Geltsdale_Wildlife_Warrior

West Cumbria trips and Aurora watch...

2012-01-27T09:51:00.000-08:00

A trip to west Cumbria on the 17th to check out a couple of sites which have been well publicized for having great recent sightings on social web pages. The first port of call was Siddick Pond which is located in Workington. The pond and dense reeds are surrounded by industries, wind turbines and super stores which I think what makes Siddick such a special place that all the wildlife you can see there are surviving around our ever growing empires and it gives hope for the future.
In a couple of hours we picked up 5 Bitterns, 4 otters, Kingfisher, Drake Pintail, female Sparrowhawk and 4 Whoopers. Even stepping on dog shit did not dampen my spirits after some great sightings. That is the only downfall to Siddick although you have to focus really hard for illusive Bitterns and otters in the reed beds you also need to scan hard for dog shit because it is all over the parish! Otter video can be seen below....

Danny and I moved onto Broughton Moor at mid afternoon as there had been some good owl activity reported there and Craig Shaw had very kindly given us directions to the site. We had a little walk around the area before picking our proposed best view point to sit and wait for the action to happen. We got 2 Barn owls hunting in good light to kick the action off. A good number of Buz and Kes in the area. 4 Woodcock and a single Short-Eared Owl as the sun was dropping. You could hear the sheer number of Rodents in the thick grass and can see why all the avian predators were here. A great day out west side!

Siddick Pond, Workington

Whoopers and Coot...

Otters walking on frozen Siddick pond...

Siddick Pond...

A couple of days later I headed over to the same sites with Cain the Hollywell birder and his mate Andy. Straight to Siddick again and we got an otter straight away. We headed further down the pond closer the hide and got a couple of Water Rail and the drake Pintail showing well. Cainio picked up 2 Snipe in the reeds as he had it locked as usual. We headed off to Broughton Moor for a spot of evening 'owling' and we sat and waited again enjoying another good sunset. 2 barn Owls again hunting and a couple of very illusive SEOs. 4 woodcock, 246 Goosander overhead going west, upto 3000 Corvid roost, Male Tawny Owl calling finished off another great day birding. Fish and Chips in Keswick as I returned the favor when Cainio got me Mcdonalds a few weeks back.

Broughton, Looking south towards Northern Lakes...

Broughton Dump

On the 22nd of the month while I was at a pub quiz testing my knowlodge on Abba and Emmerdale I got a report of Aurora activity been possibly visible in the UK. I looked at some photos that had been uploaded from Scotland that evening and as far south as Edinburgh had reported it so it gave me hope! After the quiz the skies were clear so I headed out around Gdale to scan for a few hours. No joy on the Northern Lights but a few impresive shooting stars were seen.

The next day news items on LookNorth were showing Aurora photos from the east coast level with us so I was looking forward to the evening with clear skies reported again. I headed over towards Hallbankgate to a car park high up which looks north towards Talkin Tarn. Before I left dad warned me that the car park is a dogging hot spot and I thought....Who would be out taking there dog jogging at this time of night??.....Anyway when I arrived there was a few cars there and a few folk on the lookout after all the media attention on the news. A Barn Owl calling a few times was a big highlight. A young couple were there pretending to look to the skies but I am sure they were just waiting for us to go so they could get down to......taking there dog for a run. An hour in and Cainio phoned me to say there gonna head up Blencathra so I thought yeah sounds great so I headed down to Penrith to meet them.

We started the climb at 11pm with 8 people going up including Rachael and Ciara . It clouded over as we headed up and we got as far as the Tarn before making our way back down. Lovely calm conditions and me and Cain were saying how it is the best time to be out in the wilderness, class. I got back to Gdale at 3am and did some more scanning to the north along with capturing some long exposures on my camera to try and pick up some colour in the image but no joy.

I retired to bed at half 3 unsuccessful after a good nights play. I got up in the morning and trundled into the computer room to the usual tune of dad humming and received the news that dad had got up for a wee wee at half 4 and seen the northern lights from the window! He did not wake me as he presumed in the eight hours that I was out there that I would of got them! Gutted, but with more activity reported I was hopeful in the coming weeks if the conditions were right.

Siloth Golf Links, superb course

News in Brief over the last few weeks starting with up to seven Ravens seen around Gdale and with their early breeding time we are hopeful that a pair will produce this year. One of my favorite birds with it being my dads number one!

A trip to Skinburness, Grune Point and Siloth Beach on the 26th produced Pink-Footed Geese, Barnacle Geese, Sparrowhawk and 3 kittiwakes sat close to the shore from the beach.

A few SEOs are starting to show around Gdale again in daylight hours with dad watching a pair grappling in flight.

Driving at night always brings rewards as a couple of Barn Owl sightings on the way to Carlisle was magical. On the same day after reading Tony Warburtons book seeing the White Ghosts was a huge treat.

A few Crossbill have been heard and seen around the house and a few Stonechat on the higher ground also.

A walk on the Eden at the back of Tesco produced my first Grey Partridge at dusk with their amazing call which reminds me of Super Mario dying on the nintendo snes!

On the 27th Dad and I headed to Longtown with the dogs with the highlights been 31 Gadwell on the pond and 54 Whoopers by the river. We headed to Linstock to see the Starling mermeration and got up to 100,000 putting on a nice display with a single Buzzard in patrol.

Johns Article on Raptor Politics For our passion and love of Raptors .....

Thanks for reading :-)

January is Dull?....Thank God for Wildlife (figure of speech, im an atheist)

2012-01-18T03:25:00.000-08:00

Great to get back to normality and to know that spring is not far away. And one thing about this climate change it means spring is hear sooner than ever after the turn of the year. A few trips around the region to some new areas and also some old favorites.

A visit to Ullswater early in month with two of my bezzers...

High up Gdale on a clear night...

Decided on a late night up the valley early in the month on a still moon lit night to see what I could see and more importantly hear. I brought the camera to get some night sky shots to keep me occupied while I was listening out. It started well with a Fox seen going down the lane and also a couple of Roe Deer further into the woodland. Tawny's were calling near by in the early night time hours as I made my way up the valley. The wildlife action was unfortunately quiet after that with a few Woodcock and a Barn Owl on the way back but the atmosphere was amazing up the valley as it was so still and calm with a full moon and a star lit sky I felt like the last man on earth and it was so relaxing. I stayed high up the valley until 1am and started making my way back home.

The next day I headed out with Cainio the Hollywell Birder. The original plan was to head to Abbeytown and see the Blue Morph Snow Goose so he picked me after his exam and we headed north west for the last few hours of light. We took a wrong turn in Carlisle and I sent him towards Port Carlisle instead of the 595 west so we decided to go to Campfield Marsh hide instead as it was lashing gown with rain. Awful co-pilot skills by myself but I blame it on my vision being blocked by all the empty Mcdonalds wrappers and cups pilled up in his car!

We arrived at the hide and got a dozen Pintail, Shovellers, a good number of Teal and 80 odd Whoopers arriving late on. No sign of Harriers today but hearing 2 birds had been seen the previous day was pleasing to know that there is birds around. We headed off at dusk and surprise surprise Cainio fancied a Mcdonalds so we headed to Kingstown, North Carlisle for him to get his fix. He ended up kindly buying me a meal and I will return the favor on our next birding trip out!

The next day an evening walk around Gdale with the newly repaired John produced a great half hour with 7 Ravens, Black Grouse, 3 Roe Deer and a Brown Hare been chased by a walkers dog. Great to see John with a spring in his step after hid knee replacement as I struggled to keep up with him as he marched up the hill. Amazing progress...needs to keep it going!

Barnies in good number looking from Old Sandsfield

Edward I Monument...

Headed off to sandsfield one afternoon to view the Solway as it was lovely sunshine and dad had showed me this area a few weeks back so I thought I would cover it myself. I parked near the Edward 1st monument and walked down the shoreline to view from. Historically Edward I known as Longshanks died on the Burgh marsh on his way back from a campaign against Robert the Bruce in 1307. You might recognise the name from the film Braveheart, and he did have a number of encounters with the legendary William Wallace during his reign as king of England. Lydia Hosdell will be so proud of me learning my history!

Anyway back to the birds!....from Longshanks to Redshanks! I enjoyed good views of the Barnacle Geese and also the sheer movement of Gulls heading west out of the estuary was incredible, lasting for a few hours solid. Enjoyed a nice sunset to finish off the day. Took some night shots of Carlisle Castle on the way back as it is a stunning old building.

Old Graitney

Old Sandsfield...

Carlisle Castle with a traffic trail...

Full moon showing next to Castle, What a great city!

I went to Skinburness and Grune point on the 10th. arrived at high tide with all the waders pushed up on the coastal grasslands resting. It was constant light drizzle all afternoon which was annoying but I had to get on with it. I started with a low flying Sparrowhawk as I headed towards the point. Huge numbers of Lapwing in flight and grounded along with the usual Dunlin, Knot and Oystercatchers all congregated at high tide mark. Eight Pintail and a douzen Mergansers were sat on the water nearby. I headed to the point to do a bit of sea watching which produced a few Cormoronts and a small raft of Teal. I headed back to watch the tide retreat and wait for activity behind a gorse in shelter. All the waders lifted in unison and must of meant a raptor disturbing them. Once they settled I picked up a juvenile Peregrine sat on a grass banking. About ten minutes later I heard a squeaking distress call and suddenly a rabbit ran straight in front of me with a Stoat on its trail. 20 yards later and the Stoat had tagged it and dragged the catch into the nearby gorse. On the way back I saw the Black Swan at Abbeytown among the 50 odd Whoopers.

Heron standing on the river Caldew...

On the 12th I headed out with Danny in stunning sunshine to cover areas around Carlisle. We started at the back of Tesco to cover the stretch of Eden and its tributary the Petteril. A good number of Goldeneye and a pair of Buzzards were showing well. Lapwing, Starlings and Black Headed Gulls were taking advantage of the flooded fields. We moved through Stonyholme golf course and got 3 Dippers on the Petteril and some golfers kindly told us where Kingfishers can show well.

We headed for lunch and also got some sweeties from Tesco before heading to the river Caldew to see what crops up there. I had never covered this stretch so danny was tour guide (makes a fricking change! lol) We ended up with two Grey Wagtails, two Dippers a Kestel and a few Herons. We also got asked to go for a coffee with two young lasses which danny was shocked about but I told him to get used to it as as soon as you put binoculars round your neck the sheilas come flocking just like on them Lynx adverts.

What a place, Haweswater looking from the road in

Haweswater...

Saturday 14th and another clear crisp sunny day so I got up at the crack of dawn to head south. I was still undecided whether to cover bass lake and round to west coast or Haweswater but I though I havent covered Haweswater for ages and as it is my fave place in England. Also when there is a potential Golden Eagle involved I am all over it! I arrived to a chocker block car park with plenty of hikers making the most out of the weather. I set off round the reservoir and instinctively I headed straight for Rigingdale valley where the lone eagle holds down a territory. I sat for two hours at the view point scanning but no joy just plenty of Ravens near by taking advantage of a sheep carcass. Red Deer showing in the valley also. I decided to head off for a bit and see what else I could find. On the water was quiet with Cormoronts, Goldeneye and a raft of 20 Common Gulls. I took a few landscape photos and headed back to the valley for about 2pm to focus last two hours of light on eagle. As I was walking upto the valley by the waters edge I seen a large object at the back of Rigingdale above the skyline......Locked! Goldie!! the visibility was so good I could see the bird from the waters edge! I watched the bird til the sun dropped and it was showing very well with ravens constantly mobbing the bird. The eagle also had a go at the ravens a few times with real intent. I got a video of the special bird as well (below). As I was watching the bird I had this song in my head http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dq0llrCYtCQ.

After seeing Eagles every day on Mull this bird is ten times more special to see because of the situation. Great to see the bird still there and providing hope that he will find a mate in the near future. He is 25 years old and has lacked female attention for a number of years now so you could say we have got a lot in common! great day :-)

Rigingdale valley, home to a very special bird...

amazing sharp light...

Looking back at Heron and Eagle crag from higher ground...

Sunset at Brow wells with Barnacle geese in flight...

On the Sunday I headed out with dad to cover the Solway on the Scots side. We covered around Gretna with it being fairly quiet and Dad showed me a few sites where I could visit in the future which was handy. We finished at Brow wells in lovely sunshine looking towards Criffel and Caerlaverock. Upto 10,000 Barnacle geese showing and 250 plus Whooper Swans in the field next door. A Merlin was spotted perched on a lump of drift wood and up to 10 RB Mergansers were showing well in front of us at high tide with one popping up right next to us. The sunset was fantastic and I could not resist taking a few pics of it as the sun dropped down.

Brow Wells looking towards Criffel with Red-Breasted Merganser

Red Breasted Merganser popped up right next to us

Thanks for looking :-)

Wildlife Captures of 2011...

2012-01-15T09:14:00.000-08:00

Minke Whale surfacing off north Mull

Common Dolphin bow riding in the Hebrides

White-Tailed Eagle fishing on Loch Na Keal using Mull Eagle Charter boat

Golden Eagle in flight on coastal Mull...

Arctic Terns...

Arctic Skua patrolling the open sea....

Great Skua or the Bonxie associating with our punters on the top deck...

Red Kite at the feeding station at Castle Douglas, Dumfries and Galloway

Starlings heading into roost in Carlisle...

Common Sandpiper, Ardmore bay, Mull

Common Dolphin breaching during an evening Shark Charter...

Common Dolphin associating with Sula Beag on another trip...

White-Tailed Eagle, Loch Na Keal

Golden-Ringed Dragonfly, Killiechronan

Juvenile Kittiwake, off Ardnamurchan point

Black Grouse, Grey Hen,

Long-Eared Owl, Geltsdale

Wood Warbler, Salen, Mull

Great Northern Diver, Loch Na Keal, Mull

Golden Eagle, Snowy Ben More mountain range

Common Dolphin approaching boat for bow riding...

Which do you like the best??

My Favorite Landscapes from 2011...

2012-01-03T03:32:00.000-08:00

Click on image for large view...Isle of Mull - On the higher ground at
Killiechronan looking towards Knock and Ben More Mountain Range...

Loch na Keal looking west...

Old crofters house south of Loch Splelve in March...

On the road to Grasspoint, Harrier country!

Fishing on Loch Na Keal at Dusk...

ON the sound of Mull looking back at Oban and Snowy tops...

The wild west of Ardnamurchan with lighthouse point, most westerly tip of mainland Britian...

Minke Whale surfacing off Ardnamurchan point...

White-Tailed Eagle in flight over snowy Ben More

Cairns of Coll, west coast sun set...

Ullswater with the famous Steamer boat and Spitfire overhead...

Machir Beach on Isle of Islay in October...

Keswick in the Northern Lake District, Derwent water and Catbells beyond...

Castle Carrock on a frosty winters night...

Clear Sky's on Geltsdale...

Murmuration of Starlings at Gretna, one of Britain's best wildlife spectacles...

Kilchoan ferry travelling from Tobermory to Ardnamurchan with Western highlands in the back drop...

Tobermory harbour at dawn...

Keswick at night with the xmas rush below and snowy tops of Catbells and beyond...

Mishnish lochs on North Mull...

South road on Mull at Low tide...

View from Dodd Summit looking towards the Lords Seat summit and Whinlatter...

A time for celebrating the turn of the year plus friends and family...

2011-12-21T04:03:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us and its very mild compared to the last couple of xmas periods. Its a good time of year to celebrate the winter solstice (shortest day) and there fore the turn of the year. Also enjoying friends and family is another good reason to enjoy it. I managed to get out in the field a few times in among all the xmas hustle and bustle.

We have reached 5000 signatures with the Raptor protection petition which is great but still a long way to go to reach 100,000 so a lot of work to do. Please sign if you haven't already and spread the word.

I wrote an article for Raptor Politics regarding the birds of Prey on Mull and comparing the whole set up and mentality to the mainlands problems. I enjoyed writing it and I would like to thank Terry Pickford of RP for giving me the opportunity.

Pot of Gold in Keswick, no wonder all the locals can afford them fancy
North Face Jackets!

River Gelt in flood

High Hynam, great for swimming in the summer, or at any time
of year if you re hardy enough...

The tight cluster is seven sisters other wise known as Pleiades

I have again been focusing on night sky astrophotography and learning about the fascination of it all. I enjoyed a fantastic meteor shower on the 2nd week of the month with 20 landing vertically in an hour....stunning. I was also continuing to attempt to capture the night sky in all its glory which I really enjoy doing. You can get some unique shots and it is also more difficult to get right compared to the day time landscapes I have been doing recently. I'm enjoying close views of Jupiter at the moment as well and with the scope locked on it you can make out 4 moons orbiting the huge planet. Its most famous moon is Io which is covered in Ice as it has a surface temperature of -260 degrees but as the gravitational force of Jupiter is so strong it creates movement and friction of the planet which produces heat and there fore could there be liquid water under the surface of Io and also possible life??...I find it all fascinating.

A clear weekend gave some great night sky action...

5 minute star trail...

Snowy gdale with a cracking sunset

Geltsdale LEO

John's superb Long-Eared Owl article in Birdwatching Monthly

Castle Carrock on a frosty clear night...

Xmas fodder with brothers and cousins...

Family snap on Gdale, John is missing!

Xmas day and a walk around the fell with the family produced two Roe Deer, Kestrel, Buz and a small flock of Goldcrests. A Superb meal was had, Thank you very much Mum! the only problem was a 3 hour power cut just as we were going to tuck into our third course.It ended up being very fitting as it brought the candles out and encouraged us to get the fire blazing which created a historic atmosphere from the times before electricity. Power cuts are always welcome....unless of course x-factor or made in chelsea is on tv!
The power came back on at 8ish and it was time for my slideshow presentation about Mull and a 35 question quiz afterwards. It was more about the wildlife and landscapes on the island than my general experience and I think everyone enjoyed it. Jamie my brother had requested it as a present which was great because it meant I didn't have to buy him anything and also a good way to show off my photography.

Fulmar, 10 seen at Balcary in D and G

A boxing day trip to Balcary on the Scottish Solway. Andy Mcgreevy and Rachel Robson came along. We arrived at 10ish and started the superb coastal walk admiring the powerful waves charging into shore. up to 8 Fulmers seen as we made our way along and it was fantastic to see them again tackling the coastal winds. I got a record shot of one bird. We made our way round the fantastic round route which provides a great variation in habitats. It was quiet on the wildlife front today with no Ravens or Peregrine but did get a single Whooper Swan on the fresh water loch just inland. Discovered afterwards that there is a bird hide further up the coast so I will defiantly be all over that when we next visit.
On the way back I was a bit pished off finding out that Leeds had lost to Craig Shaws Derby County! I got cheered up when we decided to visit a Brown tourism sign and discovered an impressive Castle remains. We followed another brown sign before home time. Our future trips are going to consist of driving around Scotland following Brown signs....what a great country.

