Mull, Part One.

After the enjoyment of last year's trip to Mull, I had decided to return but for twice as long, as I found the journey too much to cope with for just the one week. Unlike last year, the drive up was rather uneventful and Dad and I had a few hours to mooch around Oban, take in a lovely sunset and try one of the local, seafront restaurants, before getting some kip at the B&B, ready for the morning's crossing to Craignure. The sailing over was pretty calm too and we were able to take in the views from the top of the ferry, though some showers forced us inside just as we reached the other side. 

Not being able to get into the cottage until 3pm, we headed straight for one of the white-tailed eagle nest sites, which had been so successful for pics last time, but this time, nothing. No birds even calling from back in the woodland. And so this panned out for the first day, with nothing of note being seen and worse still, in my excitement and relief at finally arriving at the cottage, I misjudged the entrance gate and put a deep scratch / dent in my car. Idiot. 

The day ended with some distant shots of both a male and female hen harrier hunting over the marshes, but way too far off for a decent shot. 

The first full day started as I meant to go on, with a get-up at dawn, leaving Dad to enjoy a lie in, and me driving over to the marshes. It turned out that the birds enjoyed a lie in too, as I didn't see anything for the first 90 mins of being there! The hen harriers showed briefly, but I had some more success with buzzards, perched up on rocks on the hillside of the loch. 

Having bought and read Dave Sexton's birding book about Mull, I was keen to try a couple of places he'd suggested, and one was Carsaig. The road climbs up from Scridain, through woodland and over the moors, before dropping rather steeply to the shore. Apart from a distant hen harrier circling the tops of the hills, we drew a blank, and headed back again, to try around the back of Scridain, and head north, looking at whatever caught our eye. 

Buzzards again, sat on posts. One even stayed still when we parked up, got out, took some shots, had a bite to eat and allowed Dad to walk pretty close up to it, before it flew off. And even then it was to another perch a few yards away! And we managed to break our ducks on seeing eagles, when a white-tailed flew over, albeit high up. 

Near the white-tailed eagle site were a pair of juveniles sat at distance on the hillside, way too far off for a decent photo, but it was good to know they were around. When they failed to entertain, we headed off again, and called in at a site I know has a decent chance of seeing golden eagles from. And what happened next was pure Mull magic. 

I spotted a golden eagle hunting along the ridge of the hills, and expected it to soar off, high into the skies like usual. It didn't, dropping down behind the hills perhaps after some prey. Looking all around, I eventually picked it up near where it had dropped, and it was low, flying along... towards us. Grabbing the cameras, we began to fire off shots as it approached, expecting it to change direction at any point, but it didn't. 

In fact, it flew right over our heads, so close I couldn't get it all in the frame! To say I was buzzing with excitement was an understatement and I still grin thinking about it now. 

Awesome - it was huge! It made its way up the hills from us, before vanishing over a ridge, and we didn't see it afterwards. 

The day ended as it started for me, hoping to see hen harriers over the marshes, but as usual, they kept well away from me. Swines. 

Monday was forecast to be wet, and so it proved. I was out early again (mad given the lack of light) though I saw the hen harriers hunting despite the poor, wet weather. Dad wisely opted to stay indoors, leaving me alone to waste diesel looking for something to photo. On the loch itself was a red-breasted merganser and as I followed her line of sight, I spotted 3 chicks preening on the edge, partially hidden in the seaweed. Never seen chicks before, so that was good. 

Over on the marshes, I got some half decent shots of the hen harrier, though the sharpest of course were those when its back was to me, or its face obscured. 

And I was pleased to see a pair of ringtails chasing each other. 

Given the number of predators in the area, I was surprised to see a pair of stonechats had not only avoided these hunters, but also brought up a couple of young, and they gave their location away with the familiar chattering sound. Both male and female showed well. 

Later, watching from a usual perch was the pale buzzard. It rarely stays still, so perhaps the weather had played its part, as it sat on the post while I took a few shots. 

And I even saw one of the ringtails perched on a post, and not a mile off like usual. 

