After an uneventful drive up to Oban, stopping in the Lakes and then at Loch Lomond for a bite to eat, we settled in to the B&B and took a stroll down to the sea front. Since we were last there, a new pub has opened near the ferry terminal, and proved to be a good place to chill out, absorb the atmosphere, some Doom Bar (travelled further north than us) and have a cheap meal.
An early night, short pitstop to Tescos and I found myself stifling giggles at the ferry terminal ticket office when a chap next to me said he fancied going to Oban for the day, only to be quizzically informed that he was actually in Oban. He meant Craignure!
The crossing was calm but the breeze was a bit chilly to be stood outside, so I watched the seas from the viewing lounge area, spotting a small flock of shearwaters at one point, and quite a few guillemots too.
On to the Isle once more, and I couldn't help but smile. I love the place, and headed straight to Kellan Wood to get my first fix of eagle action. As usual, didn't have to wait long to spot one of the adults sat in the trees, which got the ball rolling for the trip, Then it was time to try to soak up the place, scan Loch Na Keal for anything interesting, and return to childhood by poking around under rocks on the shore for crabs.
I didn't actually take any pics at Kellan - I have many already but I thought it would be wise to dig out the camera from under all the shopping bags, just in case. And this proved wise, when after heading elsewhere, I spotted a golden eagle sat on a hillside. Distant, but it took off and gave super views as it scanned the slopes for a meal.
Taking the scenic route around Loch Na Keal, we were starting the descent from the glen (Seilisdeir) between this loch and Loch Scridain, when something large, skimming the tops of the trees in the distance caught my eye. Pulling over, I got the bins on it, and then started a scramble for the gear from the back seat. Another golden eagle, and it was heading up the glen towards us.
It seemed to hang in the breeze, taking time to study the ground beneath, whilst remaining fairly high in the skies.
Then with almost no effort, it descended and flew past us along the side of the valley, before landing on some rocks. Never close, but wonderful to see and another reminder (not that it was needed) of how special this place can be.
I headed out after dropping Dad off at the cottage and emptying the car, for a last look around the loch before the sun set, seeing plenty of stonechats along the way, and a rather vocal buzzard.
Up early the next day, to see what I could find near the cottage, would be my routine for the next 2 weeks. As usual, nothing had stayed the same as previous years and I found it difficult to see either hen harriers or otters on my morning trips. The latter had apparently suffered a bad year for road fatalities, and I had noticed a number of new signs around the isle warning drivers to be alert for otters crossing. Plus they had been disturbed too often by over-keen wildlife watchers, and were favouring areas of the lochs that were harder to access for people. Add to this, the abundance of fish in the lochs, and spotting these characters was a real challenge, even on calm days. I lost count of the times when I saw a ripple, watched and realised it was the wake from a large fish, or saw a seal's head pop up nearby.
There were still plenty of buzzards around though, some flying off instantly, others content to sit and allow pics to be taken. And there seemed to be stonechats everywhere. If there was a clump of ferns, there was a stonechat sat on it.
So hen harriers and otters aside, the abundance of fish in the loch, apparently shoals of mackerel had been chasing whitebait into the fresh water areas and both were drowning, meant we often saw numbers of them washed up as the tide retreated, and of course this meant the birds, such as the gulls, hooded crows and herons were enjoying a feast of free food. The added bonus to this though, was that sat high up in the trees watching all of this, were the local white-tailed eagles, and as soon as one of the birds dragged out something large enough to be interesting to the eagles, one would swoop down and steal it.
This of course was sensational to watch each morning, provided the tides were right, and I would park and wait. If the eagles were in the trees, then I'd try for shots of them perched up, or watch and wait for the eruption of gulls from the shore, a sure sign an eagle was incoming.
One morning, an adult WTE landed very close to the car, on the seaweed to grab a fish. Backlit, but still incredible to see so close up.
And another morning, I had seen the birds go up, and back down. I took a look along the shore but failed to see anything, so wondered if the local sparrowhawk had spooked them. As I was about to drive off, they went up again, and I saw a juvenile WTE take off from the shore, and head along the road near me. Thankfully it chose to perch up, on a ledge next to the road, and I was able to pull up in a spot and get some wonderful shots.
It would have been some sight to the farm-worker who drove by (if he saw it) on his quad bike, the noise of which sadly scared the eagle enough for it to fly higher up into the trees, but not before I had taken a selection of images, showing just how huge the wings are on these monstrous birds.
It only took a couple of days for me to catch up with an otter though, and I managed to get some reasonable shots as it preened on a bed of seaweed.