On the evening it was Tommy Milos turn to do a slideshow of his adventures across the pond. It was superb with great photos and videos. It was 4 hours long so the half time refreshment brake was well needed. He got me a Flamingos football top with Ronaldinhio on the back as well which was great.

Rascarrel bay looking west

Rascarrel bay, strong westerly producing powerful waves

At Balcary on boxing day trying to capture a Fulmar in flight..

I went to Bowness on Solway with my Dad on the 28th as it was strong westerly's. Our first port of call was Sandsfield where we parked up and in a superb 5 minutes scanning we got Merlin, 12 Kittiwakes, RB Merganser and Ross's Goose in among Barnies. Went to the Bus Shelter at Bowness afterwards and did not stay long as we got Guilimot and more Kittiwakes. Finished at Campfield Marsh hide and entered to be welcomed by two fellow Leeds fans which is a rare occurnace. We got a good number of Pintail and Shoveller. 80 plus Whooper Swans and plenty of Barnies in flight overhead. A possible Harrier in the distance but not going to count it. I was just delighted to hear that someone had reported 3 separate Harriers on the reserve the previous day. On the way back we had to take a diversion as the high spring tide had flooded the coastal road blocking it off.

Happy New year to everyone and good health and happiness, thanks for reading :-)

White Gdale and National Park photography...

2011-12-05T13:23:00.000-08:00

The temperature has dropped now and along with some strong westerly's it has being savage in the last few days. A covering of snow on Gdale was a nice change to the landscapes. Strong winds with reported force 12 in the country made for a trip to the Solway to see if anything turned up. Also the usual trips to our national park to see whats happening down that way.

High up the Old water...

The Gairs viewpoint looking west...

I woke up to snow early on in the month and thought it would be a great opportunity to explore Gdale and look for mammal tracks as well as see weather there is any interesting bird behavior regarding the conditions.

I started off with 2 Black Grouse cocks going up the lane and also a pair of Stonechats at the top. I made my way around Simmerson ridge and round the Gairs and had good numbers of congregating Red Grouse on my way.

You can see the Solway in high tide in the back drop...

As I reached the old water I headed further up the valley and flushed a Woodcock and got a 12 strong flock of Bullfinch with the males colours standing out so well in the white back drop. More Stonchats to follow with a total of 7 recorded. As the light dropped I was hoping to hear an Eagle owl call but it wasn't to be so I headed down to the steep crag on the new water to see if anything was heading into roost. On the way over there was a Bunting feeding on the track and at first I thought it was a Lapland Bunting but after closer study and my trusty iphone app I found it to be a 1st winter female Reed Bunting. I got a distant peregrine and 2 Buzzards flew over flushing 15 Black Grouse cocks right next to me. As the light faded away I picked up a bird flying low over the heather and it was a Short Eared Owl! what a finish to a great day.

looking up Gdale valley...

Very strong gales on Thursday 8th so it was a trip to Bowness with my dad to see what turned up. We arrived at the 'bus shelter' at a retreating high tide and things started off fairly quietly but it picked up as we got a Little Gull (crap video below), 2nd year Gannet, Kittiwakes and 8 juvenile Eiders. It was fricking freezing so we moved on to Campfield Marsh where we got 6 Pintail and 20 plus Shoveler.

Keswick, Derwent water, Catbells and Snowy tops beyond...

View from Dodd summit...

A trip to our National Park on Dec 12th. I headed down to Dodd wood, east of Bassenthwaite lake. I got 3 Red Squirrels at the feeders and a female Sparrowhawk flashing in and unsuccessfully snatching a Coal tit from the feeders. I moved onto the higher ground as I wanted to focus more on the landscapes today as the snowy tops to the peaks were very impressive. High up there were the usual Ravens showing well and the views were as stunning as ever...

xmas chaos down in Keswick, much better up here!

I stayed high up for the preferred night time photography. Night time action is what its all about, listening out for wildlife and also the different photos you can capture. I am going to join the owls and turn nocturnal.

Rainbow at full time for Gary Speed...

A visit to Elland Road on Sat 3rd to pay our respects to Gary Speed and the team put on a great tribute with a 2-0 win against Millwall. A rainbow appeared at full time for Speedo. RIP

Speedo tributes...

We had a Red Kite on the A1 as well!...always a pleasure :-)

Spot the bird?? Little Gull, Its not the worst video in the world...buts its in the top one! are u watching Gordon Buchanan?

Raven in flight over Bass lake, looking from Dodd summit...

John acting normal as usual...Barry Robsons Letter in the Cumberland News a few weeks back regarding value eagles could have in Cumbria...

To finish with here is a plug for Craig Shaws excellent Cumbria birding blog...apart from being a Derby county fan he is a legend and his photos and reports are top draw....

Thanks for looking :-)

Bass Lake, Gdale, More Starlings and Astrophotography.....

2011-11-29T07:17:00.000-08:00

Another few local trips were in the pipeline including a few different sites in our national Park along with Longtown and Gdale. Still quite mild at the back end of November and first few days of December but starting to turn.....

Looking up Gdale valley...

A few local jollies around the fell with the dogs have produced some of my best experiences. On one occasion a short walk up the valley with the pooches and I got 2 Ravens mobbing a Ringtail. Peregrine, 6 B Grouse, 2 Stonechat and an erection.....what an hour.

River Gelt.....

Sightings of Black Grouse have started to become more consistent in the last few weeks which is a relief. It is still a worry that the large number of Red-Legged Partridge introduced in the area would have an effect on the blacks population on Gdale.

River Gelt capturing the motion...

Still dabbling with the camera and did a few slow shutter shots on the river Gelt. Loving the astrophotography as long as the sky is clear and the wind is not too strong so I can keep the tripod steady enough.

lights of Carlisle from Castle Carrock fell...

Night Sky....

A trip to the national park at the end of the month with Danny and Greevy. We headed to Bassenthwaite lake to start with as there was reports of both Black throated Diver and GW Egret on the water. We parked by the Swan Hotel and worked our way through Powter Howe woods to get to the lake side. The water was quite choppy which made it difficult for spotting. We got the GW Egret over on the far side as it just appeared from the read beds. 2 GC Grebes on show as well. It was nice to meet Gordon their another local birder and blogger. We moved on to the hide to see what we could get and we were not disappointed as we got some excellent views of 3 playful Otters (video below) in front of us. The highlight was one porpoising left to right 12 times in a row. 2 Little Grebes and a single Shoveler were other records. 8 Common Scoter were reported later in the day but we must of missed them.

We headed south to Grasmere and Rydal water but didn't stay long because we didnt want to pay for parking. Nothing of great interest with Cormorants and Goldeneye. You cant go to Grasmere and not get some gingerbread! We headed towards the famous little shop and noticed a lady working there from last year dressed up in her Victorian gown with a very serious face and it reminded us of last year when Me, Greevy and Rachel Robson went in and got giggleitus where we just could not stop laughing. As soon as me and Greevy looked at each other approaching the shop it triggered the giggleitus again and that set Danny off as well. We redeemed our selves and walked into the shop with a serious megerious face. The first 5 seconds were going so well until I just could not hack it and turned around with my back to them giggling pretending to read a fire safety notice. That made them burst out laughing so we just had to leave the shop in mid conversation to wait out side still craving for some gingerbread. The more you try not to laugh, the more you do laugh, Giggleitus is a horrible thing to have and there are still no cures to this day...

Heading back to the car was another big highlight with a male Peregrine flying straight over the car park heading towards Rydal.

Motion Starlings at Gretna and moon....

Saturday 26th and a Facebook arranged trip to Haweswater with Gary and friends to stay at Mardale bothy. Gary picked me up at 1ish and we headed down to the best place in England to meet the other lads. Heavy rain was forecast later on in the afternoon which would add to the challenge of the 5 mile walk to the bothy. As we arrived at the bottom car park the rain started coming down heavy so we got kitted out in our waterproofs and headed up the valley to the east with about 90 minutes of light left to find our destination. We had a simple map layout printed from the computer and everytime we looked at it it got wetter and soggier. We had traveled about 3 miles sticking to the route on the map and the light had dropped severely by this time and there was still heavy rain and a lot of water coming from the higher ground. We seen lights in the distance so headed towards them and ended up at a remote farm so we asked for directions and they sent us back on our selves up the valley a few miles and onto a beaten track. Carange! so we headed back up the hill which was more like a waterfall at this point. The map was paper mache now so we were going off farmers instructions to take a right at the sheep fold further up.

We arrived at the sheep fold and there was still no let up in the savage weather. We found a small beaten track so we got onto it. By this time everyone was a drowned rat. We followed it half a mile and ended up at a gate with the track finishing so we decided to cut our losses and head back to the car! On the way down nasty gusts of wind were trying to lift us off our feet and just as we were nearly back at the car I dropped my tripod and broke the head on it, more carnage! We got back to the car at half 8 after a good 5 hours lost on the fells. The lads from the north east needed somewhere to stay tonight with Gary staying at mine so we popped into the Haweswater hotel to see if there was any room at the inn. When we walked in the staff behind the desk looked at us like we had just been shat out of a cows arse. They said they were full so we moved onto Penrith.

They found somewhere in the riff so we headed back to stay at Jockey Shield bothy for the night in good old Geltsdale. We checked google maps when we got back and where we were by the gate when we turned back we were only 400 yards from the bothy in the valley haha!

Me and Rowlands Gill Birder (updated once a decade) walked round Gdale on the Sunday. It was fairly quiet but a nice walk and Gary did some panoramic photography. We went to see the Starlings at Gretna and after a slow start they got going near to the services and accompanied by a Peregrine, 2 Sparrowhawks and 2 Buzzards. Video below.

Otters on Bass lake...

Went to Longtown on the 2nd with Dad and the dogs. We got 12 whoopers near river and also 2 drake Gadwell on river ponds. We checked out Longtown pond roadside and spotted the sneaky female Long-Tailed Duck. Watching the LTD is like whale watching as they go down for upto 60 seconds and only surface for 5-6. Pochard, Goosander and Goldeneye also present.

Starlings at gretna....pushing out a few shapes

A snowy Gdale on Sunday 4th. Walked up the valley with Greevy and Danny. A good 2inch settled on the higher ground as we went up to the carins and over simmerson ridge. 2 flocks of Golden Plover seen with 35 birds in total. Also a 12 strong flock of Bullfinch high up.

Thanks for looking.....To finish with the most important bit ....A hugely important government petition regarding more protection on Englands birds of Prey, we needs 100,000 votes for them to take notice so please sign and spread the word as much as you can, thanks :-)

Photography on a few of the local stomping grounds.

2011-11-22T08:16:00.000-08:00

A quiet few weeks with just a few local trips in the surrounding area......A good time of year to play about with the camera as well. The recent highlight was Sea Life Suveys cheif guide Ruth popping into Geltsdale for the day on her way down from Mull. She arrived at about lunch time and got to meet her hero John Miles and I showed her around Gdale. From what I understand she is an avid fan of the blog and it was great to see her for the day and show her my local patch.

Carlisle at Dusk, The light pollution creates a nice effect in the picture.

Just south of Patterdale. I spent an amazing sun lit day in the lakes a few days ago focusing on a few landscape opportunities. The autumn colours had reached their peak and it really was breathtaking scenery around Ullswater.

Ullswater looking south, The famous Ullswater steamer in shot with a Spitfire going overhead.

Geltsdale on the higher ground looking west towards fading sun. Amazing low blanket of fog in the lower woodland. The sun sets around Gdale can be superb looking towards the Solway.

Patterdale, Again amazing landscapes in the Lakes it made me feel so fortunate that I lived so close. I flushed a Snipe while walking by the stream.

Is this picture Oak-kay for you?? Autumn colours at Aira Force just west of Ullswater. Dippers in good number there and Ravens gronking on the higher ground.

Stunning colours with the blue sky.......

Starlings heading to roost on the stretch of Eden near Carlisle. walking on the Eden around Carlisle can produce some great wildlife as well as photography opportunities.

River Eden looking west towards Carlisle....

Barnies in flight at Calaverock

Red Kites at Castle Douglas

Starling roost at Gretna, I have been a few times in November with great success.

upto 800,000 birds seen on one occasion and good raptor action with Peregrine, Sparrowhawks and Buzzards present on all my visits.

Thanks for looking, I am enjoying playing with the camera and getting a few of my photos out there including on Mark Hardings Wildlife tourism web site......check out my Flickr page for more updates.....

Knapdale & Island of Islay......

2011-11-08T11:01:00.001-08:00

A trip to the west coast of Scotland on Halloween night and there would be no tricks about but certainly some treats in store as is often the case up at that magical part of the world. Gary Storey and his mate paddy were present for the adventure and as normally the case when G-stoz is involved we had not organised anything in advance and were just going to go with the flow and see what happened day by day, we had until Friday.....here is how we got on.......

Beaver dam....

Headed off early on Monday morning meeting G-Stoz and Paddy at the top of the drive at dawn. We decided to take my car as it would be better on fuel and we would share the driving. After been on the road just 10 minutes Gstoz demanded we go to Mcdonalds resteraunt for a breakfast stop and a usual healthy diet by the man. A smooth journey up through Glasgow and beyond with the only mishap being Gstoz smelling like a rotting skunk. We committed to Knapdale to try and get a glimpse of the beavers that are being trialed in the FC woodland.

We arrived just after lunch and as expected the landscapes and colours were amazing heading up through South and central Argyll on the mainland. With the clocks going back at the weekend it meant we lost an hour of wildlife time on the evenings so we had to make the most of the precious light even more. We had a walk around the lochs where the mammals had been introduced and we found plenty of evidence of their presence with dam defenses, gnawed trees and flooded woodlands. We set up camp in the rain located in a dense conifer woodland near by and paddy made a great meal with frankfurts and pasta which we enjoyed in the rain.

Barnies on Islay

Sunset on Machir beach

The next morning I got up at dawn to give myself a chance of some beaver action and covered a few areas of the loch but at this time of the year with so much darkness in a day it gives them plenty of time to feed and survive at night as they are mainly nocturnal mammals.

A couple of Ravens, Crossbill and a good number of Bullfinch were of note in the area.

We packed up and moved on at lunch time and our destination was the island of Islay! which is to the south of Mull and is renowned for its Geese at this time of the year as well as its Chough population and Eagles and Harriers. The ferry crossing was close by to where we were located as well so it was convenient.

We got the 1pm ferry from Kennacraig and it was a cold breeze heading over with a healthy chop in the water so spotting cetaceans would be tricky so we focused on the birds. We did well during the 90 minute crossing as we got Pom Skua, 3 GN Divers, 2 RT Divers, possible BT Diver, Gannet, Kittiwakes. Arrived at Post Askaig at 3ish and headed to the west part of the island as we commited to camping on a beach and hoping for a good sunset. The island was impressive with a lot of rich farmland habitats with a good number of Geese occupying them including Barnacle, White-Fronted and Greylag. We spotted a couple of Brown Hares lying low in the grasslands and plenty of Starlings congregating together ready to roost. We arrived at an amazing stretch of beach called Machir and after taking some photos and admiring the scenery we got all our gear and headed south down the beach to find a sheltered area to set up camp. It was a savage south westerly which made it tricky in an exposed area. We were praying for clear skies for some star gaizing and we got it! A few shooting stars including one huge one. Jupiter showing well to the east. Gary had said of a meteor shower peaking today to the south but with the moon nearing a full in that direction there would be no chance in picking up anything. The strong wind continued into the night and it caused problems a number of times with the tent nearly lifting off into the night sky.

7 sisters among other consolations

we camped out on this beach on tuesday eve under fantastic night sky....

We woke up the next morning to continued strong winds with the tent still hanging on at a funny angle. We packed everything away and did the one mile trek back to the car just about managing to carry all the gear. We decided to find a cafe for a breakfast and a hot drink so we headed south passing through a couple of the major areas on the island with the first one being Bowmore which was like a ghost town so we moved further south towards Port Ellen which is not quite Tobermory standard but it is ok. The strong winds and time of the year meant it wasn't as appealing when visited. Again there was not much on offer with just a cyber cafe open at 12 which did not look up to much. If it had been blown away by the winds there would of being about £15 worth of damage.

We decided to go to good old reliable Spar for some fodder and the guy working there looked like he was going to stick his head in the microwave at any second! We visited the RSPB reserve of Oa right on the south peninsula. Still very strong winds and savage pot hole ridden track getting there but we decided to come back later in week as weather not the best and we were running out of light to find somewhere to sleep tonight. We looked up Bothys on the island and thanks to the trusty iphone we found some info on one located on the east coast which would be a fair trek to get to on foot. We parked road side as near as we could and decided to take the mountainous route over the higher ground to get to the coastal building.

We headed for the mountains in hope of finding a building on the other side. The wildlife sightings were locked on the way over with a 1st year Snowbunting right in front of us on the path and a ringtail moments later. 50 plus Red Deer were showing well being mainly Stags with the odd hind thrown in. No rutting behavior seen. We were scanning the mountain skylines for mine and Gstoz's fave bird the Goldie Eagle but no sign of yet. we reached the coast and decided to head south along the rocky shoreline hoping to see a building around every corner....until we got it in sight! looked in great condition and we had it to our selves as well. Lovely set up inside with fire stove, beds and room for paddy to put up his hammock! We enjoyed a lovely curry by the fire and baited the creel pot with chicken ready to check in the morn!

Bothy we stayed at on the east coast....amazing place

Portenhaven lighthouse

The next morning and Paddy popped his head in from outside to say "I think I have seen an Otter!" We rushed out and scanned the coast to pick up a small diamond shaped head popping up and down among the waves. A great start to the day and we wanted to build on that so we were excited to check the creel pot! The pot was wedged on the back of a rock from the tide so Gary rolled his pants up to go in and dislodge it. The water was up to his knees and it was a rocky shore being quite uneven on foot. He released the creel pot and as attempting to make his way back to dry land he lost his footing and slipped face first into the water! Paddy was creasing up and I missed the event as I was focusing on what was in the pot. We did get success after all but it was only a Green Shore Crab.

After all the events we packed up all our gear and got ready to head west back over the higher ground and give us enough time to explore more of the island and also find a resting place for the nights sleep. 150 yards away from the bothy on our return journey and Gstoz shouts 'Peregrine!' as a bird flies above us heading south. We got more Deer and also picked up the Snowbunting again in the same area before we returned to the car.

We decided on a sit down meal at a pub we could find so we headed towards Port Askaig and found the Shnug bar and as we are three classic northerners we ordered burgers and chips times 3 with a glass of coke. I checked my phone and found out Leeds had lost 5-0 to Blackpool at home the evening before....splendid! We were looking into where to stay on the night as some of our gear was wet and the weather wasn't the best so we ruled out camping and looked into the hostel at Port Charlotte so we headed west over that way.