While I was sat in the car, watching over the marshes, all the geese suddenly went up, and I wondered why. Then moments later, I saw a white-tailed eagle circling quite low, and another one on the ground, where all the geese had been earlier. I was a bit far to see clearly what was going on, but when the bird took off, it became clear that they had been hunting together, and the victim was a grey heron, hanging limply from the huge eagle's talons. 

I took a few shots as it powered off down the loch, and moments later spotted the other following. I chose to do the same, and drove around the back of the loch to the old RSPB view point, where I was taken by surprise when the eagle with the heron suddenly appeared from behind me, and headed off at pace towards the nest site in the woods. Again, I grabbed a few shots. Quite a surprise to find such aggressive and large birds as grey herons on the white-tailed eagle's menu! 

And not to be outdone, as I scanned the skies after the WTE had vanished, I realised a pair of golden eagles were high up, watching the events too, though they didn't come down, and sailed off up the coast. Not bad for a rainy day. 

Tuesday brought less rain, but stormier conditions; windy with blustery showers. The light wasn't bad though, so we headed over to Grasspoint for a look. In the harbour was a great-northern diver, but even when I braved the showers and gales to try to get a bit closer, the bird was almost impossible to lock on to, and I came away with some dodgy record shots. Shame, as it was in breeding plumage. Over the other side of the bay was a pair of WTEs hunting, and we thought it might be worth a go to drive over that way, to see if we could get closer. The road through Gorten leads to a dead end, but a parking area overlooks the bay and we tried from here. It was raining, so we were sat in the car. Dad, however likes a smoke on his pipe, so as the rain eased, he got out. Leaning back in, he says "What's this flying over us?". 

An adult WTE!! Another mad scramble for the cameras, and we bagged a few keepers before the eagle floated away out of sight. 

Both adults were around but it was a juvenile that surprised us. It was so low as it came over the hill behind us, and it seemed to look down at us as it went over. The rain didn't help trying to get shots, and the eagle filled the whole frame. Incredible to see one so close up. 

As the weather started to improve, we headed north to look around some more sites suggested in Dave's book. Croig reminded us of Devon somewhat, with the farming and lay of the land, and the harbour at the end was slightly Cornish in its appearance. Lovely, though quiet in terms of wildlife. Glenmore had potential, but seemed to be a favourite spot for folks from Tobermory to venture to, so was busy, relatively speaking. Again, nothing of interest there. Around at Calgary the beach was very busy, and we abandoned plans when there was nowhere to park. Turned out to be a good move, as a few miles around the headland, I noticed a couple of people looking skywards with bins, and caught a bit of conversation as I drove past, along the lines of "I'd never have noticed them there." 

A rapid 3-point turn and I was back to investigate. Very wise move. There was a pair of golden eagles, gliding on the on-shore breeze, above the hillside, hunting. Fabulous. One seemed rather tatty - it was either old or suffering a bad moult. Looked quite evil, actually. 

The other was in splendid condition, with a fiery golden crown, and rich dark brown feathers. 

While they never came as close as the one from earlier in the week, they were near enough for exceptional views and decent shots. 

They eventually decided to hunt elsewhere, and soared magnificently off across the bay over land where I could see no roads. Was a bit late to try the marshes when we got back so it was a night to review images and look forward to what Mull would serve up next. 

Stay tuned...

Great Things At Grimley

My word, it's been a while since I posted on here, which is terribly lazy. I kept meaning to post, but as it happened, kept going back to the same place, so postponed each time, in case I had something else to add. 

Grimley (Worcs) is a spot I have visited before, but on previous occasions I have considered it to be one for the birders, with scopes, to watch from a distance the goings on. I suspect I didn't give it a chance and after heading over recently to view the great white egret, I realise I may have been missing out on a cracking local site. 

The endless rains we had during Spring and Summer have flooded the meadows, so instead of being out on the edge, you can now walk right through the pools, on raised pathways, which is superb for getting closer to the species present. Though this sign has had me in stitches.

