag

Saltholme apparently holds the largest inland Common Tern colony in the UK and birds frequently appear overhead:

Common Tern amongst a backdrop of Industry

Other higlights included 3 Little Gulls.

Some other images from the day:

Vixen

Greylags

Skylark

Stock Dove

Swallow

End of An Era

As part of my 50th birthday, Patricia had booked us overnight at the Lodge on the Loch Hotel. Unfortunately, news of my mother's death (albeit expected) earlier in the day put a completely different perspective on the occasion. Indeed, I thought seriously about cancellation but in the end felt that the beautiful setting on Loch Lomond might be appropriate for quiet reflection.

View from the Room

Long Hot Summer ??

Temperatures in Glasgow this week have been up to 27 degrees, a record for May apparently. Rachel was off to Alton Towers with the school and this meant dropping her off at 1:30 am and as a consequence I had had the 25th booked off work for some time. It just so happened to coincide with the good weather and an opportunity for some birding was not to be missed.

I was out the house before 7am heading North towards Aberfoyle and onward along the largely single track road to Inversnaid. The Inversnaid Hotel is popular with "Lochs & Glens" tour buses and I met 3 coming from the hotel as I headed along. Now from experience, they don't reverse for you but fortunately I met them all at bits of the road where there were easy passing places. Not so the lorry in front of me who had to do an awkward manoeuvre up a farm track in order to let one of them pass.

Anyway just after 8am I was in the 'upland' car park at the RSPB Inversnaid Reserve and was quickly enjoying lots of Cuckoos (still appear common in this part of the world). Nice also to get the female's bubbling calls. 3 Whinchat and 2 Spot Flys were welcome year ticks. 'Hairy Beasties' were showing well:

The next target species were Black Grouse, but despite spending a good time scanning the hillsides with my new Swaro EL32's, with their massive field of view, I could not connect.

By 9:30 am the heat was already beginning to build and I headed for the shade of the main Inversnaid Reserve with its oak woodlands and Bluebell carpets:

The usual target species were quickly located:

Pied Fly

Tree Pipit

Wood Warbler

Other birds included 2 singing Garden Warbler, Blackcap and lots of Redpoll and Siskin. The banks of Loch Lomond produced at least 2 Common Sand & 1 Dipper.

Off up Loch Lomondside again tomorrow for a meal at The Lodge on the Loch (yet another 50th birthday treat!). Weather still forecast as "glorious" for tomorrow so looking forward to that.