When we arrived we found out that the hostel was privately booked out all week so there was no room at the inn. We sat parked up in the car outside Port Charlotte Hotel for a good hour making calls to the local B&Bs for a room with no success! After about 20 attempts we got success with the hunting lodge at Portnahaven so we cruised over and got settled in. We got showered and headed down to the local for our supper. It was nice fodder and a fat git at the bar bought us a whiskey each which tasted like monkey piss but I don't like the taste of alcohol in general, there is much better things to do in life than sit getting pissed like that Elephant seal at the bar.

After the meal I did some star gazing and photography outside the lodge focusing on the lighthouse, surrounding buildings and the stars them self.

a shed load of stars out tonight!

urban Starling

We got up earlyish to make the most out of our last day on the island as our ferry to the mainland was at 3pm. We decided to slowly make our way down to Oa nature reserve to focus on the chance of Chough and Eagles. A huge number of Geese on show all around the island makes for great viewing and we also got Brent geese roadside on the morning. It was fantastic weather with not a cloud in the sky. We arrived at Oa and we had a lot of optimism as the visibility was great. We got a flock of 20-30 Twite to kick things off and also a Raven as we made our way to the south facing cliff face. A few more Ravens showing and then we picked up two Chough with their blood red bills and feet with their unique 'chow' calls. As we were scanning Gary somehow spotted 2 eagle shaped objects on a peak about 2 miles away! We made our way inland through the heather to try and get a closer look and as we made it over the first brow we stopped and scanned again and it was confirmed....2 Golden Eagles! we watched them for nearly two hours and they stayed perched on the highest peak but we did get Ringtail Harrier spotted by Paddy. It was time to catch the boat so we headed back to the car and flushed a Snipe on the way back. We kept checking the eagles on the way back and spotted a large bird in flight to the left of them...scope on them.....Goldie! a third eagle!

In the car heading away from the reserve we could still see the peak with the eagles sat and good make them out and suddenly as we were watching.....they lifted! We rammed the anchors on the car and got out scoped up and got all 3 birds in flight with one juvenile from this year still with its parents. What a way to finish the trip!! 2 cars suddenly came from either way so it was time for us to go and catch our ferry.

Back to sea watching on the way back with a calmer sea state but still no cetacean sightings. We did get 25 plus GN Divers close to the mainland, a couple of Harbour Seals and a good number of Kittiwakes. A smooth trip back to north England with Gstoz and I sharing the driving and we landed back at Geltsdale at 10ish and it took nearly half an hour to sort out all the junk and everyones gear in the car! 2 weeks after the trip and I am still finding bits of pasta and crisps which got spilled during the trip...oh well least I wont go hungry if my car breaks down.

Well choughed with this bird......had to be said

Stonechat at Oa

A great few days away to another magic and unique hebridean island. great company, great wildlife and great landscapes at a beautiful time of the year.

Top Sightings -

- 2 Chough

- Snowbunting

- Pom Skua

- 3 Golden Eagles

- 2 Hen Harriers

- Twite

- Otter

- peregrine

- Brent Geese

- Barnacle Geese

- 50 plus Red Deer

- Roe Deer

- 30 plus GN Divers

- 5 RT Divers

- Gannet

- Common and Grey Seal

- White-Fronted Geese

Here is a link to my Flickr Photo page with some of my photos from around Cumbria and also Islay.......... http://www.flickr.com/photos/60733110@N05/

Thanks for reading :-)

A visit to White Rose county.....

2011-10-20T11:04:00.000-07:00

Another week done and it is starting to severely drop in temperature now. A trip down to white rose county at the start of the week for wildlife and football reasons. A couple more trips later in the week to see what wildlife I could find. There has been a lot of media attention regarding the eagle sighting which is great to make people aware of how important they are and the value of the birds. I will put links at the bottom of the page.

Grey Hen posing nicely roadside

Headed off to Yorkshire on early Tuesday afternoon and we decided to go the scenic route over the higher ground and through Alston and its cobbled streets. The first major encounter was a Stoat crossing the road in front of us and into the stone wall. John broke sharply and pulled up road side and I got out stood tight to the wall and attempted to squeak the mustelid in to me. I have attempted this a number of times in the past but with no success but this time amazingly the Stoat came right up to me and put its front paws on my foot before making a move as I attempted to pick it up. It could being a young animal or maybe just desperate for a feed but its a good job that squeaking doesn't work often as a lot more would be removed to protect game birds.

Black Cock, shame the fencing and barb wire ruin it a bit

We moved on and John kept repeating for me to keep my eyes pealed for Black Grouse as we moved over the upland area. A few minutes later John rammed the anchors on again....Black Grouse road side sat on a wall! A cock and a hen!....4 more birds took flight behind the wall. great stuff....John was going mental at the sighting......unbelievable passion. We headed further east and spotted a good number of distant BG in a field with 36 cocks and 30 hens! The most even John had ever seen! Great stuff.

coming out for the second half, The only good thing they did in the second half was turn up on time!

On the evening we met up with Jamie my brother down in Leeds and we headed to Elland road to watch the Whites v Coventry. A good game apart from a 94th injury time equalizer for the away team. I managed to take a couple of nice images but I was informed that I wasn't allowed to take any match action images for copyright reasons!

Pitch side....

Red Deer stag bellowing hard

We got up early the next morning to cover a couple of sites for dads magazine articles and the first place we visited was Eccup reservoir. We had 3 Red Kites fly over the water. On the Leeds-Horrogate road we had a further 10 Kites enjoying the sunshine. We called in at Studley park where we got 3 species of Deer....Red, Sika and Fallow. Some good rutting activity to go with it.

We watched a Red Stag focusing on the back end of a hind and getting his nose right in there to check if the smells were right and the lucky guy got success as the female was very obliging. Deer have got it easy, a couple of sniffs and they have got it locked.....I wonder if that would work for me at Club Concrete on Saturday night??....see a girl I like and start sniffing her back end and see how far I get.......

To be fair we have our own version of the Deer ruts in human form and a good location I would suggest for a sighting is Bochergate, Carlisle on a Friday night......You get a lot of bellowing calls by the males.....'You looking at my bird pal!?'.....and you also get the aggressive street fights by the males (stags) fighting over a 16 stone woman (hind) stood watching on the pavement eating a bag of chips.....And the police break up the fights..... interfering with nature, disgrace haha.

We moved onto Nosterfield Wetlands which is a lovely little locally manged reserve with great facilities. A good number of Lapwing and Golden Plover on show. A single Cormorant but unfortunately missed the Crane which was there in previous days. We headed back to Cumbria taking the Langdon Beck route again and got plenty of Black Grouse again and also a good number of road side Kestrels.

Fallow Deer stag

Just south of Middleton Teasdale

Eccleston Abbey

playing about with camera, nice moon shot....

After all the eagle excitement on Geltsdale the week before there had been a good amount of media attention and interest on the sighting in the Cumberland News and Raptor Politics mainly and here are a few links......Print out the pictures of me and pin them on the couch to stop the dogs jumping on the sofa....thanks for reading :-)

Cumberlad news eagle article.....

Cumberland News full story - http://www.cumberlandnews.co.uk/news/could-rare-eagle-earn-cumbria-multi-million-pound-nest-egg-1.890155?referrerPath=home

Raptor Politics - http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2011/10/22/could-the-rare-white-tailed-eagle-earn-cumbria-a-multi-million-pound-nest-egg/

Balcary & WT Eagle on Geltsdale.......

2011-10-13T08:29:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, another eventful few days back on the borders. The weather is still poor with wet spells and overcast conditions. Still manged to get out and about along with sorting out my photos, prints and doing Sea Life Surveys blog to finish off the season up there. A trip north to the Scots side to Balcary a fantastic coastal route to see what was happening there, also an unbelievable day on the 13th of the month where we got an immature WT Eagle on Gdale!

A trip to Yorkshire on Monday 10th and it was for a game of golf at Alwoodly with Greevy, Oli and Jimmy Milo my brother. We played in a Pro-am and we all struggled in constant rain but we did see 2 Red Kites, Roe Deer, Sparrowhawk and two Grey Squirrels on the course. A fantastic golf course full of mature broad leaf with plenty of Jays taking advantage of the Oak trees.

On the way back home we stopped at Scots corner service station as we did on the way down on the previous day. We went in the shop and me and Oli managed to spend 5 quid plus on crisps and junk and I did my usual news agent routine and cover up the fox and hound monthly magazine with something that would be a 'better' read like Hello magazine or Celeb Gossip Weekly.

Balcary....

RT Diver and Guillemot

On the 12th of October I headed over the border to cover the Solway from the scots side. I was joined by Danny and Greevy and we headed off at about half 10. We decided on going to Balcary which is a fantastic coastal stretch that is great for sea watching at this time of year. We started off with 3 Red Throated Divers and big rafts of Common Scoter further out. I managed to pick up a Porpoise close to the shore as well which was nice to see on the Solway after all my cetacean success in the summer. Three Ravens showing in flight around the steep cliff face but no sign of the Peregrines today.

RT Diver

everyone is Raven about this bird.....except Popz

We carried on further west over the steep terrain and decided to have a break from the wildlife and play the new found coastal game Sea Treasure Shootout (STS) where you get items that have been washed up on the shore like shoes and bottles and prop them up on a huge rock and from 25 ft away you take it in turns throwing smaller stones and pebbles to knock the objects off. We had a few great games with the highlight been taking ages trying to knock the flip flop off at the end of one of the STS games. What?......who won did you ask?......yeah I won all three......I'm not the best STS player in the world.....but i'm in the top one.

Raven, Up there with Dolphins on intelligence

We scanned the seas again after the fun and games and got a lot of feeding activity with small hurries of Gulls further out and 2-3 Porpoise in around them. Another 4 RT Divers closer to shore along with another Porpoise. We carried on around the circular route and back round to the car. No further excitement to follow just Danny getting scared by a few cows the soft jessie!

3 birds seen and heard

We didn't call in at any other sites on the way back as the weather was still dull and after a great walk around Balcary we decided next stop was KFC at Gretna Services. We pulled in and for the second day running we visited this service station after me and greevy called in from a trip to Hightae to see Rachel on the Tuesday. The set up at Gretna services is top class and the staff are very friendly in particular the enthusiastic staff member at KFC who was very polite on both of my appearances to the restaurant, great to see. Popped into WHSmiths on the way out and covered up the shit magazines before moving on south again back to Carlisle. Andy Mcgreevy was calling me Alan Partridge because I visit so many services and get food there.

WT Eagle at Tindale getting mobbed by Jackdaws

A simply amazing day on the Thursday! Woke up as normal and was doing a few odd jobs in the house and getting ready to head out in the field when the phone rang and it was RSPB Geltsdale warden Stephen Westerberg reporting......"White-Tailed Eagle on Geltsdale reserve at Tindale!" I headed straight round and joined by the RSPB staff we watched the immature bird by the edge of the tarn drinking, preening and bathing before being disturbed by walkers and taking flight right above us! It circled for five minutes before heading west towards the solway direction and Cain and Ciara unfortunately just missed the bird as they arrived minutes later after Cain got lost. We went to Talkin Tarn afterwards and got Redpoll and a single Brambling around the tarn.

WT Eagle and two Jackdaws overhead

The bird did not have any wing tags which rules it out from being a Scottish east coast introduced bird so it would be either a west coast bird or a bird from over the north sea. So special to see a WT Eagle in Cumbria and on Geltsdale its self and it tops all my Mull eagle encounters with ease as it is on my patch! 3 Barnacle Geese near the tarn also and Pintail seen the day after. An eagle sighting was reported a few days later (16th) on the west Cumbrian coast so very likely to be the same bird and it must still be in the region.

heading west towards Solway

The next day I was asked to do a small article for Raptor Politics about the special day its self and how they must of 'followed' me down from Mull!..........scroll down the page for my article.............. http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2011/10/14/two-white-tailed-sea-eagles-seen-visiting-northern-england-during-the-last-6-weeks/

Phonejacker seen in Hightae

While I was in Hightae on the Scottish borders this week the wildlife was quiet but I came across phonejacker off the tv in the village phone box.......

Andy Mcgreevy a GWW follower....

Thanks for reading everyone, the autumn colours are getting better and a lot of good birds are turning up near by so I am going to be out in the field as much as possible to make the most of the opportunities. Also a trip to see the Red Deer ruts will be in store with the location most likely to be my favorite place in England, Haweswater. Will also be trying to keep tabs on this eagle as the more eyes the better to monitor its movements.

Back in Cumbria......Trip out to the west coast and Solway

2011-10-08T02:13:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone I am back down in Cumbria now after an amazing season on Mull and I would just like to thank everyone at Sea Life Surveys for making it such a superb experience. The season was finished off by an end of season do with most of the SLS staff going to Glengorm estate on the northern coast of the island to stay for 3 nights. I had Red Deer rutting and a Magpie near the castle (a good record for Mull). This is a wildlife blog so I am not going to talk about all the drunken riff raff that happened.....although we did have some unbelievable card games of Ring of Fire where you had to do dares and stuff but lets not go there.....move on

Very sad to say my goodbyes to everyone and the magical island itself which felt so much like home over the last 7 months and is a real wildlife haven. I will be back! The trip down was a smooth one and the usual amazing varied landscapes give you so much to look at...a long with looking at the road from time to time. I was joined by Ruth Abernethy and Craig McD for the journey as I would drop them off in Glasgow. Dropping them off in the Scottish capital was strange after being in such a remote environment for so long and I really did feel out of place like a fish up a tree. Did the last stretch over the border and landed in Carlisle at 7pm after setting off from Tobermory at noon. great to be back.

Weird waking up back in glorious Gdale especially looking out of the kitchen window to see beaters working the heather trying to flush partridge for shooting. It reminded me of the all the drastic changes happening down here with a lot of land taken over to be managed for game birds means even more pressure on the surrounding wildlife.

Stumpy!

Friday 7th of the month and I got up at 9 o'clock to glorious sunshine in the valley. Me and J Milo scanned the fell side while having our shreddies and managed to pick up 2 Buzzards, Kestrel, 3 Ravens and Sparrowhawk along with 3 different species of geese overhead in Canada, Greylag and Barnies heading west.

We decided to head west ourselves and make the most of the sunshine so we set off at 11ish and called into the butchers on the way where a splendid gentleman works and has great customer skills....."Arite Boss" "Taraa Cheif" "catch you later mush"....lovely chap.

workington harbour, stumpster and 2 black headed gulls

Headed towards Workington on the savage 595 road and the on arrival the first port of call was the harbour for a quick sea watch and to check out the gulls. Its safe to say that Workington is a very different coastal town to Tobermory where I lived for 7 months. Up in Tob you got whales near by in the sea and in Workington you got them walking along the streets going in and out of farmfoods. Had the harpoon in the boot on standby.

Cumbrian Legend!

The harbour is a good sea watching location and has had great success in years gone by. A strong westerly wind and retreating tide made it hard work for picking stuff up out at sea but the gulls were not a let down with the famous Stumpy who I had heard so much about flying close by. Stumpy is a Mediterranean Gull which spends a lot of its time there and has a leg missing with just a stump, hence the name. Stumpy is a Cumbrian legend and should fly north to Mull and give Buster the seal some company and they could discuss and share their problems in life.....it would make a good cartoon program.....Stumpy and Buster!

I seen a bird approach me which at first I said is that Juv Kitiwake or is it Sabines?? the bird soon disappeared out of sight and we didn't pick it up again but seen the report later in the day that Juv Sabines was seen there at half 10 so it could well of been that bird.

Siddick pond, former roman port

We headed north and suddenly Dad told me to take a sharp right into Asda and I just thought he was popping into get more Hobnobs but directed me round the back and we parked up and walked round and there was a lovely pond called Siddick pond which had an Adult and Juv Med Gull and 2 Snipe on. Dad got a Kingfisher on the stretch of river behind as well. As you can see by the picture the pond is in a funny location surrounded by industrial buildings and a true urban environment but really is good place for birding. I imagine though that the pond has got them fish in from The Simpsons with 3 eyes.

Maryport Marina

On to Scaryport.....I mean Maryport and we headed to the marina and round to the coast. Seeing the harbour reminded me of Tobermory harbour, all it needed was Jim Trainer cruising around the pontoon. Not much happening there just a single Rock Pipit calling and we headed north again along the coastal road with John pointing out that an old roman fort was over there and I replied 'I fort it was' which he did not get because it was a too higher level of comedy for him. Drove past Maryport golf course which looked like a nice little links track.

Crosscanonby

Stopped off at Crosscanonby which is another great coastal stretch. lovely beach when the tide is out and great surroundings. I think as a whole west Cumbria is very under rated and has some beautiful areas. An exciting record for the Solway last week was a Leatherback Turtle photographed on the Scots side and it is the second report this year! They can grow to 3 meters in length and would be a fantastic sight off a British coastline.

Solway coast

Mawbray - John Milo scanning......

We moved onto Mawbray and still fantastic weather and great light for photos. A dead Gannet was on the rocky shore and seemed to be a 3rd year bird. Amazing to see their design close up and feel the strength of their neck which they rely on for feeding. Dad was saying that you used to get Little Tern colonies here as well a few years back.

Mawbray

All the people we met when we were out and about would stop and chat as well and they all come across very friendly on the west side. In the photo above I was playing about with the Polarizing filter that Andy Tait has kindly lent me. It filters the light and you can get some nice effects.

Dead Gannet, Criffel in the back drop

Siloth

Sunny Siloth was next and it really is a lovely place when the sun is out. Turnstone and Redshank were showing down by the shore. Down past the golf course next to the docks is another good sea watching spot and the road again was Mull all over as it was covered in pot holes and about as even as a frogs back. More Redshank and Cormorants on show.

Male Stonechat, Skinburness

On to the main event and Skinburness just north of Siloth is one of my fave areas in the county. Especially this time of year with all the movement and wintering raptors. we parked up and within minutes as Dad was yapping to the local farmer I got a female Merlin go right past us heading south. A Stonechat also just sat on the fence post and Dad commented that it was only his second of the year! We headed a bit further down and got 20 plus Lapwing and also Curlew. Butterflies showing well with 10 plus Red Admiral and 3 Small Tortoiseshell. A great place.....I will be back.

Red Admirals

One for team Gannet

Blog postings to come include a top 5 highlights on Mull as well as best photos from the Island as well as other sightings and trips around Cumbria.......Thanks for looking :-)

Raptors in Flight......

2011-09-29T09:36:00.000-07:00

An amazing insight into the flight of a Golden Eagle and Peregrine Falcon using cameras on the wing.......well worth a watch........Raptor Politics providing link to BBC Nature Wildlife website

Gary on the island, Savage spell and Raptors everywhere!

2011-09-19T01:51:00.001-07:00

Were into mid September and the season is cruising by. The trips are becoming quieter but the wildlife is still showing well. Its a great time of the year with the scenery and the changing colours as well as all the migrant birds on the move which is always exciting. We had nasty spells of weather in early September but before that there was a great few days with G Stoz AKA The Rowlands Gill Birder. And if you have clicked on his link you will have realised that he updates it about as often as he has a wash......So I might as well use a few of his pictures for my blog.