Anyway, the great white egret was what originally attracted me, and has now been "resident" for a couple of weeks, and really is a cracking bird to have locally. I have seen them before down in Berkshire and Somerset, but to have one so close is a treat. 

It is quite shy though, and I have managed to spook it a couple of times (sorry Carl!) when trying to approach it. That said, it also flies around a fair bit, so can be easily photographed.

Also present are 3 little egrets, and a fair few grey herons, all of which are making the most of the bonanza of trapped fish in the pools, and spend ages poking about in the shallows, snapping up the tiddlers. 

And there are a handful of common terns also making the most of the small fish, and I've not been as close to these since Shetland last year. 

The conditions must also favour insects, and aside from the swarms of horrid biting flies, there are masses of dragonflies and damselflies. And having a macro lens allows me to attempt to photograph them! 

Around the tops of the embankments are plenty of wildflowers, which attract butterflies, most of which fly off before the lumbering oaf carrying a camera can get close, but occasionally they allow me close enough for a pic. 

Dragonflies in abundance also can attract hunters, hobbies. I love watching and trying to photograph these agile birds of prey. They're a real challenge to photograph in flight, simply from the speed at which they whizz around chasing the insects, and also their habit of changing direction when least expected. You sort of need two pairs of eyes, one to use the camera, and the other over the top to follow where the bird is headed. 

The one that arrived when I was trying to get pics of the great white egret, is a juvenile (according to my more knowledgeable friends) and if I'm being honest, is what tempted me back to Grimley several times, for more attempts at getting shots of it. 

When the bird flies against the sky, focusing on it is a dream. Sadly they like to hunt low down often, so the AF on the camera really struggled to keep a lock on, and I had to alternate between manually focusing and using the AF. This again, is a benefit from having the AF on a separate button to the shutter release. 

Heading to Grimley has meant I've been limited to local sites, as afterwards I haven't the time or interest in driving miles to another site. Holt is nearby and while I didn't manage to see any spotted flycatchers at the church this year, I did see some local buzzards, which like perching atop of various posts.

Upton Warren is also reasonably close, and will definitely be a place to head again more now that they have a new hide at the Moors. That said, the Water Rail hide is again a hotspot for kingfisher-lovers, as several have been fishing from the perches laid out on the edge of the pool. While not as close as the Feckenham birds of recent years, they can still offer a chance of a decent shot. 

As was a kestrel over at Marsh Lane on my last visit. It seemed to favour the new fence posts laid along the tops of the embankments, and while it tested my patience a tad, to get it to land close, when other folks weren't around to spook it, it eventually did. 

And then chose to hover right in front of me, which was fab. Almost too close to photograph! 

But as mentioned at the start of this entry, Grimley has been the favoured location, and I'll be definitely going again, especially while these stars are around - look, all three in the same shot! 

Yes, I know. Lucky!

Pond Life And Macro Magic

Side-stepping from the usual focus of this blog, those of you who know me will have heard me for years, rabbiting on about getting a pond in my back garden, and at last, I stopped the talking and did the walking (well digging actually) earlier this year.

It's not massive - about 6 or 7 feet in diameter, with varying depths as suggested by various articles and websites I consulted whilst planning it all. Filled with a mix of tap and rain water (it poured down just as I was filling it up), I then waited a week or so for the chlorine to evaporate, before stocking with an array of oxygenating plants.

Then it was a case of letting nature take over, and boy has it ever!

Within a fortnight of the plants going in, newts moved in. I first spotted a bubble breaking on the surface, and then a sighting of a small tail swishing beneath the surface gave their presence away. There were three to start with, but two seem to have remained since then.

Not long after that, I saw a pond-skater, though only for a day. Snails have colonised it too, feeding on the plants and matter blown into the water from nearby. Various micro-organisms can be seen zipping randomly around in small groups, and then most recently, I realised the newts had been up to mischief and now there are dozens of newtlets swimming around in the shadows too.