But that was pretty much it, aside from a few distant views until later in the break. The white-tailed eagles however were proving to be fantastic to watch, and after working out where one of them liked to perch up, I prepared by working out where I could get a decent view of it from, without being too close (not much need with such a big subject and 700mm reach) or too low below it. I just needed some sunshine, which was a little annoying as the first 5 days of the break had been unusually sunny!
Watching the eagles feed from the shore provided not only entertainment but also some different sorts of shot to normal.
That said, when they headed back to the trees to eat the "catch", the images really resembled those taken from the Mull Charters trips.
Speaking of which... I'm sure anyone who reads these blog posts or knows me, realises how much I love going out aboard the Lady Jayne, and with 2 weeks on Mull I booked 2 trips. The first was actually postponed due to gales being forecast and sure enough it was very gusty that day, but sunny. Thankfully the sun remained and our first trip was a real joy.
As well as the usual gannets, gulls and shags around, I was chuffed to get some images of manx shearwaters, albeit at some distance.
After seeing the white-tailed eagles powering across the sea in front of us, we were in high hopes of a visit by the cliffs, but despite the offer of fish, and attendance of both gulls and gannets, no eagles materialised. Martin headed back to the loch and as we floated by the seal colonies, Martin joked to me about being used to no-shows (he almost barred me at one point after a couple of failed trips). Thankfully that must have been a coy plan, and tempted fate, as seconds later someone spotted a pair of eagles approaching high up. Fish offered, and down one came.
Normally when the fish is taken, the eagle departs to near their roosting site, but this one chose to fly past us, and landed on the rocks, close to some rather bemused seals.
It soon tore up the fish and was off again, flying up past our boat, gaining some height, before briefly circling and departing. Wonderful to see against the clear blue sky.
Shortly after the boat trip, we witnessed 3 juvenile WTEs circling and interacting high up over Loch Na Keal. It's impressive to see one eagle, let alone 3 in the same shot.
Our second trip on the Lady Jayne promised to be calm, though the skies were overcast. Unexpectedly though, once we were out of the shelter of Loch Na Keal, we realised there was quiet a swell and the boat was bobbing around like a cork. Alas there was very little around this time, but on reaching the cliffs, both adult eagles flew out to greet us. This, coupled with the overcast conditions and the boat moving around so much, made for very challenging conditions for photography. I had to reach out on a number of occasions to stop Dad falling over and tried to keep a firm grip on the rail to maintain my balance.
With both eagles present, you actually needed two pairs of eyes to watch each, but I picked up on the signs that one was going for the fish and thankfully the 100-400 & 7D combo locked on in time.
Being much closer to the action this time, I really needed the zoom factor of the lens, and used it to ensure the whole bird was in the frame as much as possible.
And seconds after the first came down, the other swooped in for its fish. Approaching from a higher angle, I was able to get on to it slightly more easily, and tracked it in.
Just before dropping down, the eagle twisted and gave me a wonderful view of the top of its wings.
Then I managed to miss the take, as the ladder on the back of the boat got in the way! Can't have it all my own way, can I?
Back on the cliffs, the eagles briefly sat beside each other, and made for a rather lovely sight.
Mull was certainly providing me with opportunities for the white-tailed eagles, but what of their golden rivals? Well, we didn't seem to have too much trouble locating them on our travels around the hills, but as ever, getting them close or in good light was a different matter. I lost count of the times I drove round corners hoping to see them closer after watching them sail over a hilltop or ledge, only to find they'd vanished entirely. I did get some luck on one occasion, but it was so overcast and gloomy, despite the eagles being close, I could get no real detail on them.
It was interesting watching them hunt though. One juvenile actually hung in the air above a pair of goats (or black sheep?) for a few seconds, but quickly lost interest.
Whilst on another visit, we saw one scaring the rabbits on the hillsides, though the eagle never seemed to get close enough to take any.
So what else was around during our stay? Well we saw lots of buzzards, heard and occasionally saw red-throated divers on the loch, masses of swallows, house martins, meadow pipits and pied wagtails. Huge flocks of goldfinch, linnet and I think twite on the hills between the lochs. Wheatears, siskins (on the feeders outside the cottage), hooded crows and ravens, and an osprey from the road to Grasspoint.
And I eventually bagged some shots of a sparrowhawk when it kindly perched up one morning.
Plus there were quite a few deer around, usually early morning or at dusk. Though we did catch up with a small herd near Grasspoint one day, including a dark coloured stag.