Manxie, love these birds more and more every time I watch them. Photo by G E Storey

On the 29th August Gary arrived on the island and I met him at the car park in Tob. He came on the half hour seal cruise where we seen Buster the legend of a Grey Seal that we see on most trips chilling on a rock and his eye balls move more than he does. After the seal cruise G-Stoz and I headed south down to the Ben More estate and a walk down Loch Ba where we got Lapwing and Cormorant. On the way back we got Mountain Hare just east of Knock! We watched 2 in the field and then realised there was another 3 behind us in the woodland.

Minke surfacing right next to a yacht, I hope he was looking and not got his head inside the Daily Mail......Photo G Stoz

The next morning I woke up next to Gary Storey which isnt the best start to the day but never mind things can only get better.....and they did as we had a 7 hour whale watch to come. We headed out in choppy conditions and got Porpoise at Ardmore and carried on west towards Coll. As we were approaching the middle ground....boom.....Common Dolphins approached our boat from the south! There was a count of 20 made with a good few juveniles in there. They stayed for nearly half an hour enjoying our bow waves and also doing some interesting tail slapping behaviour. We moved on after a great display by the Commons and we headed out towards Coll where Gary was at it again spotting the first whale and winning the Mars bar. It was a young Minke and surfaced close to the boat a few times. We headed back towards Mull. Gary was keen to see a Storm Petrel but it wasn't to be. We got WT Eagle and Great Skua on the way in.

On the evening we headed south down to Grasspoint and Loch Buie. The habitat is 'Harrier country' around there and we were not disappointed with some nice views of Ringtails. We found a dead Adder on the road. There is a good number of the snakes on the island but I am yet to encounter one....well an alive one. Next up was an amazing wildlife spectacle featuring my two favourite species on the planet. Gary picked up a large bird circling just above the sky line....Goldie! we watched it for a few minutes flying low over the fell side and then suddenly we both lost it in our scopes. It must of landed or gone behind the valley. Then Gary somehow with his amazing eye sight and awareness managed to spot the bird sat on the ground in an opening. We scoped it and the Eagle was just sat there walking along the fell like a turkey! Then a Ringtail came in and starting mobbing it constantly! Superb.....what a day!

Mountain Hares!....to solve hair loss just draw some rabbits on your head and from a distance they will look like Hares!

Woke up sharing a bead with G-stoz again...its like an episode of My Name is Earl! I would defiantly have said that Gary was Randy! (thats Randy the character not Randy in behaviour!) A four hour trip with 40 on board. Popz announced to everyone in the talk at the start that where we were going today we would be unlikely to see whales......we ended up seeing 7 Minkes in the space of a couple of hours! a record number in recent years! An amazing spectacle which displayed all that is great about wildlife....the unpredictability, excitement and rewards. An Eco trip after where we got Porpoise and a WT Eagle scaring the Herons on Calf Island. We also seen Buster the Grey seal who hangs around with the Common Seals because it is a reetard.

On the evening we did a lap of honour of the north part of the island doing west coast sun set photography. We arrived at Glengorm to watch the sun drop and Gary got the worst photo ever of a ferry at dusk....im going to have to teach him a thing or two.

Seals hauled out at the Carins of Coll.....There is a huge male grey seal at the cairns that is the size of a Horse......my dream is to get a picture of it.....

Woke up again shnuggled up to Gary.....A few weeks ago I was waking up next to Holly and now I am waking up next to a geordie monkey! Its like tradition on Mull now that me and G-stoz have to share a bed as when we came 3 years ago we shared a bed in a little old rusty caravan with a pedo watching us outside from the window. 7 Hour whale watch and it was Garys last day on the island. We headed north round Ardnamurchan and Sanna Bay. It was calm in the morning but wind due to get up in the afa. We managed 5 Minke whales overall! we anchored up off Sanna bay which is a lovely part of the world just north of Ardnamurchan point. Another great trip and we had fish and chips by the harbour before seeing Gary off and it was great to see him he is a legend...

Great Capture Gary!

The next day it was a short 4 hour trip in strong winds. We only managed Porpoise and a few Great Skuas. On the evening we all went to Ruth's to watch Braveheart! What a film it is one of my faves! It makes me proud to be half Scottish!

The river at Knock had burst its banks

5th of September and a Whale watch with 15 on board including Waggy who I had heard so much about as he was an old guide for SLS. After speaking to him I was amazed to find out he worked at Geltsdale for 5 years protecting Harriers. legend! We had a good trip with 3 Minke Whales and 2 Stormies. Waggy told me that Prince Philip set up the WWF for protecting the worlds threatened animals and in the same month he was in the paper for killing 6 Tigers and a crocodile......cock.

Sharky with a slow shutter capturing the motion

Aros park after a lot of rain fall

Lydia after getting soaked by a huge crashing wave....haha

The next day the weather was awful so we didn't have any trips on so we arranged to go on a coastal walk to the west to see the impressive waves coming in. Ruth, Lyd, Dunc, Craig and I were present and Craig said he wasn't coming at the last minute so we cruised down to Salen to pick him up anyway so he ended up coming bringing his little dog that I cant remember the name of. We were supposed to meet Duncan at the steps where ever that was! On the glen road Ruth spotted a male Hen Harrier to the left so we stopped and had a scan for a while but I didn't get it. Just after that we got an Adult WT Eagle flying over head. They were getting annoyed with me for stopping to look for birds the whole journey so Craig kindly offered to drive while I sat in the back of my own car to scan for raptors.

Ruth being daft....again

We parked up road side and headed west towards Treshnish point and there was a little round route walk to do which was in Ruths walking book. When we got to the point we had lunch and the waves were very impressive. Duncans pace of eating was even more impressive as he is officially the slowest eater I have ever seen! A few bites and a thousand chews later and we were on the move again. The highlight was Lydia getting soaked off a high crashing wave and I managed to get the after shot (2 above) We headed further round following the beaten track and ended up going too far following a sheep track and getting lost....which I got the blame for! We managed to find the track again further back and headed up to the higher ground where we found the old village remains of Crackaig with a lot of building remains from when people lived there around 150 years ago. Great walk but I got my feet wet somehow as I was wearing my new fancy Asolo boots which did not do the job so I might pay a visit to Cotswold when I return to Cumbria.

Duncan and Craig approaching Treshnish point

On the 13th we were right in amongst a savage spell of weather so we did not have any trips on. I headed out to Ardmore to visit the hide there and do some sea watching for a few hours. I did not pick up any good birds as such but I did get a family of Otters being very playful and I managed a small video of them as well which was in my last blog post. I got a Golden Eagle and a Kestrel when the rain eased off. Went for a drive around the north part of the island with Dunc to admire the impressive waterfalls on show. Luckily Dunc drives faster than he eats so we made it back in time to watch the film 'The Dark Knight' which is amazing and after watching 'Batman Begins' a few nights earlier we decided that those films rocked!

South LNK road

On the 17th it was a seven hour whale watch with 20 on board. Another great trip it was with 3 Minke Whales far out to the west feeding hard. a Pom Skua was also a highlight. 5 Arctic Skuas and 3 Great Skuas. 2 Storm Petrels together as well. Had a good luck at them and I am sure they were just European Stormies. We did an island landing at the Cairns of Coll and as soon as we landed everyone on the beach it started to rain very hard! A lovely group of people on board and the crew all got a jar of jam as a tip off a lovely Dutch couple. I still cant open mine after 5 days so I have offered to swap my Strawberry and Plum flavour with Ruths Strawberry and banana!

Amazing farm set up south of Loch Na Keal

On the Sunday it was a glorious Raptor day as in the short four hour trip we managed 4 Golden Eagles, WT Eagle, 2 Sparrowhawks, 2 Peregrines and a possible Merlin! The highlight was defiantly the man on board that didn't smile for the whole trip and Buster the seal had more face expressions than him. I hope he is good at art cos he needs to paint a smile on! I think Ruth had a thing for him though! She was going to ask him on a date to the screen machine but she bottled it!

On the evening Ruth and I went to Ardmore to look for Eagles an again more success with a pair of Goldies looking hard for prey with one stooping at great speed down behind a confiner woodland.

I'm sure Laurie would love to work here!

On the Monday I was off so I headed south down to Lochdon where I got 12 Pochard, 3 Redshank and 10 Curlew on the sea loch. Got good views of a Ringtail Hunting in the long grass to the right of the loch. 3 distant wt eagles in the scope was another highlight! 3 Buzzards as well never forgot the good old Buzzards!

I moved on to Scallastle which is a FC woodland walk up a valley to the higher ground. I have done it a few times and I always really enjoy it. I got 2 kestrels to start things off. Plenty of Jenny Wrens ticking away in the clear felled woodland and also Bullfinch calling from up in the canopy. When I got higher up the rain came down so I just sat under a tree by the river and scanned the mountains. Suddenly the biggest Golden Eagle I had ever seen appeared about 200 yards from me on the cliff face above. circling right above my head before moving at speed to the south. Amazing views! I also got another female Harrier and another Kestrel before heading back down the valley.

I called into Craignure Golf club for a quick 9 holes on the way back. Another Harrier when I was on the first tee! I played OK but shot plus 5 as my short game was lacking in touch.

Fishing on Loch na Keal at dusk....everyone was hooked with this picture

On the Tuesday we had a 7 hour whale watch and possibly the last of the season :-(. Nasty weather so we ended up going down Loch Sunart with more good Eagle sightings and Seals Amazing scenery around the Loch with great colours. Peter was on board a regular SLS guest and he gave me some good info on looking for Wildcats at Ardnamurchan. If I can find a couple of days I am going to head over there and have a good look.

On the evening I went to the pub to watch Leeds united v Manu in the cup. I was the only Leeds fan and there was one supposed manu fan this posh Yachty drinking wine at the bar. 3-0 down at half time and I could of gone home and put my head in the oven. Never mind worse things happen at sea, least i'm still friends with Martin Scott this time.

looking out to the mouth of LNK at sunset to the west

Thanks for reading everyone! The season is fast coming to an end and I could be back in Carlisle in a few weeks time. I am looking forward to seeing my friends and family and I am going to join the gym when I get back to get ripped!.....only joking I am just buying a gym card so I get free ping pong. Looking forward to doing plenty of wildlife trips out to the lakes, Solway, Borders and surrounding area with my dad Jonny Milo....This is what were all about.......John has always being wild about the outdoors - Cumberland news Article

I am still doing the Sea Life Surveys blog updates through out the season and you can read my latest entry here with the latest wildlife stories, trip updates and 5 amazing wildlife facts to finish......... Sea Life Surveys Blog

Cheers :-)

3 Playful Otters.....

2011-09-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Playful family of Otters on Mull. Next GWW blog posting to come soon, I have being busy with the Sea Life Surveys blog please take a look.......Wildlife Info, trip updates and Amazing animal facts........

http://sealifesurveys.blogspot.com/

August is a funny month.....

2011-08-19T01:24:00.001-07:00

The month of August has always being a funny one in my experiences. It is always very hectic and busy with it being the peak time for the holiday season. The weather is normally a let down and even though there is plenty of day light hours in the month there always seem like less time to do things. In terms of the wildlife although migrants are starting to move and exciting species can crop up. I think its better to focus on the Butterflies and Dragonflies as it is the peak period for them and they will soon be going for another year.

Mountain Hare!

Great Cloud formation over Kilachronan, what type of cloud Gary?

Off on Sat 6th and it was a quick trip to Ardmore in the morning where I got Common Hawker, Speckled Wood and a Golden Ringed Dragonfly. Watched Leeds first game of the season on the evening where they lost 3-1 to Southampton. After the game Ruth and her friend Katy were keen to see some Eagle action so I took them around the north part of the island to see what we could find. We started at Killiechronan where within minutes we got a WT Eagle showing well in flight! We moved on around the island admiring the views on the north Ulva road and we decided to take the upland route from Torloisk to Dervaig hoping for some Harrier or Owl action. 5 minutes in a Short eared Owl started following level with us as we were driving in the car for a good 400 yards! great views! After that Ruth spotted a bird to the left and it was a Ringtail Harrier. She also spotted another SEO and as we made our way back round to Tobermory that was a great success! Just as I dropped them off and was heading round the corner I nearly ran over a baby Hedgehog crossing the road so I took it back too show the girls.

Ruth A and Sally on higher ground looking over Loch Na Keal

Looking across to Ben More Mountain range and Loch Ba

Another Whale watch on Monday 8th and savage conditions with Lewy as skipper and Ruth m, Andy, Sally and myself on as crew it was going to be an interesting trip. only 8 punters were on board as we started with covering the stretch along Ardnamurchan where Andy spotted a potential Eagle sat on a Cairn, with other punters quite sure it was just a human Andy kept an eye on it and suddenly these huge wings came out and it started flapping! We Shouted...Eagle! and we all watched the bird flying on the higher ground and it was an immature Golden Eagle with a strong white band on its tail and white markings on its wings.

It was far too rough to head west towards the open sea so we headed down Loch Sunart which is a deep sea loch that goes into the east. fantastic rugged highland terrain and it is a lovely change from heading out to the open sea. Andy spotted an Otter near Glen more which was being its usual sneaky self and not everyone got to see. We landed on the isle of Carner which is a very small island with a rickety little pontoon. As we parked up and secured Sula Beag we all jumped out and there was a family there fishing off the pontoon and they had a dog that approached us and Andy got a shock and shouted "that dog stinks"! which the family could easily pick up on haha. As we were having lunch a Sparrowhawk flew over which everyone got to see. One of the punters found a Slow worm on Carner as well which was great. Got Porpoise on the way back and a good trip overall.

Cheif Guide and Number two......

Saturday 13th and a Whale Watch explorer with Lewy as skipper. A small number on board and savavage conditions but still ventured out towards Coll. On the way over I seen what I thought at first glance was a Fulmar but after doing a double take I realised it was a large Shearwater species! It would either of being a Great or a Cory's but after looking into it it had a bit more colour to it and what seemed like white markings on its neck so I would say if anything it would of being a Great Shearwater. Landed at Cairns of Coll for lunch and then headed out for the second half and picked up Storm petrel and Minke Whale straight away.

On the evening I headed down to Knock with Andy Tait and we had a walk down the Ben More estate down to Loch Ba where we seen a pair of Sparrowhawks circling above along with a Buzzard. We seen some Lapwing by the loch and then on the way back we got Fallow and Red Deer. On the car journey back we got 3 Mountain Hares just outside of Knock! its the first proper views I have had of our only native Hare and I was delighted to see them! They soon ran off so it was a case of Hare today gone tomorrow!

Minke Whale surfacing just north of Sanna Bay

Me and Hannah on Muck!

Riff, Susan, Ruth, Hannah, Sally and dougie at Muck tea room

Sunday 14th and a busy day ahead with a cruise ship in at Tobermory so it was a 7am start to get Sula Beag ready to collect the first 50 batch of people straight from the ship. As we were pulling up to the ship Lewy was telling us a story about last time he was picking up punters from a cruise ship he bashed the side of the boat as he came in too hard......and guess what happened this time round.....bang....as he strikes the side of the cruise ship at pace! I couldnt not notice the smell of human crap as we pulled alongside the ship! I could of spewed! I acted professional though and braved the smell to load all the slow moving punters on board Sula Beag. By the time we loaded everyone on it was pretty much time to drop them off again but we managed porpoise and great views of WT Eagle before then! We picked up the second load of 50 at 11am and got more great sightings with the only problem being a couple of the guests sat inside and read a book the whole trip when there was 8 feet eagles flying over the boat and they were reading about fricking shakespeare or something! does my head in like.

On the four hour trip in the afternoon we had another 40 plus on board and we got the WT Eagles again along with an Otter and Porpoise. During the whole day Sea Life Surveys had over 200 punters on board including the Seal cruises that Jimbo and Sharky were doing throughout the day!

Fulmar assosiating with boat!

Minke surfacing in great light

Tuesday 16th and Riff was on the island! I was off today so we headed down to the south part of the island and across to Isle of Iona. It rained on the way down and I told Riff it would clear in early afternoon and it did that! right on cue. We brought the football with us to kick about throughout the day. We got the ferry across to Iona and had a wonder around before going to check out the abbey. It cost £5.50 to get in but we just cruised in for free and decided if any bible basher asked us for money we would just say we had a word with God and he said we could get free entry.....cheers G!

Played football on the golf course and tried to hit the flag with free kicks but were no Robert Snodgrass and didnt succeed with the best efforts landing on the dancefloor.

On the way back we popped in to Craignure Golf Club for a quick 9 holes. Both played ok although we nearly ran out of Golf balls at one point but thanks to Susan finding some for us. The shot of the round was defiantly my well struck shank that landed straight in the swamp! Meal at the Waterfront afterwards and my throat started hurting and glands got really swollen.

Surfacing right by the baot

Beautiful.....

Whale Watch on the 18th with Riff on board! Felt crud in the morning but soldiered on. Perfect flat calm conditions and with over 30 on board it was going to be a good day. Headed north towards Muck with lewy as skipper and I picked up the first whale very distant towards Canna. We spent nearly an hour with this whale enjoying great views before moving on to Muck for lunch. In the second half we got another whale and also a Shark as well just for Sharky who was on board with her parents. I seen Riff off after the trip and it was great to see him and look forward to Riff and Raff Re-United in the autumn.

I went round the north part of the island on the evening with Ruth A and Sally to show them some wildlife and the main highlight was great views of WT Eagles.

Tob Harbour with a new bench looking out to it!

On the Friday I woke feeling poorly and went straight to the Docs where some guy just threw me some penecelin and said I would notice the difference in 24 hours, I was not convinced. He said a mild case of Tonsilitis and just rushed the whole meeting and didnt give me much information at all. After researching the internet I found out I had Glandular fever and a nasty case of it.

Morning time at Tobermory

Parents arrived on the Saturday and it was pretty much the worst timing for it as I was just reaching my peak of sickness. Stayed in all of Saturday suffering and on the night time I did laps of my flat all night walking back and forward from my bedroom to the kitchen. On the Sunday watched West Ham v Leeds on the coach and was a great game and a 2-2 draw.

Isle of Iona

Tuesday 23rd and feeling a little bit better. I seen Ruth A off as she was leaving Mull and finishing work for the season. It was a shame to see her go and she was a fantastic guide and very enthusiastic. I went to Port Langnamull with my parents as I was feeling a touch better but it ended up being a stupid idea as the more I walked the worse I felt. It was a beautiful day and we Seen WT Eagle right above us on the beach and we also seen Common Hawker, Common Darter and Golden Ringed Dragonfly. Scots Argus was the best Butterfly we seen. When I got back I spewed up and ended up feeling worse than previous days.