Now, getting photographs with a telephoto lens would be tricky, as spotting the creatures means you need to be crouched right over the water, so while I had considered extension tubes for the 100-400mm, I had also been weighing up the idea of a macro lens. Specifically the 100mm, from Canon. An L lens, F2.8 with IS, which might help with my unsteady hands. I've never been much good with my 105mm Sigma. It would also allow me to photo all the insects I encounter whilst searching for birds to photograph!

With a free, sunny evening forecast the next day, I ordered from Warehouse Express. They're not the cheapest but offer next day delivery, so the following day I was chomping at the bit to get the lens, and into the garden for bug-hunting, and pond photography. That was until just after midday, when they called to inform me that it had been sent to the wrong depot. This the second time in six orders that they've b*ggered up delivery, and I wasn't happy. Not offering a refund of delivery, I had to ask for it, and then for confirmation of it to be sent before end of business that day, as apparently it had to be signed off by a manager.

Nothing, not until just gone midnight, when an anonymous invoice arrived, stating the refund would be credited in 5 days. I expect it'll take 6, as it'll be sent to the wrong place. No goodwill gesture, no follow up email. After spending over £1500 with them since 2010, they'll not be getting another penny from me.

The lens however is a gem. While the IS helps with the shakes, the problem now is movement between me and the subject, which means the focal point can miss the intended target, only by millimetres, but with a creature only a centimetre in length, can mean missing it entirely. A new challenge, but I like such things in photography.

As soon as I could get out with it, I did, and have been snapping away at insects, spiders and of course pond life.

The newtlets are a target, though focusing through water is almost impossible. When they come to the surface, it's more possible.

That said, when they're out of the water, it's easier still, as I found out yesterday with one on a reserve in Worcs.

More on that in the next Blog though...(don't worry, this won't become a macro blog - I still prefer bird photography!)

Frampton Marshes

At long last the rain that had plagued England and Wales for so long moved elsewhere, and I had a chance of a sunny day out. I chose to head to Frampton Marshes, as it's not a million miles from where I got the recent barn owl shots from, but also offered possible sightings of marsh harriers, and other birds of prey from "Raptor Corner", pin-pointed on a map, by Ian.

The drive up was pleasant apart from the fog in the valleys, though the Sat-Nav took me a different route to that expected, so kept me on my toes. Parking up past the main RSPB centre, the first sounds that greeted me were from avocets, taking flight to chase anything that was available to be chased.

It was calm, sunny and warm, and there weren't many folks around. I made my way along the raised bank to the corner Ian had suggested, seeing a kestrel and a marsh harrier along the way. Both too distant for pics, and it was from these sightings that I almost wished it wasn't so warm. Heat haze. It wasn't even 9am, and it was so bad it was affecting shots close to the ground from less than 30 yards.

There was plenty to see, with common sandpipers and both adult and juvenile avocets on the pools, various geese around and terns making the commute from the feeding grounds of the marshes back to the nesting areas near the hides. Plus the usual array of noisy gulls. It was from watching these that my attention switched to something else, hunting the marshes. A barn owl. I increased my walking pace along the bank, though I could see someone closer to it, which gave me hope that it'd not vanish as soon as I approached. Alas no, the owl was in fact spooked by the walker, who as I finally reached where the owl had been hunting, told me he'd managed to get within 50 yards of one earlier in the week, by creeping along. I was tempted to ask why he'd not employed the same tactic today, but I think with the haze, I'd have needed to be within 20 yards to have got a decent image.

While it was lovely viewing the areas across the marshes, and very warm, the horrid flies trying to bite and constantly flying in my eyes and ears, encouraged me to head onwards, and after a brief view of the map of the area, I headed to the narrowest roads I could find.

"Little bit of bread and no cheese!" alerted me to the presence of yellowhammers, and parking up near a hedge where the birds were calling from soon yielded some results. These birds glow on dull days, so it was a challenge not to blow the highlights on such a sunny one.

A bit further down the road, another song caught my attention and it was one I'd not heard since Uist, back in 2010. A corn bunting, who was initially sat singing on a telephone wire. Thankfully it relocated to the crops growing in the fields beside my car.