When the fine weather was upon us, I tried to get some more scenic shots, which will appear on my website eventually.
But what of the Mull Magic? To be honest the entire fortnight was magical, but aside from the boat trips, a few moments stood out.
During the first week, as we were watching the sun go down over the loch and hills beyond, I spotted an otter fishing near the shore. I went to the fence to watch a bit more closely, as did one of the guests of the hotel. Soon we were joined by the couple who share our love of the Isle and are usually around for one of our weeks, and we watched the otter diving and surfacing for a good half an hour. It was almost completely dark when we lost sight of it, but with the calmness and quiet of the evening, we could hear it crunching through the food it had caught, and exhaling as it surfaced.
One morning, as usual I was walking to my car from the cottage, and spotted something in the water near the shore of the loch. Another otter, and this time the light was there for photos, just about. I opted to track it along the side of the loch, playing statues when it surfaced and moving when it dived. I also stayed down wind from it and was eventually rewarded when it came ashore.
Once they have finished fishing, they take on a different attitude, and while still diving occasionally, they make a more direct line to where they plan to leave the water to their holt. I clocked this and guessed where it was aiming for. Crouching down amongst the boulders on the edge of the shore, I waited. The otter appeared closer than I had expected and with the silence of the morning, I didn't dare fire off any shots in case I spooked it. Besides it was so close I'd only get a head shot. Then it scrambled into the rocks maybe 30 feet from me, and vanished. That was that, so I thought, and stood up, stepping backwards on to the road.
Then it reappeared. Less than 20 feet from me, on the road. I stood frozen. It looked at me, then took a few steps forwards, stopped and looked at me again. I only moved my eyes to watch it. Then it just casually strolled across the road and off into the woods behind, leaving me with a huge smile.
And last, but not least, on the drive back from the pub in Craignure one evening, as we headed through the glen, with it getting pretty dark from the shade from Ben More, Dad quipped about us possibly seeing the hen harrier we had seen occasionally in the area before. Then we saw them. Sat on posts next to one another, beside the road were a ringtail hen harrier and a short-eared owl!
Coasting to a stop I prayed they wouldn't be scared off. The hen harrier hadn't read the script and took flight, but the owl sat still, long enough for me to grab a few shots at ISO 1000 and about 1/30th sec. Then before Dad could consider trying for a shot, the shortie too, departed.
Needless to say we tried the same spot at the same time on evenings after, but only once did I even see the owl, and then it was much further up the hillside.
So another fortnight in heaven came to an end. One filled with unusual amounts of sunshine, usual amounts of wildlife and as usual, left me wanting more. Roll on next year's visit...
After getting myself out of the doldrums with the flycatcher, I paid a visit to Lincolnshire where I caught up with some brown hares, including a youngster. Definitely the best images I have managed of these creatures to date, and a welcome addition to my galleries.
Later that day, whilst checking out the RSPB Freiston Shore reserve, I spotted several juvenile swallows resting on a fence, and being fed by the parents. More success with the camera. Things were on the up.
So on to Anglesey. Having only spent a day on the island years ago, before I had gotten into photography properly, it had become one of my most-wanted in terms of places to revisit. When Ann said she'd booked a static caravan for a week, I jumped at the chance to go, and dragged Dad along - he'd never even been there before!
The drive up wasn't great, mainly because I'd left it until 9am to start out, and got caught in the run-to-the-sun queues along the north coast of Wales. But once we had unpacked, we headed straight out to look around. After calling into several places, we found our way to RSPB South Stack, with me hoping for views of choughs, and also for Dad to see a puffin, at long last. And it was Ann who spotted my target beside the road on the way up the hill to the reserve.
Feeding in a horse paddock, a pair of choughs were busy digging out grubs from the ground, and gave great views for us as we got the cameras working for the first time on the trip.
Up at the car park, we scanned the skies, heather and sea below for interest. Dad broke his duck on seeing a puffin when I spotted a small group bobbing around on the water, but way too distant for a shot. Overhead were various gulls, though their calls were pierced by the wail of a pair of peregrines, no doubt scanning the area for something to catch!
The drive up seemed to catch up on me late afternoon, so we decided to head back to the 'van, stopping for some more chough shots along the way. The first impression of the island was really rather good.
Clear skies greeted us the next morning, so another tour was the order of the day, starting with a brief look around the RSPB Valley Wetlands reserve. Here the short walk from the car park was accompanied by the sound of sedge warblers, and the pools were busy with wildfowl. Some little grebes, catching our eyes.