Friday and I was getting back fit again so headed down to loch Ba and Loch Na Keal area with Mum and Dad. Goldie over Loch Ba also Cormorant and Lapwing. 3 WT Eagle feeding on a carcase with Ravens waiting in pecking order near LNK. A merlin flew over as well!

interesting article regarding Englands only Eagle....(click for larger scale)

Good article on Eagles controlling cormorant numbers in the Lake District National Park ...... http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/2011/08/17/could-white-tailed-eagles-help-resolve-over-fishing-on-englands-inland-lakes-and-fisheries-by-cormorants/

Thanks for looking everyone! My next posting will include a visit to the island from Gary 'Rowlands Gill Birder' Storey for a few days. Also all the wildlife sightings from the first couple of weeks of September which is a great time with Birds on the move and also other wildlife feeding hard to prepare for the winter season. Hopefully some attempted photography thrown in as well!

Cheers :-)

Orca Alerts.......Plus Gordon Buchanan trips

2011-08-04T04:32:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone its been another exciting couple of weeks on the 'I love Mull' along with a hot spell of weather which was well needed for the wildlife but with factor 50 sun cream being £17.50 on Mull it was all a dear affair!

I was Soooo close to encountering the top predators in the ocean and also some more great trips and stories with Sea Life Surveys including a couple of special guest trips with Gordon Buchanan.

Minke Surfacing in front of a raft of Shearwater

Photo taken by Chris when himself and I were on the RIB

2020 Vision on board for the week beginning 18th July and they are a multimedia based project that communicates the link between peoples well being and the restoration of natural systems. A few of their photographers were on our trips including Alex Mustard who is regarded as one of the best underwater photographers around and Ruth Molloy is on love with him! Also Chris Gommersall an RSPB photographer who knows my dad well from back in the 80s when he used to visit Geltsdale reserve for his photography work. He also stayed at our house when I was a young sproglet!

The main highlight of the week was on the Thursday when we were coming on our way back from a quiet trip out to the Cairns and just coming into Ardmore point we got breaching in the distance and there was 8 Bottlenose Dolphins putting on a great display! They started bow riding and the length and girth of the buggers was unreal! The Scottish population of BN Dolphins are the biggest in the world growing up to 4.5 meters! The next move was for me and Chris to get in to the RIB and to take pictures of their bow riding action on Sula Beag and the photo above is Chris's best result! Amazing experience as the Dolphins started bow riding our RIB and they were the same length at nearly 12 feet! " 2 Golden Eagles circling above made for an unforgeable wildlife experience......

Wildcat drawing Holly sent me....Class!

Day off on the Saturday and it was off to my new local patch Ardmore to search for Dragonflies. I ended up getting Golden Ringed and Common Hawker. I love my Dragonflies like! Great birdie action as well with Ringtail Harrier working the rough grass while a Goldie circled high above!

Possible Hybrid photographed by Tash near Loch Frisa

On the Sunday it was a special 8 hour whale watch trip with Gordon Buchanan on board. Lovely sunshine but a bit of a northerly chop to add to the challenge! quiet on the way out to the Carins with just the magic of Shearwater and Gannets to keep us entertained. We landed at the Cairns of Coll for lunch and Gordie got his underwater HD camera out (the same as Cains) and got in amongst the seals while I just went in for a dip...fresh! Just Porpoise on the way back as the conditions beat us but a great trip with lovely people and Gordon did a great job!

Gordie at the Carins filming the Seals

Team photo with different weather! 24/07

On the 26th is was another WW with Lewy as skipper and Abernethy, Sarah Blake and Holly ( a new volenteer) helping as crew. We headed north to Muck in decent conditions picking up quite a few Porpoise on the way. We landed on Muck and I think I have explained in a previous post what I think of Isle of Muck and sack it I will tell you again that I dont like the place for the simple reason that most of the island is managed for game birds Pheasants and Red Legged Partridge which is all a complete waste of time for many reasons but especially on a Hebridean island which are so important in providing a safe heaven for otherwise threatened wildlife species on the mainland with prime examples being Hen Harriers and Corncrake. Its a good island for Dragonflies but on your normal trek to find the shallow ponds you end up getting shocked by flushing game birds out of the long grass every 5 yards so basically the whole place is a load of monkey spunk and a waste of a good island. I am sure it would be ok for tourists to have a potter around and go to the tea room though. And surprise surprise there are no Raptors to be seen on the island. Anyway back to the days whale watch and we all went to the tea room where I sat outside with my bait box watching the glorious Swallows in action on a nice warm sunny afternoon. We all headed back to Sula Beag ready for the second half of play! I managed to pick up a sneaky Minke just north of Sanna Bay but not everyone on the boat got to see it which was frustrating. Golden Eagle at Ardnamurchan and Peregrine back at the pontoon to finish off a good day. went for a run on the evening to Ardmore with Ruth A and Holly and half way through went for a nice swim in the sea at Ardmore bay!

Sooty Shearwater! was delighted when I seen this!

On the Saturday it was a charter day involving taking the family from Glengorm castle to Coll for a day out there. Dragon as skipper and Ruth m, Nick, Stu and myself on as crew to look after everyone on board and find them some wildlife along the way. We started with a male Peregrine harrasing Gulls above the pontoon and we also got White tailed Eagle sat on the sea stack at Ardmore point! When we here heading past Port Langnamull one of the younger girls on board was bragging how when she was on this exact charter 3 years ago she got Orcas whilst on the way to Mull! Very jealous and I was thinking I hope she is a lucky omen! When we reached the middle ground we came across a small hurry of feeding birds along with Porpoise and in amounst a raft of manxies.....Sooty Shearwater! great to see and also managed to get a record photo to go with it....

it was amongst a raft of Manxies just east of Coll

Gannet feeding in a small hurry

When we landed on Coll I was expecting a hero's welcome from the Coll people after my 25 runs not out to win the Cricket for them but there was no Collucks in sight which I thought was discraceful after all the good ive done for the Island. Anyway the Glengorm clan headed sharp right straight to the pub and I knew where I was going straight away and that was sharp left to see the Blue Whale skeleton near the ferry terminal. Popz was telling me that a Mail Boat struck the Blue Whale back in 1895 and caused it to beach. Another sign that the great Whales were in our British waters before the disgusting whaling industry took its toll. As Ruth, Stu and I were walking up the hill to see it....ring ring ring on Ruths cell phone....Orcas sighted near Langnamull 20 minutes ago! Wow! really bad timing as we had just anchored up and everyone was in the pub including our skipper! We must of just missed them by a matter of minutes! I scanned and scanned from land to try and pick them up but no joy. We moved on to Carins of Coll before heading east back to Tobermory. The highlight on the way back was Nicks amazing joke as he went to the bar to get a drink and instead of lifting out the tuck sheet Dragon lifted out the eco book with a Puffin showing and Nick said 'Can I have a Puffin plesae'........and after that I will ask for the Razorbill!' haha genius....Nick is my idol.

Blue whale spine on the isle of Coll

On the Friday it was a Whale watch with 2 Minke's and a juvenile Shark off Ardnamurchan. On the evening I met Lise Hume Simpson who was up for the weekend from London, a friend who I met on a trip last season. We went to Waterfront for tea and then a walk around Aros afterwards and it was nice to see her again.

Sunday 31st and the second instalment of the Gordon Buchanan trip in savage conditions. over 30 on board again. We had no choice but to go round the north west part of Mull where the conditions would be less choppy. Great Skua and Porpoise being the highlights on a challenging 8 hours.

Team photo of Gordie, Crew and punters, 31/07

Some great wildlife trips on the week starting 1st August. On the Monday it was a WW with 2 Whales and 30 plus Basking sharks!

On the Tuesday with Lewy as skipper it was same again as we headed over to Coll and got a couple of Whales again and a distant Shark. Lunch time at the Cairns and I had a nice swim when I found a spare five minutes.

On the way back there was a problem with the boat so Lewy came up to explain to everyone that the electrics had gone on the boat and the toilets would be out of use and he quickly said for a joke that you could do your business in a bucket and throw it over the side....and we all laughed and expected him to go back into the wheelhouse.....and then suddenly he just carried on talking and was telling everyone stories of different ways that fisherman do the toilet when their out at sea for long spells. "Certain fisherman use a co-op bag or just curl one out straight off the stern of the boat" Then he moved onto tell everyone on the top deck about how he always used to get caught out when at sea and picking up rubbish from the ocean and when he grabbed the bags with his hands he quickly found out it was a bag of crap that a fisherman had thrown overboard hahaha. At this point one of the punters quoted "Stop talking....Stop talking now" and someone had to actually tell Lewis to stop the conversation so he turned around back into his cockpit just before a sarcastic round of applause by everyone! I informed everyone it was back to scanning and Nick quickly replied...Skatting?...no scanning! haha. I had a severe case of Giggleitos for the rest of the trip because of Lewy's now famous shitbag speech!

On the Wednesday we had two four hour trips and when we were off Croig another phone call this time to Lewis.....Orca reported off Sanna Bay heading south! wow again! great conditions we thought we have to pick them up! Got two Minke's off Ardnamurchan but no Killer Whales! On the evening trip we headed straight back out to Ardnamurchan and it was a feeding frenzy off the point and has to be one of the trips of the season with three Minke's feeding around the mass of Gannets and Shearwater! great stuff!

A couple of Plugs to finish with and first of all Holly who's name might of cropped up on the previous post.....anyway she is in South Africa for 6 months working with and researching Leopards and other big cats and she is doing a fantastic blog called Where's Holly? which is well worth a read.

Also I am updating the Sea Life Surveys Captains Log over the season and my latest posting has all the latest ups and downs in the world of Wildlife along with my latest photography images while on Mull.

Orca's just off the north Mull shoreline recorded by Tim Williams..... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTn4wUWgVTs&feature=autoshare

Cheers :-)

Its all about the Birds...

2011-07-25T09:30:00.000-07:00

the Summer Season is in Full swing now as were in mid July and I cant believe how quick time flies! I see what all the older generations are on about now when they say it! A visit to Mull from Cain the Hollywell Birder and also more great marine life seen as well as Close up Eagle encounters and a quick trip back home to Glorious Gdale and the Lake District.

WT Eagle!

Another day and another Whale watch on June 30th. My eye was still causing me problems and had my eye patch on but it was doing my swede in so took it off. Also with a stunning new guide called Holly working on the boat today I didn't want to look like a moron! A great trip it was with Whale encounters, Basker Sharks and Common Dolphin Bow riding on the way back! With Holly fast asleep feeling a bit dodgy the shout of Dolphins! soon got a spring in her step and made her feel a lot better!

Lovely Colouration on upper wings....

Friday and short trips day out on the boat. Cain the Hollywell Birder was arriving later in the day for a 2 week work stint for SLS. After the trips we had a Cricket charter involving taking 40 drunken cricketers from Tobermory around to Calgary for an evening of beach Cricket. Jimbo was skippering with Holly, Tash, Abernethy and I on as crew.

We headed off in flat calm conditions around the north west part of Mull. Andy Murray was playing in the semi final of Wimbledon against Nadal and as we lost signal I could not keep upto date with the score! But was nervous for him hoping he did well!

As we landed at Calgary and anchored up we had to take all the Cricketers (if thats what you want to call them) to the beach on the RIB 10 strong at a time. It all went smoothly apart from a couple of people falling overboard! We had a few hours to kill so we landed on the beach and went for a wonder around Calgary. We first checked to see if there was any food going and got lucky with some lovely salmon and trimmings and ate it while enjoying watching all the Sand Martins and a few midgees to go with it! We had a sheep crap fight and had a nice walk around the bay where I got Whinchat and Whitethroat as well as Ravens on the higher ground.

A lovely evening on the boat trip back with the drunken rabble and just as we were loading everyone back on the boat someone told me that Murray lost in 4 sets! gutted, unlucky Andy great effort again! Great sunset as we headed back to Tob and a great game of eye spy on the top deck with Holly having the best answer being Knot! Landed back at the Pontoon at about 1am and as I found out from staying there last year the youth hostel closes its doors at 12 so had to give Holly a boost over an eight feet high wall to get in!

Me and Cainio near Lochdon

Basker!

Locked! fishing on Loch Na Keal

On the Saturday it was Jimbos birthday and with no trips on we decided an SLS trip to the Cairns of Coll for BBQ and some Shark Swimming action. Cain was here also for his first day on Mull. We headed off at about lunch time and on the way over I picked up a large adult Minke whale heading east towards Ardmore. When we arrived at Coll the first Shark was spotted and we got ready for some more swimming action as a few of us jumped into the RIB and headed towards the huge animal. Just as we were getting sorted another Minke surfaced right off our stern! nuts! Anyway I got my beach body out and jumped in with this particular 4-5 meter Shark and as I looked down underwater I soon watched it head deep and it was defiantly not a player. The Minke surfaced near by again 20 -30 yards from me so you could say I shared the same area of the ocean with a whale as well! amazing.

Onto the Carins of Coll to set up BBQ. Beach wrestling, Frisbie throwing and a bit of Photography was great fun and after supposing to be landing back at Tob at 10pm we were still at it at going on 1am. We eventually headed back enjoying a disco tech on the alf deck and arrived back at the pontoon at 3ish and Holly came back to mine to watch Step brothers after we had been repeating all the film quotes non stop the last few days. "But dad its shark week!"

SEO

Basker...

On the Sunday Cain and I headed down to Berg to do the 10 plus mile fossil tree coastal walk. To be honest I shouldnt of really done it as I was fricking exhausted and hungover from the night before and also a couple of miles in and my feet started killing from running bare foot on all the crushed sea shells on the Carins the day before. It was a good walk non the less but a bit quiet on the wildlife front with Whinchat, Yellowhammer a few Buzzards and Wild feral Goats. The Fossil tree is always impressive at over 60 million years old you can still see the detail in the stem. Holly left to work at knapdale for 2 weeks with the Beavers...Gutted she had gone!

Holly and I looking over Grasmere :-)

Cain on Board for his first whale watch and he also spotted the first whale winning the Mars bar. 5 Swifts out to sea and also a Barnacle Goose at the Cairns. After the trip we were heading out of the car park and Holly and Tash appeared in front of me! There back, wow! They could not be bothered with the Beavers and decided to spend an extra couple of weeks on Mull instead! Class!

Golden Ringed Dragonfly, Kilachronan on higher ground

On the 9th July it was a WW in good conditions and we started off with 3 Peregrine 2 being newly fledged chicks. White tailed Eagle showing well in the trees and a Great Skua to follow. As we arrived to Coll we picked up a small Shark. Had a nice lunch at the Cairns and sat on the Bow with Holly. On the way back it was Dynamite as we got 8 Common Dolphin bow riding and with Holly feeling ill at the time again Dolphins are the best medicine as we watched them on the bow less than a meter from us! BBQ and beach Cricket on the evening with all the SLS crew plus Cat, Paul and Chris.

Me at Fossil tree

A nice close up of a Storm Petrel on our whale watch on the 11th. Also 2 Minke whales and a Great Skua. The last evening for Holly and Tash before they headed south back to Leicester so we went to the Waterfront resteraunt for a meal with the whole SLS crew. Lyida is officially the fastest eater ive ever seen! i thought me and Lee Sturrock were fast but she is at another level!

Afterwards we went to Aros Peir and had ice creams with the highlight Lydia catching Tash with the fish hook when casting out.

in Work mode scanning on the monkey deck

Holly left in the morning as I dropped her off at the bus station :-(. I gave her a collage of wildlife I had taken on Mull this season and hopefully it will remind her of her time on the island. She is off to South Africa for a spell to work with Leopards so as I said before it will be the last time I see her for a while........

Cain and Holly focusing on the wildlife

On the Friday it was an Eagle charter trip with Cain on Loch Na Keal. We arrived at Ulva ferry and went aboard Lady Jayne with Martin skippering. We headed off round into Loch Na Keal and soon picked up 2 Golden Eagle circling on the higher ground. great start! As we moved deeper into the loch we arrived at the potential Eagle feeding area and martin threw out a Mackrel and within minutes the Male WT Eagle moved in to tag the fish. It was a great trip with added historical landmarks and stories provided by Martin. Some people dont agree with the set up of getting involved in nature but in this day and age it is vital that wildlife has its value and I dont see it any different to feeding birds in a garden. Also the pair have raised two chicks this year for the first time and could it be to do with the extra food source available.

Its all about the Mars bar, first person to spot a whale takes the prize....

On Friday evening after seeing Cain off I arranged a last minute dot com trip down to Carlisle to meet Holly half way from Leicester (could not resist!). I got the first ferry down on Saturday morning and arrived back at good old JS just after 1pm with Holly arriving only five minutes later, great timing! We had a walk right around glorious Geltsdale where we seen a good number of Buz and Kes along with Wheatear and Swifts. Geltsdale is such a beautiful place and I was so fortunate to grow up there. Went for a meal on the evening to the duke in the village. Me, Holly and the parents with good food. The only problem was the bar maid working there who served me was out in Carlisle after and told all my mates that she had seen me and as I just came down last minute for a couple of days I didn't tell them I was back home so dont think they were too happy with me!

On the Sunday it was a trip to the lakes with Holly and I decided to head to Grasmere that I know so well. Scattered showers it was and not the best weather really but it would not be the Lake district with out a bit of rain! A lovely walk on the higher ground around Rydal water. On the evening on the way back we popped into Hollywood bowl to see Lee and Scotty for a bit which was great to see them! they rock!

I was on a whale watch the next morning on Mull at half 8!! so we headed home to try and get a couple of hours sleep ready to set off at 2 in the morning in time for a seven hour whale watch trip! A great couple of days with Holly she is Ace! :-)

The journey up went smoothly and I arrived at the pontoon in Tobermory at 8:25am just in time for the trip! I was ready for another whale watch and I have to say I was a little bit tired later on in the trip but it was all great as I hit the hay and had a good 13 hour sleep when I got back to the flat!

Lunch time landing at the Carins of Coll

Thanks for reading everyone. An exciting next few weeks are in store with a couple of special trips with Gordon Buchanan on board. Also 20twenty vision a group of professional photographers are joining SLS for the week to do some environmental filming. I will also be checking up on all the Raptor breeding success for this season on the island.

Another visit to Mull from mum and dad is in store which will be great as well as another of my heroes Gary the Rowlands Gill Birder. It will be great to see him again and we will be wildlifing it up like good old times. cheers :-)

John Miles 'The Solway' book available from Amazon......http://www.amazon.co.uk/Best-Birdwatching-Sites-John-Miles/dp/0955033934/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1311585637&sr=1-1

Also if you love your birds of Prey and care for their future then this web site is unbelievable and will open your eyes to possible scenarios to come effecting Britain's Raptors......http://raptorpolitics.org.uk/

A Pair of Short Eared Owls on Mull....

2011-07-19T13:12:00.000-07:00

A Pair of SEO just north of Lochbuie, 5 Birds seen on the evening as well as just turning and missing a Hen Harrier food pass!

The Best of British Marine Wildlife...........

2011-07-11T13:57:00.001-07:00

Well I promised you smaller species in my next posting and I was pretty much talking drivel as instead I had some encounters with the largest British species there is!! The usual daily whale watch trips along with a five day Shark charter made for some of the best wildlife encounters and experiences of my life! A decent well needed spell of weather made a big difference in the sightings as well as giving the wildlife some well earned sunshine, heat and energy.