Lovely birds, which are sadly a rare sight these days.

Having exhausted my bottle of pop, I was gagging for a drink and there weren't any shops nearby, so I headed to the barn owl area, calling in at a garage along the way. Ice cold Ribena never tasted so good!

Ian and his parents turned up later, which made the wait for something to show up more entertaining. Plenty of great crested grebes on the river, small flocks of common terns danced by, and I managed to get a few shots of a little egret, trying its luck on the shore.

That was about the only luck we witnessed on the evening, as the owls, while they occasionally ventured out, were always distant, and seemed to be more interested in checking out the various buildings in the area. No signs of grey partridges either, though I did see a vocal male red-legged variety, cackling from a barn roof. And the hares as ever stayed away, limiting me to very hopeful long shots.

Though a juvenile pied wagtail took pity on me, and posed on a post near my car.

And just as the sun was starting to set, we spied a pair of young foxes, which didn't seem to know what to do, when a male pheasant wandered by. They were more interested in us, as we poked our big lenses out of the car window, to capture them, sat in the grass.

As before, on the way home we saw another barn owl hunting near a main road, begging the question whether we should move our hunting grounds there next time too?

Owls, Owlets And Otmoor

Followers of this blog will I'm sure be aware of how often I watch the local little owls, and at this time of year it's more entertaining than usual, as the chicks are out. For a few days before this last weekend, I had been deliberately taking a detour to pass by their tree, to see if anything was going on, listening out for the tell-tale screech, of a chick pestering to be fed.

During the week, I spotted an owlet hiding at the bottom of the tree, but only at dusk, so it wasn't really good for photos, but it gave me something to do at the weekend, and as it happened, I managed to get down there at Friday lunchtime for an early viewing. With the almost constant rain we have suffered lately, the verges beside the lane are boggy to say the least, and I was very glad of having the Yeti with its 4-wheel drive, to get me out of the mud, where I am sure my old Fabia would have got stuck.

Normally upon arrival, it's a challenge to locate the owls, but this time, one was sat out in the open on arrival. As is often the case with youngsters, they're not scared of humans; more curious, and after bobbing its head around a few times, it hopped on to a branch nearer to me, for a better look at me!

I had to roll the camera over to fit the little furball into the frame. Ignoring the shutter, it then proceeded to preen and clean for several minutes.

Only the return of one of the adult birds sent it back to hiding, and it vanished behind the trunk for a while. The afternoon was fantastic for viewing the parents as they were flying between the trees frequently, though they seemed to arrive back when you least expected it, and often when I wasn't looking, and I'd turn to see one sat nearby, glaring down at me.

Which is sort of what happened shortly after, when an adult returned with an earthworm, and passed it to a chick which appeared from nowhere, on the side of the main trunk. I saw it, but there was no way I could get the lens lined up in time, and all I saw was a rather pleased owlet licking its beak after scoffing down the worm. That would have been a superb shot, and as usual, I saw it, but failed to capture it.

Still, the owlet looked adorable sat there, and I took a few more shots.

Several more feeding moments occurred, but all below the hedge, out of sight. I'd just hear the screeching intensify, then silence, with the adult flying up to the branches to preen for a while. Mucky business getting worms on a wet day.

I managed a few more photos of one of the chicks (pretty sure there are only two of them) as again it perched very close, and with all the action, I thought it would be nice to share it with some friends. For once I thought the owls would be a dead cert for showing, and inviting friends over, from a few miles away, wouldn't be a waste of their time. We all agreed to aim for Sunday, as the forecast was for something called "sunshine".

So Saturday morning, I was keen to check on the owl family again, and expected to be treated to the same show as before. Hmm, I should have known better, as wildlife can never be guaranteed to perform, and for the hour I sat there, I saw only fleeting glimpses of the owls, adults or otherwise. I started to wonder if the plan for Sunday was a wise move after all. I did manage to get a few shots of a juvenile great spotted woodpecker, as it pecked and probed around the dead parts of the old oak tree.