C Dolphin associating with boat....

on the 6th June I went for an evening trip south to Grasspoint to look for uplands birds and got Short Eared Owl and a fly over from a White Tailed Eagle while I was driving. 2 Woodcocks and a Stonechat.

Sunset at Cairns of Coll

Ringtail harrier

BBQ and Cricket at Calgary beach with all the SLS crew. A nice evening for it and the Sandmartins were showing well tagging insects around the sandy dunes. there was female Eiders and ducklins out on the water and we had a great game of Cricket but the only problem was that I lost to Craig (a Scotsman!)

Kittiwake

Fulmar

On the 9th of the month I headed down to Craignure golf club for a quick 9 holes while enjoying the suplime wildlife they have on offer surrounding the course. So while preparing for my game I always bring my golf bag and my camera bag! my personal course record on the course as I was dialled in and shot 1 over on a tricky little track. White Tailed Eagle admiring my birdies from the trees. Also Artic Tern, Ringed Plover and Willow Warbler chicks nearly fledged. Got shouted off by some reetard for taking pictures of the warblers cos he thought I was going after the eagle nest when I was I was no where near it so I told him to do one. The fella was on the whale watch trip the next day which was a bit awkward haha.

Great Skua!

Artic Skua

Saturday 11th and a big day ahead of me. Started with a seven hour whale watch. Headed off in decent promising conditions as we headed out of the harbour and I had that feeling it was going to a wildlife filled day! Everyone on board was not disapointed as in the space of a 90 minute period we got 2 Minke Whales, 3 Basking Shark and a big pod of Short Beaked Common Dolphin! Golden Eagle on the way back to add to a great trip. As soon as we arrived back at the pontoon we had a staff camping night out on Coll so it was straight back out on the boat again to make the 2 hour journey to the Cairns of Coll. We picked up C Dolphin again on the way over and they were bow riding with us for a good half hour as we sat on the bow a meter from them getting soaked by there splash! unreal....Good night on the Cairns with a spot of beach wrestling and a 3am swim with the seals! The highlight has to be drunken chief guide Ruth falling asleep on the rocks and sliding elegantly into the sea!

Common Sandpiper, Ardmore

Common Dolphin approaching the boat....

14th of the month and a WW with danny naisbitt on board as he was up for the week which was great. He spotted the first Minke whale on the trip and won the mars bar! More Common Dolphins on the trip and also Golden Eagle, Storm Petrel, Great Skua and Peregrine back at Tobermory.

good bit of Air time!

Locked!

A trip to the North West of the island with Danny and Craignure first of all to see and attempt to photograph the sand martins and then a game of cricket where he beat me ....just. We moved on round the island and picked up a dog Otter in feeding mode showing really well and managed to get some nice pics and a HD video that you can see in one of my previous posts.

Basking Shark

Ardnamurchan

Sand eel in Bill

Ardnamurchan Point sun set to the north

Off on the Saturday and me and Danny headed down to Isle of Iona for a nice day out. After a game of travel Cricketers alphabet game with Danny coming up with all these Pakistani names that ive never heard of convincing me that there real! When we landed on Iona from the ferry we watched all the weird religious people take a sharp right and head for the shitty abbey but we were more interested in seeing Corncrake! we had a wonder with no success but I remembered that Craig Shaw got good success near the crappy abbey itself so we pottered in the entrance with out paying the fee because Atheists get in for free.....so I've heard! We got plenty of calling Corncrakes but no sightings but it was soon turned into dynamite when a pod of 20 plus Bottlenose Dolphins cruised down the Sound of Iona while Cornie calling in the background.

Stinkie Minke!

Otter feeding

On it! Shark charter for 5 days and an early start down at the pontoon at 6am. Got a great sunrise photo of the Tobermory harbour. Jimbo and I on board as well as 3 experienced wildlife divers with great shark knowledge. flat calm conditions close to perfect and we kicked off with an Artic Skua dark morph up the sound of Mull. Headed over to the Coll area and picked up 4 Minke whales in the area! just afterwards I got locked onto Dolphin Splash in the distance and ended up having 200 plus Short Beaked Common Dolphin around the boat!

We headed south to look for Sharks as after all thats what we were out here for.

No sharks to be seen but it was not a disappointment with the great encounters with the other marine species.

We anchored up on the Gunna sound and took all the camping gear on the RIB to load onto the beach and after a successful landing we prepared to feed the boat back to deeper water off the beach and back to Sula Crion I reached down with the orr to push the boat out and somat happened and I lost my flaming balance and went head first into the sea like a diving Shag! I struggled back onto the RIB in shock while the three divers were in stitches! We arrived back to Sula Crion and I was looking like a drowned Weasel and Jimbo got a big shock when he seen me dripping wet. I had quite a few layers of cloths on and we had to hang all of them on the railing of Crion to dry.

29 mintes later when I reached over the side of the boat my glasses slipped from my head and in slow motion fell into the sea sinking to the bottom of the sea bed just like jack did at the end of titanic when he was dead. The guys on board quoted to saying I was "a walking disaster"...More to follow as after we had tea Jimbo handed me the grill to clean overboard and as I turned it upside down the handle then dropped off and plopped into the sea! I was getting slated from all angles and deservedly so! I was defending my self by saying "it was just a bad spell, we all have them"

Eurasian otter....

We landed on Gunna Sound and after setting up camp I had a quick scan around the island and picked up some Little Terns in flight and also a Med gull on the other side of the island. Gunna is a lovely place with white sandy beaches and rocky out crops.

After a night camping on the beach on a 45 degree slope we headed back to Crion for Breakfast before a full day scanning for sharks. After a nice fry up the main focus for the morning was to fish out my sun glasses and grill handle and it was a good job we had 3 divers on board to get amongst the sea bed. After Andy one of the divers spent a good 40 minutes scanning the sea bed he popped up with great success retrieving both items! Thanks very much Andy! Also thank you for lending me clothes from when I went overboard and all mine were dripping wet hanging off Crion.

Finnphort with Bottlenose Dolphin by ferry

We headed over to the west of Coll to scan for Sharks and on the way over there I was up spotting beasties on top of the wheel house and I tried to spit off the side of the boat and the wind took it and it flew straight back and landed on one of the divers heads with out them realising! Hopefully they wont read this blog to find out but with GWW getting big through out the UK they could well end up seeing it!

When we got round west of Coll I picked up a Fin in the distance.....Shark!! locked! we headed over and there ended up been a fin count of 41 Sharks around the boat at one point! All the divers jumped in in their fancy wet suits and I just dived in in Skin mode and enjoyed an amazing experience swimming with Basking Sharks a meter from me! While I was back on the boat and assisting the other divers a Shark breached 100 yards from the boat getting good air time and it was an amazing spectacle and what a day! headed back to Tobermory that evening and got 3 minke whales on the way back in flat calm conditions. I was knackered and ended up sleeping for the last couple of hours on the boat after an amazing day. Enjoyed my own bed for the night then back out on the shark charter the next morning bright and early.

Sunrise at Tobermory harbour

Back on the Shark charter the next day with a bit rougher conditions for it to make it a bit more challanging on the shark spotting front! Headed for shelter south of Muck to do some fishing and watch the breeding sea birds there. We headed over to Carins of Coll where we got a GN Diver close to the boat. We anchored up and camped on the beach there and enjoyed watching the terns mobbing the GBB Gulls and also the gull chicks as well. I seen a Brown Rat on the island for the second time which does not bode well for the nesting birds! Maybe Sula could do a job their when we visit on a lunch time trip!

Minke by Coll

The next Morning on the Thursday and a refreshing swim with the seals first thing was a great start to the day! We covered the west side of Coll again and got a few Sharks out there. The main talking point of the day was a huge splash that happened twice that I picked up right out to the west very distant, it had to be bigger than a breaching Basking Shark so I was thinking possible breaching Minke or even Humpback whale that can pass through this way on route to Icelandic waters.

Minke arching back goin down for a deep dive

Common Dolphin seen a number of times throughout June....

half a second too late from a locked photo!!

Airtime!

On Saturday 25th it was a seven hour whale watch with 40 plus Common Dolphins bow riding on the boat and I managed to get some more nice photos of them. 3 Storm Petrels was another big highlight. A guy on the trip still didnt seem to appritiate anything after all the dolphin activity and had a stony face all day and just stood there looking like a cardboard cut out! cant believe how any one can not appritiate wildlife like that!

Basker with Isle of Eigg in the backdrop

The season is flying by and were nearly into July already. It just seemed like last week when I headed up in the first week of March in savage winter conditions with Golden Eagle soaring over the snowy tops.

I found out recently that we have a new addition at home with a black and white cat turning up out of nowhere. This was days after John was moaning about rabbits and rodents destroying his crops then suddenly this cat appears which is always the best solution to the problem. I told Lee the story and he reckoned that John had just found it in the village and took its collar off and said yeah its a stray that will do! haha, Stuz also said there will be a poster up in the post office for a missing cat and John will walk in and buy some Felix and a bottle of milk and wait for the shop keeper to turn around and rip the poster down!

Diving with Baskers, great experience!

The following week I suddenly got a bad eye from nowhere as it started irritating me so on the Monday morning I headed to the surgery nice and early but there was too many old people pottering around so I didnt have time so headed off to work but on arrival Jimbo made a fair point " u dont mess around with your eyes" so he sent me back upto the surgery and for a days rest. I got some drops for my eye and took it easy sitting back and watching Andy Murray at Wimbledon.

The next day my eye ball wasent much better so when I arrived at the pontoon for work Popz had an eye patch ready for me so I popped it on and was ready for all the pirate jokes that would be thrown at me throughout the trip! It was a frustrating trip especially because their could of been Orca breaching on my right side and I would of missed them. I took the eye patch off half way through the trip and my vision was all blurry and I thought carnage! but later found out it was normal when one eye is closed for a period of time.

Sunset from Isle of Gunna!

Thanks for reading! Butterflies and Dragonflies are one of the main focus subjects as well as anything else magical Mull has to offer!

Finally a Blog shout out to Holly Siddons who is demanding a mention in the famous GWW02 blog so there you go Holly! u rock!

Common Dolphins Bow Riding on Sula Beag

2011-06-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

Otter on Mull.....

2011-06-28T10:17:00.000-07:00

Otter feeding on Mull...usual behaviour when in feeding mode instincts take over......

Short Beaked Common Dolphins on Shark Charter

2011-06-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

200 plus Short Beaked Common Dolphins just south of the small Isles......

Savage weather, Survival of the fittest!

2011-05-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Right hello everyone another GWW update and after a savage month of May its been tricky on the wildlife front even on a place like Mull! Wet spells and a nasty westerly wind caused problems on the trips especially with not much chance to get out to the whale grounds and instead focus on sheltered waters.

Great Skua, Off Coll

Sunday 22nd May and it was a trip around my new local patch of Ardmore where I got success with both eagles as well as Male Hen harrier overhead. Goldcrest, Crossbill, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Cuckoo also as I made my way north to the northern Mull coastline.

I moved onto Craignure for a game of golf combined with the great array of wildlife you can get on the course. Nesting Terns and Common Gull's as well as Dunlin and Ringed Plover. Played medioka at golf loosing a couple of balls but did find a Top-Flite with 'JC' written on it!

what a bird!

Monday the 23rd and the most savage day of the year with gale force westerly and rain! Ruth and I had decided to do something the day before as the chance of both of us getting a day off together is rarer than an Orca sighting! We decided to brave the weather and soldier on and after deciding on a location we originally committed to Caliach point on the north west tip of the island to see nesting Great Skuas and Fulmar but with the strength of the wind coming in we decided to go to Croig instead for a small coastal walk. After trying to walk into the strong winds and nearly being swept off my feet it reminded my of the time when I was on the top of Heystacks in the Lakes and I got blown air born like 5 meters! The wind lifted me up like an empty crisp packet!

We made it down to a lovely stretch of beach and stopped for lunch and a doughnut and were enjoying watching a pair of Ringed Plovers and chick as well as Wheatear and Gannets out to sea. As we started to make our return journey back to the car an old man appeared from a holiday home a hundred yards up the hill and started waving frantically for us to come up and see him. At first we were like whats going on here! It was like the opening scene of a horror movie where everyone is skipping along all happy and then get invited into a strangers house who comes across all pleasant until you find out there cannibals with loads of body parts in there basement. As we got up to him he was a delightful old man (Peter) inviting us in for tea and biscuits. We went inside and met his wife Beverley who had some fantastic paintings on the wall that she had done. We had a nice chat for a good half hour and Peter pointed out the amazing view and the high waves crashing into the shore repeatedly about 15 times and also told me all about skype that they use to talk to their children and grand kids around the globe. I had never really known much about Skype but it was nice for an 80 year old man to teach me all about it!

We moved on after a nice break from the wind and headed back to the car and after travelling 15-20 minutes I seen a potential Hen Harrier to my right so reached for my Binos and realising that they were not on me and I had left them back at the Old couples house so we had to go all the way back and get them. Oh well sorry Ruth still a good adventure in savage conditions but I dont mind getting out and about in it because it adds to the challenge and creates great specticals like the huge waves charging into land and also the heavy rain firing down flattening the sea further out from the shore. It beats sitting in the pub talking to rabble any day of the week...less chit chat more action....full stop

Manxie....will never ever ever get bored of watching these birds in flight

A short trip on the Wednesday and an Otter and 5 GN Divers together off Ardmore were the highlights as well as Porpoise. On the evening I went up to see 'My' Goldies and anything else I could find. Had great views of Goldie as well as Male Hen Harrier, Crossbill and Cuckoo.

Shearwater lifting off

Thursady 26th and a day off as no trips because of the weather so I headed down to Loch Ba to cover the area around there. Also my parents, Tom and the dogs were heading up today which was exciting to see them for a few days. At Loch Ba I got male Redstart, GN Diver and WT Eagle flying through the valley. Afterwards headed south to Scallastle a forestry Commision woodland walk up a valley with lovely surrounding views. I received a text from Tom when I was up the valley saying that they had arrived on the island...Great! so I headed up to meet them at my flat where I told them to head to.

Mum, Dad and I had a nice walk around Aros park with John pointing out all the great variation of trees and plants in the old estate gardens. I showed them both fantastic waterfalls in the park as well which resemble the ones seen at Aira Force down in Cumbria.

Gannets, after watching them feeding a group of Common Dolphins appeared....

On the Friday it was a seven hour whale watch trip with VIP guest on board Tommy Milo! Mum and Dad were there to wave us away from the pontoon and with other people on board waving to their friends / relatives I quoted to saying it was like the opening scene from the Titanic and Tom was quick to point out that you should never bring up that subject when you are about to set sail out to the Atlantic Ocean for several hours! haha

The trip started well with great views of a Golden Eagle been mobbed by a hoodie near Ardmore. We moved and after John warning us to look out for Skuas with the strong westerly bringing in good numbers. On our way to Coll we had a Long-tailed Skua fly infront of the bow of our boat. The weather started to turn in the second half and it turned out to be really bad conditions on the journey back with a lot of the punters sheltering inside. We managed to get Porpoise spotted by Tom and also a group of 20+ distant Skuas.

On the evening we enjoyed a nice meal at the Waterfront resteraunt and I decided to be adventurous and try Mussels for the first time and they were mediocre they just tasted like fish to me. Ive never been a fan of trying new fancy food types I just like to keep it simple and get on with the day. Also the hugely driven food industry is what thretans a lot of now endangered species like with the ridiculous Shark fin soup and also Blue fin Tuna to name a few.

Carins of Coll, one of the places we visit on our trips

Fulmar, Ruth's fave bird, she says they cruise past the bow of the boat and wink at her!

28th - day off and off exploring the isand with the family. played golf at craignure first and i beat tom 1up in a 9 hole match play, not the best standard of match but we did get wt eagle, golden plover, ringed ploved, dunlin and lapwing with the waders being blown down in the strong winds on their journey north. Drove around south part of island and managed pair of harriers, 2 golden eagle, wt eagle and amazing scenery and landscapes everywhere. When we arrived at Loch Scridain we picked up a raptor of the skyline and we told mum to stop so we could check it out and I jumped out of the car and got the binos locked on the bird and after realising it was a buzzard we moved onto look for otters further round. We came across a crowd of people half a mile down the road so we stopped and asked to find out they were watching a big dog otter so we pulled up and started scanning. We ended up getting distant views of the Otter which was great so we got back in the car and moved on. I searched for my iphone and could not find it anywhere in the car and I was starting to get pished off. We decided to go back to where we seen the earlier Buzzard and I could see my phone lying in the middle of the road and i thought crist it is going to squashed by now surely! I jumped out and picked it up and it was fine and dandy with huge relief! I was defiantly doing to take good care of my phone in the futute as that will be a learning curb!

On the evening we had a chinese followed by the European cup final between manure and Barcalona. And as a Leeds United fan I will always route for the team manure are playing and barca have to be the best club team ever (apart from Revies Leeds!) and ended up as v easy 3-1 winners.

Kitiwake following us on one trip

Raven! I took this while Jonny Milo was responding to their call on the south Loch Na Keal road

Ringtale Hen Harrier, watching a pair near Loch Spelvie with the family

Well well well the family went early the next morning after a lovley few days and I was back to guiding on the Sunday and as I was getting into Greenie on the pontoon I dropped my bag in the water and what do you know my phone got a dunking and is now crocked! what a funny old world! So my iphone is out of action and I am very much missing my bird app and tree app as great field guides when I am out and about. The only positive i can take out of the whole thing is that it makes for a half decent story for my blog!

Boom! goldie locked!

At the start of the week I headed up to look for my Goldies and ended up getting my best views and photos yet with both birds showing really well riding the coastal winds. Here are some of my photos, click image for larger view......

My best goldie pic yet, im happy with it but the views of the bird were better

Looking down on a Goldie, now thats a rare occurrence!

Stunning, just love them!!

Minke whale, sightings are starting to get more consistent!

The first two whale watches of the week produced no whales with the main highlights being 2 LT Skuas, Dark Morph Arcitc Skua, GN Diver, Great Skua attacking a Kitiwake and a GBB Gull getting a crab mugged from it by a WT Eagle!

The remainder of the week proved very good for sightings with Minke whale sightings four days running and also a splinter pod of Common Dolphins joining us for a few minutes for a spot of bow riding. Also Basking Shark sightings are increasing.

A great encounter on one trip with an associating Arctic Skua......

Arctic Skua light morph

an Associating Skua!

beauty!

One of My fave, a small number breeding on Coll

on the 6th of June I headed down to Craignure for a game of golf and also for a bit of wildlife. I got common and Arctic Tern by the course and also Dunlin. Out at sea I got a WT Eagle harrasing a Well boat up the sound of Mull. I moved onto north of Loch Spelvie to look for Short eared Owls and got success with 2 birds. The way they manoeuvre over the long grass is just sublime and a joy to watch. We get them from my Kitchen window back home and are very lucky to have them! On the way back a big cat ran across the road just north of Salen and I quickly rammed on the anchors and jumped out to chase it into the woods. It was gone before I got a glance but it was a big tabby that could of had potential.