Seemed to be well skilled in hanging on already.

Failing to see the bad omens on the owls, I then took the M40 down to RSPB Otmoor, on yet another attempt to see a turtle dove. I've been loads of times and the best I've ever managed is to hear one. The day continued where I'd left off from the owls. I saw masses of dragonflies as I wandered down the path. Using the 500mm isn't easy for such things, as you have to stand about 5 metres from the insect to get a focus (I need some extension tubes). So I got out the 100-400mm, turned around and it was like someone had hidden all the insects. Nothing. Not even when I poked the tripod leg into the shrubs. Put the camera away, and they appeared again.

I took a shot with the 500mm anyway. I think it's a female common darter, but I'm no expert. With all the dragonflies, there must be hobbies, right? Yes, but either perched half a mile away in the middle of the RSPB's conservation area, or even further away, high over my head. The Otmoor Blog had reported a few waders from the hide, so I walked down towards it, seeing and missing blackcaps, whitethroats and even a grasshopper warbler. They'd either fly off when I lined the camera up, or there would be something in the way of the shot. The only thing I did see for a second or two was a male linnet, singing from an overhead line.

Out of the hide window I could see.... a swan. Oh, and a grey heron on the far side of the field. Awesome. It was late, I was fed up and I left, once again dipping on turtle doves. No partridges or pear trees either, before anyone comments. There was a lone kestrel on the road out of Beckley, but it was raining by then, so nothing special.

Sunday, and a text from Ian meant I had to get up. I wasn't as fresh as I should have been, but Scotch whisky is rather nice, from time to time. As was the ale I'd had before it. Shortly after, Kate (WildlifeKate to viewers of Springwatch, Gardener's World, Midlands Today) confirmed she was also on her way, and we were soon parked up (all in the Yeti) beside the tree. The forecasters were right, it was actually sunny, which made the light quite tricky for photos.

No owls initially, but eventually one of the chicks put in an appearance, hopping round to the front of the trunk, and allowing both Ian and Kate to get some shots. Being the kind soul I am, I was sat on the other side of the car, so could only get the occasional shot, though I have a few already! Just as I was explaining the habits of the owls and that the adults often preferred to sit in other trees, Kate followed my pointing finger and spotted one of them sat in another tree! A great spot, and with her smaller 100-400mm lens, she was able to lean out the window and get some pics of it.

Sadly, unlike the Friday, the birds didn't put on that much of a show, with the owlet returning to the same perch each time. The light improved and Kate borrowed my lens for some closer shots. She wasn't too impressed with the weight of it though!

With only a couple of hours to spare, Kate had to reluctantly leave, and I spun the car round so I could view, with Ian still lurking in the back. One of the adults flew in, and sat on a dead branch which made for a superb perch. We again managed to miss a fab shot, when it flew off the side of the tree, hovered for a split second whilst trying to grab a flying insect, before returning once more. Was good to watch mind you.

Both of the chicks were now out in the tree, and we tried to get shots of them, setting the cameras up for darker images, with them hiding amongst the leaves. As usual, the adult timed it to perfection to return with a huge worm, and one owlet made the dash over to collect it. Both Ian and I blasted a dozen or so shots off, only then to realise we'd under-exposed the shots. Thankfully, not by too much, and the resulting images were actually pretty decent.

The adult actually puts the worm into the beak of the chick, then stands back on guard, whilst the youngster battles to eat the worm and not fall off its perch. Amusing to watch and made for a great set of shots.

The adult caught another worm later, and with the other chick screeching to be fed, ate the worm itself! Rather mean of it, and perhaps why these owls look so grumpy as they get older?

Summer weather soon returned, clouding over and the light became horrid. Ian and I opted to relocate to a nearby pub for a pint and a ham roll. He'd taken over 500 shots, most of them being keepers. Though he'll probably only process about 3 of them, knowing what he's like. A great morning, not just with the owls but also catching up with good friends. Had to get the car cleaned after though - was caked with mud!