Some video footage I got from the Goldies........

4 Second Goldie Clip.....

Golden Eagle riding the coastal winds on Mull.....

Arctic Skua Isle of Coll.....

2 Goldie's on Thermals

Goldie in Flight before Landing.....

Other sightings on the island in the last few weeks have included Red Necked Pharalope at Loch Na Keal, Sabine's Gull at Calgary bay, Dark Morph Pomarine Skua at Loch Na Keal spotted by Mike Shepherd. Bottlenose Dolphins seen in Loch Na Keal on a few occasions and also a group of 5 Killer Whales seen off Isle of Iona in mid May. Dotterel seen and photographed up on Ben More and Peregrine still seen daily on Tobermory main street.

On the 7th it was my Mums 60th Bday and just to say Happy Birthday Super Mum!

Thanks for reading,,,,The next few weeks I am going to focus on Adders, Slow worms, Dragonflies, Mountain Hares and a few of the smaller species on the island......cheers

Dolphins, Basking Sharks, Eagles & A trip back home to Cumbria!

2011-05-12T09:17:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, some great encounters and stories from the last fortnight or so starting with a 7 hour whale watch explorer on Monday the 3rd. A small number on board with me and Andy Tait on as crew. Calm seas and sunshine and we headed out to the open waters in anticipation of a good sighting. When we stopped for tea and coffee out towards Coll I spotted a fin out towards 11 o'clock....Shark! A group of 4 Basking Sharks and over a month early compared to previous years!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ElcFufkTeSs - Basking Sharks Courting, 03.05.11, Filming by Andy Tait

We moved on and a short time after Andy quoted it to be a good 'Dolphin day' he was locked on a group of Dolphins a good distance away heading towards us! It ended up being breathtaking views of Common Dolphins bow riding for 20 minutes!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svihVpRY3WA - Common Dolphin encounter - 03.05.11........Sorry about my mullet in shot! filming by Andy Tait.

C Dolphin Bow Riding...

Amazing animals....after watching their behaviour you can understand why they are so highly regarded as a species

Their intelligence when they approached the boat and associated with us was unbelievable

Headed back home to Gdale for a few days on Wednesday 4th. Nice to see family and dogs again and I was looking forward to seeing Leo the Long eared Owl that is roosting near by. Good trip down did not see any wildlife apart from a couple of dead badgers on the road. Driving through Glen Coe mountain range still takes my breath away every time!

Wow! what a stunner! admired the bird before heading to golf to see my old friends Greevy and Oil and after beating them both on the course with 39 points Gary the Rowlands Gill Birder came over in the afa. We bought stuff for BBQ and planned to head out camping but the rain set in so we stopped in but the BBQ on hold and watched the film 'The Beach'.

Leighton Moss here we come! Me Gary and Danny headed south to the north Lancashire border. We called into Sizegh Castle first of all to look for Hawfinch but no joy but I did get my first Swifts of the year there. We planned to call into Foulshaw Moss on route but after taking a few wrong turns and then finally finding the turn off but driving past it we decided to sack it off and head straight for Leighton Moss. We were also going to call into Milnthorpe and photograph the Fallow Deer but again missed the turn off so moved on.....

We arrived at Leighton Moss and after bragging about seeing 20 plus species before we even got there me and Danny thought we would surely get over 50 for the day and Gary did not think we would so we came up with a deal that if we got over 50 then Gary would have to fall over flat on his face in public that day! We visited the Eric Morecambe hides first of all and got 20+ Avocet, 2 Gadwell, Little Egret, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Whitethroat, Sedge warbler, Reed Warbler and Kestrel.

We then headed up to the large quarry up the hill and after scanning the rock face for 20 minutes Gary superbly picked out a Peregrine with just its head showing from the nest site. A pair of Ravens nesting further to the left but no sign of Little Owl. After watching them for a while in lovely sunshine the Raven suddenly approached the Peregrine's nest site before being chased off by the Peregrine producing a superb aerial assult that happened right over our heads! If only I had my camera ready to get some video footage.....If.......If my gran was a man I wouldn't be here!

Leo! over 350 people being to see it from all over north england in the last few weeks!

We moved onto the main public hide at LM and we were getting very close to the 50 mark so a double or quits deal was introduced that if we get to 75 bird species Gary would have to fall over in public...with his tackle out! From the public hide we got at least 4 march Harrier and its the first time I had seen the male birds that are stunning! We also got Pochard, Great Crested Grebe, Sparrowhawk. No sign of bearded Tit or Bittern but it is a tricky time of the year to spot them. 63 bird species by the time we finished at LM and moving onto the nest site.

Avocet

We brought the disposable BBQ down with us from the night before as well as all the food and the plan was to travel to St Bee's head on the evening and have a BBQ while enjoying the west coast sun set and the wildlife on offer there. So we headed off at 6ish to catch the last couple of hours of light and as we reached the coast towards barrow to head north the weather started turning! Thick dark rain clouds ahead and by the time we reached St Bee's we decided to call it off but when we were just north of the town a little opening in the weather gave us hope so we thought screw it lets go for it! We took a sharp left towards the coast and discovered a little deserted area under a narrow bridge covering a train line so we parked up jumped out and started the bbq up. It says you have to wait 20 min for it to be ready to cook but we just threw some sausages on and got on with it. We could see the storm working its way up the coast from the south and when the thunder and lighting started the spectical was amazing!

The sausages were cremated on the outside and pink on the inside but the storm caught us up so we fired them into rolls, a squirt of red sauce and we jumped into the car to eat them.

Sedge Warbler

We tried to spot some new species to crank our list upto 75 for the day but birds dont tend to show to well in a savage thunder and lightning storm! We followed the storm north up the west coast and got some amazing views of the cloud to ground vertical lighning strikes which beats a crappy firework display hands down by about a million times......fact......any natural event will always beat a man's intervened entertainment.

The next day and a trip to the Solway on the scots side with dad to cover a few areas out that way. We called into a few view points and ended up getting Curlew Sandpiper, Arctic and Common Tern, Kitiwake, Whimbrel, Dunlin, Ringed plover and 6 Harbour Porpoise. Checked out Longtown afterwards but no sign of the Black Tern on the ponds so we headed down to the stretch of the Eden as I was keen to photograph Yellow Wagtail but no joy again so I just admired the good number of Sand Martins on show.

While I was down in Cumbria Sealife Surveys had a 7 Hour Whale Watch on the Saturday......Here's how they got on.....http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OI1JiDP0cc

Manxie!

Travelled back to Mull on the Sunday and on the following monday there was no trips on so Ruth and I did a tour of the south part of the island delivering the newly updated 2011 Sealife Surveys leaflets to all the B&Bs, Hotels and Pubs. We did a rock-paper-scissors to decide who did what role and it ended up being me driving and Ruth delivering. We played the alphabet game while travelling down and we decided to start with coutries so we got going A....Albania.....B.....Belgium.....and then we got to E and it was Ruths go and 10 minutes down the line and she still couldn't get one! I had thought of 3.....I eventually told her the less obvious ones like Estonia and Equador before asking her which country she was born in????...lol....What a legend Ruthio is! Congratulations on your masters degree by the way Ruth!

On our travels right down to Finophort in the south west part of the island we got a female and a 1st year Hen Harrier, Otter, GN Diver and a brief glimpse of a Golden Eagle all by just driving around on the move...not bad going!

Goldie (click on image for larger scale)

20 second clip of a close encounter with a Golden Eagle

Tuesday the 10th and a 7 hour whale watch with 19 passengers on board. Savage conditions with rainy spells, strong wind and a big swell! It all adds to the enjoyable challenge of looking for wildlife! Porpoise, WT Eagle, GN Diver, Feeding gannets and Puffins.
On the evening I went looking for my favourite.....Eagles! I'm at the right place because Mull is the best place in Europe for density of breeding Eagles. I covered the north part of the island and ended up getting nice coastal views of a Golden Eagle with a nice record picture and a small video clip to go with it (Above). I got a Short Eared Owl on the Glengorm road on the way back as well.

Lochdon, South East Mull

Peregrine Falcon sat on weather vain on church tower on Tobermory main street

Durat Castle

Wood Warbler, Salen

Killiechronan higher ground

Sunday May 15th and a whale watch explorer it was with 4 passengers on board as we set sail in lovely Scottish rain! We started off with 6 Porpoise showing well at Ardmore point but no sign of the Eagles there. We moved onto the open water and the 'whale grounds'. On our way to Cairns of Coll the conditions were overcast with a little swell so good whale spotting conditions. A personal highlight for me was seeing a Long-Tailed Skua fly close by infront of our bow! My first sighting of the bird and as a fan of Skuas I was delighted to see it. Onto Cairns of Coll and we got a Black Throated Diver and Great Northern Diver and also 5 Basking sharks in the area. On the route back we had a good scan for whales but it was not to be. Back at Ardmore point just as the trip was coming to an end....boom....Golden Eagle in flight near bloody bay!

Basking Shark photography by Andy Currie

At the end of the trip we were heading back to the mooring in the small boat 'Greenie' and half way back to the pontoon she died on me so we were standard in the middle of the harbour so me and Ruth dream teamed it and grabbed an ore each and started rowing our way back to the pontoon with Popz supervising. we had no co-ordination at all and kept going sidewards instead of forwards but we eventually made it back to the pontoon safely.

Loch Na Keal with ben More mountain range in back drop

Thanks for reading everyone. I have recently purchased a Nikon D90 and Nikkor 70-300 lens so I am hoping it will lead to improved photography skills and also improved video quality as I hope to do more filming throughout the season especially on the boat trips. In the next couple of weeks I hope to discover more on the ilusive Wildcats in the north part of the island and also have set my self the target of decent Golden Eagle video footage as well as Minke whale.

Dragonflies will be active again and as I have a soft spot for them so I will hope to get some photos of a few of the species on Mull and learn a bit more about them.

Cheers :-)

Spring Sights....First Whale!

2011-04-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone, Things are starting to hot up on the wildlife and weather front as migrants are all starting to arrive ready to breed and the tempretures and day lengths are increasing meaning more time to look for wildlife....Great!

Leo the Gdale Owl - Photo taken by John Burton Miles

I will try and keep you up to date with all the sightings down that way as Johnny Milo is keeping me posted.

The main highlight so far has being a Long Eared Owl roosting in a viewable location and in the last couple of weeks over 200 people have been upto see the stunning owl. That can be the value of wildlife....

Other spring sightings on Gdale have being Pied Flycatcher, Wood Warbler, Garden Warbler,

Short Eared Owl and Redstart.

GN Diver, Loch Spelvie

I went down to Croggin with Criag McD on my day off. Croggin is down in the south east part of the island in a very remote area with only a few crofters living off the land present there. We had a walk onto higher ground when we arrived to look for some old house remains as Craig is a true Mulloch and his family have lived on the island for generations and his great grandparents lived in Croggin and he had a photo from back in 1910 of the location they lived so we went to find that spot.

We had Goldie and WT Eagle in flight on the other side of Loch Spelvie and a Great Northern Diver in breeding plumage showing well on the loch itself. Chiff Chaff singing as well.

We found a good number of croft house remains with fantastic views looking across to the mainland and Oban. There was over 10,000 people living on the island towards the end of the 19th century and after bad harvest and crop seasons which created famine the land owners removed all the lodgers and replaced them with sheep which would have more value to the estate tenants.

Red Throated Diver, Aros Peir

Large Cat sighting

On an evening jolly to Langnamull beach on the north part of the island I got the fright of my life as a huge cat ran past me and into the Larch woodland. I managed to get a record shot before it went into the dense woodland and automatically I thought it has to be close to being a Wildcat. After looking into it more I think it is something different as it has not got pure tiger stripes or the clear thick bands on the tail. The size was good enough and the cat seemed very wild. When I sent the photo away to get checked the response was a possible Norwegian Forest cat! Which can be bred for pets in the UK and of course could now be an escapee.

Found this article that got me really excited - http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/transport-environment/tail-of-the-unexpected-pictures-add-to-mystery-of-mull-wildcat-1.1024712

Glengorm is not far from where my Cat sightings have being and also near to where I am staying on the north part of the island so I am going to spend some nice summer evenings up there! I have got a carmoflarge top and a decent torch to try and pick up eye shine at night so im good to go!

I was sent this image by the Wildcat Association - Norwegian Forest Cat

Bottlenose Dolphins, Tobermory Harbour

For the second time in a few weeks a group of Bottlenose Dolphins popped into Tobermory harbour to entertain the people in the area. There was at least 7 counted putting on a great display for a good half hour. There has been other reported sightings of Bottlenose Dolphins off the coast line of Mull ranging as far down as Iona which could well be the same group.

Razorbill near treshnish isles

male Wheatear

Was off on the 16th of the month but decided to go on the 7 hour whale watch trip anyway and help out. A nice trip to the Cairns of Coll with only a small number on board. Still a bit early for Whales as did plenty of scanning with no joy. Nice views of WT Eagle, Great Skua and also a single Common Scoter.

On the evening we had a BBQ at Jimbo's house with their family and other SLS guides. Nice food and plenty of games of Swingball in the garden. It was nice to meet Gordan Buchanan who's sister Maggie is married to Jimbo the SLS head Skipper. Had very interesting talks with him regarding Wolves and the potential of a future introduction to Mull or Isle of Rum. I showed him my blog as well and he looked impressed.....or he pretended to look impressed anyway!

Buz

An eventful trip on the 21st of the month and it was a 7 hour Whale Watch with 11 punters on board but it started on a sour note as the trip had to be delayed by an hour because of very poor visibility with the thick low lying fog. We eventually got away after 10am as the fog had lifted slightly but when we arrived at Ardmore point it had got worse and half an hour in and were yet to even see a Gull!

The sun burnt through and it was clearing up as we made our way around the north west part of Mull and I could finally point out some landmarks as well as appearances by Porpoise and Fulmar got us going!

We arrived at the Treshnish isles for lunch and as popz the skipper walked back up into the wheelhouse to get going again.....Whale!....done. A Minke whale breaks the water 100 yards from the boat! I knew the day would get better! It surfaced a couple of times but with food very scarce this time of the year it was doing a lot of foraging under the water. The only downfall was that two lovely enthusiastic older people at the back of the boat did not get to see it as they couldn't make it up the stairs and the whale was surfacing in front of the boat. I was quite upset they missed it but I think they had a great trip anyway.

On the trip back there is always a lot of pressure off when you get a great sighting like that. started talking to one particular lass on the way back and found out that she only came upto Scotland to try and see Wildcats! and you know that I'm mad on Wildcats at the minute, and she was hot...and from Yorkshire! So I was like come on Ewan get it locked...but then I noticed she was with a lad that I didn't know if he was brother or boyfriend? So I kept an eye on it (while I was scanning for whales of course!) I later seen them shnuggling up on the seat so I was pished off! I was going to kick him overboard but I'm a professional Guide and that would not be the best move! :-)....Oh well plenty more whales in the sea.....I hope there is for this season any way!

the island of Eorsa on LNK

On the Friday bank holiday we had two shorter trips and an amazing experience with associating Porpoise on both trips. This is where they will approach the boat and swim around it very close to the surface as well as coming upto breath. The waters were really flat calm so you could see them swimming under water which was a joy to watch!

Leeds drew 0-0 with Ricky Gervais Reading on tv and we were out of the playoffs for the first time since November.

GN Diver, Loch Na Keal

On the Sat 23rd I met up with Craig Shaw and his wife Rachel at Salen as they were up for a few days during easter. We spent a good hour at Salen where we got GN Diver, RT Diver, Whimbrel, Wood Warbler and Black Cap singing. We moved on and Craig demanded WT Eagle and Goldie so we headed off to the best potential spots to see them and within minutes of arriving to our first port of call a WT Eagle flew directly above us showing really well...great timing. We headed off to look for Goldies and after visiting a couple of sites we got success when 4 appeared over the higher ground and I had 3 in my scope at once! They locked talons for a split second as well.

A great few hours birding and Craig improved on his impressive list while in Scotland where he got the first Gargany record for Mull as well as all 4 Grouse species, Crested Tit, Osprey, Corncrake and Ring Ouzel.

The following day I met Craig and Rachel in Tobermory and we went for a wonder down the main street before they kindly invited me for a meal at Mcoggans in Tob which was v nice! cheers again lad!

Croggin looking out to Loch Spelvie

Monday the 25th and it was off to Kilhoan, Ardnamurchan to see Cain and friends who were up doing some filming for their degree course. Got the ferry over in the morning and when I met them at the camp site we headed off to the point and the lighthouse to look for Otters and anything else. We had Gannet and GN Diver out to sea and we came across a Mink that they got nice footage of. Onto Sanna bay next where we got Sand Martin, Greenfinch and Buzzards on higher ground but no Otters or eagles. Went for a swim on the beach which was very refreshing but testicles disappeared into their shell which wasn't comfortable and mouthfuls of sea salt is never good! Got the last ferry back to Tobermory and finding out Leeds had lost to Palace 1-0 had dampened my spirits a bit after a good day.

Golden eagle at Croggin getting mobbed by two Hooded Crowes

On the Tuesday it was a 7 hour whale watch and we where joined on board by Cain, Rachel, Ciera and Steve. It started well with Porpoise and WT Eagle. We headed round the north west part of the island towards the Treshnish isles. When we stopped at the collection of islands for lunch we got Great Skua and Dunlin before moving north again in search of a whale. We got a tip off from another whale watch boat that there was a whale seen just off north mull so we cruised up to get to the area asap but by the time we got there the whale had moved on. We got a 2nd year WT Eagle in flight right next to the boat which was a big highlight on the way back. It was a good trip all round and it was great to have Cain on board even though I think his ginger beard put off some of the other punters! he will be back to help out on the trips in July for a couple of weeks and I cant wait. We are going to be out every evening til dark and beyond looking for Wildcats, Eagles and a lot more!

BBQ on the evening at Aros park with Ruth, Lydia and Ruth. We played cricket afterwards and Lydia the beaver monster is surprisingly good with the bat.

Croggin, Croft house remains

I was off on the Thursday So I headed off to see Cain and crew at Kilhoan. When Cain picked me off from the ferry we got Golden eagle straight away in the higher ground. Also a Red Throated Diver in the bay which Cain got some footage of. We decided to tackle the biggest peak in Ardnamurchan which was Ben Hiant at just over 500m. A good climb up and superb views at the top in every direction. A great game of eye spy to go with it which I dominated. It was quiet on the wildlife front with just Gropper Warbler by the car and on the way to the ferry for my return to Tob we got a male Sparrowhawk road side on the fence praying on a Warbler in our view.

Mishnish Loch

Hoody!

Thanks for looking and my next update in a week or two will have all the latest sightings from up on Mull as well as Back down in Gdale where I will hope to get down to at some point. A new camera could be lined up also in the coming weeks so look out for some improved photography skills! You can also follow the Sealife Surveys blog that I will be doing throughout the summer as well which includes sightings and happenings on the trips. Cheers!

Mull Rocks!

2011-04-08T12:47:00.000-07:00

Otter on LNK

Headed back up to Mull on the 29th. Nice conditions for travelling and I called into the Red Kite centre at Argaty, Sterling while I had my packed lunch and I was surprised not to see any Kites at all so I moved on and around 30 miles north of the area I had a single Red Kite circling in the sky!

On the Corran to Lochaline road I got two Golden Eagles showing well up in the higher terrain and it was my first sighting of a Golden Eagle on the UK mainland apart from the special male bird down in Haweswater :-)

Looking east into LNK

I was off on the Friday and I started off at one of my new local patches in Ardmore. I got a distant male Hen Harrier and plenty of ravens on show but no pussy cats today. I headed round to the Ulva road and I got a nice view of a GN Diver in Eclipse and a Goldie showing well in the scope up in the hills. I also got Goldeneye and Red Breasted Maganser in Laggan Bay near the Ulva ferry crossing.

Calgary beach...great for beach cricket

Croig

On the Saturday I watched mighty Leeds beat Forest 4-1 on the BBC. Great second half performance by the lads in white. I headed down to Salen in the afternoon and got female Sparrowhawk, Yellowhammer and Cormorant but no sign of the Pied Billed Grebe which is a sneaky little bugger. Got some nice scenic photos which I was delighted with.

Redshank at Croig

On one evening the following week I did a lap of honour of the north part of the island starting at Glengorm and I went to check out the view from the huge huge satellite masts on the summit and the view is spectacular from up there looking in 3 directions onto the lower ground and out to the sound of Mull and Atlantic ocean. I was hoping for Harriers but no joy though I did get a distant eagle either an immature WT or a Goldie. I moved on but then realised I had lost my new sunglasses from Cotswold so I headed back up the masts and after scanning for 10 minutes I found them on the ground near the trig point so I was relieved to have found them again!

I made my way round to the north Loch Frisa road and watched a pair of Harriers hunting on the heather....always a joy......special birds.

Heavy rain in the afternoon and after taking pictures of the savage waves on LNK an Otter appeared showing well while I was sat in my car just about to leave. Called in to Salen on the way home but still no Grebe...the bugger!

Glengorm summit looking north west

Buz

Whist I was painting on the boat on the top deck one day I was easily distracted as there was a lot of bird activity going on with a Peregrine keking towards the main street and a Sparrowhawk circling above me. We have peregrine showing well daily in Tobermory with plenty of food for them in and around the church tower.

A hero's return on the Monday the 4th as Ruth returned for her third season.....great to have her back :-)

LNK sunset

moments later....

First trips of the season on the 6th of April. An Eco cruise to start with where 4 people on board enjoyed Golden Eagle and some Common Seals and a four hour trip afterwards rewarded WT eagles and Porpoise!

Salen where the Pied Billed Grebe is...so i've heard

A seven hour whale watch the following day with four people on board. Nice weather and nice people as we made our way towards the Cairns of Coll. Good views of Porpoise and nesting WT Eagles at Ardmore. Cairns of Coll was as stunning as ever and on the way back in glourious sunshine we all scanned for a good couple of hours covering the whale grounds but no joy im afraid and it wasent through lack of trying. It still could be a little early for Minke whales but hopefully they will return again!

Salen looking across to the mainland

On the trips a few days later we had special views of White tailed Eagle right over the boat close up. A good number of Puffins on show and also Great Northern Diver in breeding plumage. On the evening I went down to Salen to look for the Pied Billed Grebe again but no success the crafty Bug! As I was down there minutes after I arrived I got a text beep beep...open message....7 Bottlenose Dolphins putting on a great show in Tobermory harbour...dam I had just left there 10 minutes ago! Never mind thats wildlife watching for you...right place at right time and all that!

daffodil island at Salen harbour...this photo is for my good friend Shibu!

Rainbow over SLS mothership Sulabeag

painting on boat all day sat 9th, went to salen to look for grebe but after about 7 attempts, no success! leeds lost to millwall 3-2...good days and bad days....move on

LNK in rough conditions

I was off on the Sunday so headed out to Calgary and beyond and got Merlin but nothing much else. Still no Short eared Owls seen since I have been up which I am surprised about. Made my way round to Loch Na keal and got 7 Slavonian Grebes in Breeding plumage and it is the first time I have seen them in this condition so great treat. Also 4 GN Divers and WT Eagle and single Goldie up on the mountain peaks. Went down Loch Ba with Mike Shepherd a birder from Hampshire who stays up on Mull for a good spell each year. Quiet sightings with one golden Eagle and Slav Grebe on Loch Ba. Nice to have company when i'm out as its usually just me, myself and I. There doesent seem to be a great deal of local birders on the island which is a surprise with the main interest been boats and cars and drink also of course!

GN Diver in Eclipse, love this bird

Watched the masters golf on the evening and was excited to see if Rory Mcilroy could hold onto his 4 shot lead in the final round and take the green jacket. He started badly missing a shmiggle on the first and that set the tone for the rest of the round as we continued dropping shots all over the course especially in the back 9 where he collapsed and ended up shooting 80. Golf can be horrible when that happens I have done a similar thing in Brampton monthly medals over the years! And speaking of Brampton and Golf the new web site is up and running for Brampton Golf Club with all my very own on course photography used all over the site...I must get a free membership or something for my troubles!!

Black Guilimot at Oban Harbour

I completed my first Sealife Surveys blog of the new season and I attempted to make it a bit more professional choosing my words carefully and making sure spelling and grammar is correct with a little help from my Mum! Speaking of my parents the White tailed Eagles nesting at Ardmore have been given new names of John and Thelma with Thelma having the blue wing tag. They had not been named and noticing the Loch Frisa pair on the island have well used names I made a move!

Thanks for looking :-)

Eagles Galore and Hybrid Wildcat

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GN Diver on Loch Na Keal

Well I headed up to the Isle of Mull on Sunday the 6th March. I got up early on the sunday to pack and prepare to make sure I bring everything I need. I set off north at around 10am. Had a good previous day on the saturday Jonny Cowan arranged a golf competition where you are only allowed to use 5 clubs! and it was a great success accept I got pipped at the post for the winners honour by my brother Tommy Milo with 39 points to my 38! never mind great day as a send off

Sunset on Kerrara

First day on the island and wet stuff pelting down but it didnt stop me getting out there as I headed down to my new local patch of Loch Na Keal where you can get all sorts of birds and marine life on and around the sea loch and then raptors galore in the mountains either side of the loch. I got 5 GN Divers, WT Eagle and 2 Goldies to kick start the sightings on Mull.

Turnstone on Oban Harbour

On the Wednesday I decided to cover new territory and headed upto the most northern part of the island in Ardmore. Constant rain again and I put on my new karimor rain hat from sports world and soldiered on! 2 minutes after leaving the car and heading towards the Forestry Commission woodland Bingo! a pair of Hen Harriers showing well fighting the strong wind. As I reached the end of the forest and looking north out to sea I got a WT Eagle right overhead and then discovered a hide looking north across to Ardemurchan and I later discovered that it was put there to monitor Black Throated Divers in the bay. But it will be great in the summer months for looking for Whales, Dolphins, Sharks and Eagles! Its ideal for the tight people that will not pay to come on our trips!

And do you want to hear something crazy.....from what I know that is the only public free to use Wildlife hide on the island! Mull has on average 288 days of rain a year and is the wildlife hot spot in Europe and yet lack of hides is crazy. Its so simple but effective to pop a few wooden shacks in the key wildlife areas would make a world of difference.

Well back to the days excitement and it was defiantly first time lucky with my sightings at Ardmore as on my way back to car going through the dense woodland I came across a Cat and I only had seconds to react to get a decent record photo before it was off in a flash! when I checked the photo back there and then I noticed interesting tail markings, shape and size which made me look into it on the internet as soon as I got home I sent the photo to the Scottish Wildcat association and the response the next day confirmed that it looked like a hybrid Wildcat! There has been a few Hybrid Cats reported on the island http://www.scottishwildcats.co.uk/sightings.html - But know one knows about a Pure bred cat ever being there as Mull has never being part of the mainland hense no Foxes or Badgers, but Wildcats are supposed to be excellent swimmers so weather a desperate cat has swam across the sound of Mull could be a possibility.

Hybrid Wildcat.......

Hybrid confirmation.....could be a generation or two back....

The next day I was off again as the weather was no good to work on the boat so I decided to visit the Glen More estate and go for a little jolly to see what I could find. RB Maganser and Slovenian Grebe on Loch Ba. More Eagles seen by LNK and after showing an elderly couple the WT eagles sat in the trees they invited me into their camper van for tea! great success! had a nice chat about there travels and experiences on Mull over the years. Oh well I got a free meal out of it all :-)

Stunning scenery on the north Loch na Keal road...

rain again so no work but headed out to try and cover new ground and target bird today was Hen Harrier! I headed down to Lochdon a small sea loch on the south east part of the island. When I arrived I got great views of Red deer and on Lochdon there was Curlew, Oystercatcher, Teal and Slav Grebe. I decided to check out Grasspoint which was reccomended as a good birding spot. As soon as I pulled into the turn off.....boom....Male harrier hunting in the long grass and it was soon joined by a kestrel and Buzzard with all 3 birds flying together at one point! i wonder why they call it Raptor island??

Red Deer Hind, Glengorm

My first visit to Oban on the Saturday 12th and its a v nice place with a chance to see good wildlife in the area. Eider and Black Guillemot are in good number as they breed on a near by island. I also got a Common seal and great northern Diver near Kerrara an island just off Oban.

I was happy with the outcome.....

On the Sunday a good covering of snow meant one thing for me...photog opportunity! My main target was to get a Goldie eagle in flight with a snowy back drop which i think realtes to the Goldie so well with the rough, savage and extreme condition of a snow covered mountain. I headed down to the Glen More estate where I thought I would get a good chance to get a goldie in a steep snowy back drop. After walking to Loch Ba and heading back I had no joy but then too my left up in the mountains I spotted a huge bird that stood out v well in the white surroundings and it was a goldie! I was happy with my photos that I got overall and a good day all round as my target was met :-)

Loch Ba, looking south

The start of another week and had more time to go out wildlife shmeegling with a good forecast I headed out to do a lap of honor of the north part of the island covering some upland heather areas on the Torloisk road in search of Harriers but no success today. I worked my way around to the Ulva ferry crossing and I got a Goldie up in the mountains. Working my way around to Loch Na Keal and I got more Goldies enjoying the perfect raptor flying conditions and as I arrived at my fave hot spot I got 2 WT Eagles sat in a tree with a Buzzard constantly mobbing the birds from above with the eagles calling at the Buz! great spectacle.

Headed on round to Knock and the fish farm to look for white winged gulls which you are meant to have a good chance of seeing there with the big congregation of gulls but I did not get any today. Walked down to Loch Ba and got RB Maganser, S Grebe and Teal. Also Fallow deer and red Deer on lower ground to avoid the snowy higher ground.

Goldie! beaut!

Up at half 4 to head down to Oban to work on the boat and the weather was fairly wet so painting inside the boat and down in the engine room. Got a GN Diver by Kerrara the small island where the boat is based.

Ben More Mountain range looking stunning with snow covering...

The following day and it was off to Craignure again and get the ferry across to the mainland. It was my turn to drive and Jimbo asked me some birding questions from the bird bible in the front seat and he kept firing the questions at me and I kept knocking them out of the park! (well most of them) I had breakfast on the boat cos I had ran out of Weetos in the flat. Nice weather Buzzards and Ravens displaying above the boat while we worked. At the end of the day Jimbo asked me if I wanted to stay in Oban with him and lippy to save on all the traveling back and forward so I got treated to a gay fancy 4 star hotel and a pub meal after work. Jimbo rocks!

Loch Na Keal, looking south towards Ben More Mountain range

early start for breakfast at hotel, I had grapefruits for starter by mistake thinking they were pineapples they are horrid! (in my opinion) good day working on the boat Jimbo asked me again if I wanted to stay another night and apart from missing a clean pair of underpants and iphone charger I was fine to stay again. Jimbo treated us to an Italian restaurant after work which was nice. I had ham and Pineapple pizza which was good. I also got a massive clump of red paint in my hair after dipping it in the paint tray but I wasn't too bothered.

Watched Liverpool game in hotel on evening before bed time.

GSW, Glen Forsa Estate

Up early again for a big day as Sula Beag the boat was going back in the water and we were driving her back to Tobermory. It all went well and we headed north on the evening. Great west coast sunset on the evening and the wildlife was quiet with a few Shags about and also Eider and B Guillemot near to Oban.

Loch Ba, named by the local estate sheep

Boat back in Tob and I worked on it from 9-6 with a trip down to Criagnure in between to get my car. Baby sitting duties on the evening for Jimbos two young kids and it was safe to say it was the most responsible job i'd ever had! Thankfully it all went well and I just watched a film and typed some of this blog up.

Juvenille Goldie right overhead!

Off today and typical that it was been stunning all week and on my day off God decides to pish on me! Never mind I got on with it and again covering the northern part of the island I got plenty of Crossbill's at Ardmore and also my first Mountain Hare!

Worked my way round and got Ravens and a single Goldie at Ulva ferry crossing with great views of it in the scope! At LNK watched a Peregrine tag a pigeon and feed on it in front of me on the rocks! Also got a single WT eagle and a quick view of an Otter as well as a GN Diver. Met a guy buy the Loch from Hampshire and as I walked upto him he seen my hat and shouted Leeds Leeds Leeds! a keen football and an avid wildlfie enthusiast it was safe to say we had a little bit in common and I stopped and had a crack with him for a good few hours before moving on....

GE, Snowy backdrop

On the Tuesday 22nd it was up at 5am to get the boat down to Oban to get a safety check done. Had 2 WT eagles sat out on the rocks in the Sound of Mull Fishnish...great views and great start to the day. 2 Porpoise on the way back which was great to see especially with trips not too far away. Was watching peregrine back in Tob on the evening flying above the church tower.

Male Hen harrier, Lochdon

Did half a days work on the boat before heading home for a few days. A dead Mink on the road and great scenery through Glen Coe were the only happenings on the trip down. got back at 9ish and went straight to the sport centre to play cricket with the lads, great to see them again! When I got in I found out that a Pied Billed Grebe had been reported in Salen and I had just gone past there in the afternoon! A bit frustrating but great to know that its there and hopefully will still be around when I get back up :-)

Red Deer stag, stunning beast

Thursday and Friday involved golfing in Lancashire at Wallersy and St Annes. a Kestrel and plenty of Mipits and Skylark which are always a joy to watch. On the Friday at St Annes I had Coot, Mipits, female Sparrowhawk by the clubhouse and a Frog that I found on the fairway which I carried around for a few holes that I named Shmiggle!

WT Eagle at LNK

WTE, snow covered Ben More mountain range

Ardmore woodland looking towards Ardermurchan

The golf was great and I came 2nd overall with 36 and 38 points playing quite solid overall. Andy Oliver blitzed the field with 43 and 41 the flaming bandito!

WT Eagle, Loch Na Keal

Thanks for looking and with the boat trips starting in the next few days I could get some interesting sightings to follow hopefully some good marine life!

Finally I have been given the responsibility of doing the Sealife Surveys blog updates for this season...after nagging the boss for a bit! so you can follow the updates on http://sealifesurveys.blogspot.com.........Thanks again :-)

Otters, Long Tailed Duck and more......

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Castle Carrock reservoir...a great wildlife area

4 Canada Geese...flight shot....

Lovely sunshine today (01-03)

3 Goldeneye

20 plus Wigeon

25 Canada Geese

30 Graylag

Little Grebe

2 Buzzards

4 Mallard

26 Whooper swans by Crosby A689 (28-02)

new female Barn Owl on Gdale....John and Rob ringed the bird and got a photo of its upper wing....The old female went missing last year and a new young replacement moved in to make the pair...stunning

Roe Deer - A Lovely evening in mid Feb and it was off to look for Long Eared Owl which breed near by. This hind Roe Deer posed nicely for a photo on my trek up the valley.

1 of 5 Buz - 5 Buzzards on Gdale enjoying the sun, starting to pair up....

Windermere, looking south - A trip down to Lake Windermere on the third week of Feb and with reports that a curious family of Otters were spending a lot of time under and around the pontoon at Waterhead harbour it was defiantly worth a closer look!

Otter hiding under the pontoon at Windermere - upto 3 Otters showing very well and a distant forth came to join them! Also Kingfisher flying in and out from under harbor.

4 Otters showing well at Waterside just south of Ambleside - 2 young cubs on show and they will soon be starting to spread so I made the most of it with a few visits to the area.

Motion dive...Otters are known to be timid creatures but you would never think that when watching this family porpoising and been inquisitive in front of an entertained audience.

"Hows the coffee?"2 Jackdaws enjoying a spot of Brunch...One of my faves bird full of character and here is your evidence of Crows intelligence as a happy couple managed to book a table for two and enjoy a pleasant spot of tea by the lake.

1st Winter Long Tailed Duck showing well - It wasn't short of excitement down at Waterhead with an LTD showing nicely to keep us entertained while the otters weren't about!

Most north point of Lake Windermere looking south - Another stunning area of the National park...a bit more work to promote and encourage wildlife and with a few eagles thrown in....bingo

"Ive dropped a quid help us find it Jackie lad" Jackdaws washing them selves, they were also a joy to watch wizzing around picking off the scraps dropped by generous tourists, they are really bonnie birds as well with a dinosaur / raptor look about them if that makes sense???...but i suppose all birds do in their own way

Chewey Goose! Just chilling....all the ducks / geese are a bit tamer in the area and they are more comfortable with the presence of humans. Even more so if they have food in their hands.

LTD on Windermere - I think it was confirmed as a first winter male...so some hairy fella told me down that way.

Canada drying wings

Well another great few weeks experiencing the fantastic wildlife around Cumbria. Im off to Isle of Mull on Sunday 6th March to work for the season as a Wildlife guide so my blogging will continue on a weekly basis from up there!

There will be some very different sightings included that you wouldn't really associate with the uplands of Geltsdale like Minke Whale and Basking Shark to confuse the readers but cant wait to get going and get involved with all the wildlife on Mull.

I will greatly miss covering all the wildlife in my area throughout the breeding season but I will keep track of all the progress happening and try and keep the readers informed.

Here is a little preview video of Sealife Surveys the company I will be working for based in Tobermory........http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CdZ9MpYm3y4........I might as well give them a decent plug to please my boss Jimbo and as I understand my blog is read globally world wide by literally 10s of people so I am now going to expect a huge increase in punters and interest for SLS in the coming season!