With such lovely weather, I made a beeline to Cemlyn Bay, to see the tern colony. On arrival we encountered a lady who had managed to get her Fiesta stuck in the gravel on the car park, and wasn't going anywhere. With the help of another Skoda-driver who had some rope, I was able to use the Yeti to pull her free, much to her relief, no doubt. Good deed done for the day, we set off across the shingle beach, to set up near the pools behind it, to photo the terns coming and going over us.
In Shetland I was lucky enough to get shots of Arctic and common terns, so I was mainly after sandwich terns here, and there were plenty around.
The sea must be packed with fish as they always returned with food for the youngster waiting behing the beach.
Then came a period of real excitement, as a peregrine dived down from the skies, scattering the terns, and began to chase whatever it could find, for its dinner.
After several minutes though, it gave up and retreated to a nearby hillside for a rest. I turned my attention back to the terns, and enjoyed the challenge of following the birds as they came in high and low, from off the sea.
As well as the sandwich terns, there were common and Arctic too. All seemed to be doing well with their fishing.
The peregrine returned to action after catching its breath, and almost caught a tern, but lost grip, and the tern dived into the lagoon below. Eventually the peregrine headed out to sea, tried chasing some more terns there, before giving up and flying off towards the power station.
We followed, though we headed to Point Lynas instead, and were soon watching a family of kestrels as they hunted over the steep slopes beneath the lighthouse.
More choughs were feeding in the area too, and their frequent movements from one side of the headland to the other gave us opportunities of catching them in flight.
But I kept returning to the kestrels as they were using the sea breeze to hover, and constantly hunting.
I would have stayed longer but I could feel the skin on my face tightening - sunburnt already!
Wanting to perhaps get a closer view of the seabirds around South Stack, we opted to try again, though this time get there for opening time, and take a look at the island with the lighthouse on it. Again we spotted choughs around the fields on the way up to the RSPB car park, and again we took some more shots. Also around were stonechats, perched up on the vibrantly coloured heather.
The problem with reaching the lighthouse is the route down. A few steps. 400 of them, to be precise. It was ok going down, though the steep metal ones just before the bridge over were a bit dangerous with all my gear balanced on my shoulders. The other problem was after reaching the island, we realised that the place is basically set up for tours of the lighthouse itself, and not for views of the seabird colonies (it's not part of the RSPB reserve). After a while I managed to find some sort of view point by a fence, to look across at the birds, mainly gulls it has to be said. No sign of puffins other than those on the water, and they were obscured from view by the slopes of the island. If I'm honest, I would say that it wasn't worth the walk down, but I still got some shots of what I could see.
There were a few razorbills around.
Plus guillemots in greater numbers, with chicks. They are adorable, I must add. And I spotted some nesting fulmars almost hidden in nucks and crannies in the rock face, the odd kittiwake, and a few oystercatchers, some with chicks too.
If the walk down was daunting, the hike back up was grim. My legs were like jelly only about a third of the way up, and I used the excuse of stopping to look at the view several times to recover. We all decided after the trek that we'd not bother visiting the island ever again!
More chough pics on the way out, as well as some of the smaller birds on site (linnets, greenfinches and stonechats) and I was in need of a pint. We followed the road around the island and found a pub called The Pilot Boat Inn which served a lovely ale by Robinsons, called Blonde. Was most welcome, and from the beer garden we had a distant view of an estuary. It had to be explored, and after finding the right road down, Dulas Bay stretched out in front of us as we parked up at the Afon Goch estuary.
Curlews, godwits, gulls and shelducks were in good numbers, though sadly on the other side of the water, and with the heat haze we had no chance of getting anything worth keeping. Thankfully a pair of dunlin decided to feed on our side, and a careful approach yielded some decent shots.
Being such a lovely spot, we returned several times during the week, and of course popped into the pub each time too!
Aside from choughs and terns, I had read before going that the island has been running a programme to eradicate greys in favour of red squirrels, and after a few visits to different woodlands, we spotted them approaching feeders nailed to trees for them.
It was rather amusing in that the flip-up top lids of the feeders had been pecked / chewed open, yet the squirrels still tried to lift them up, almost being whacked on the head when it fell back, before going in via the obvious hole!
So where else did we visit? Well, South Stack proved to be a draw on a number of occasions, resulting in yet more chough pics. On one occasion, we had two that were oblivious to people nearby, busily digging in dirt to get at the grubs, and were so close I had to remove the TC to get a closer focusing distance.
Llyn Alaw proved to be a very calm spot; a huge lake with numerous birds on, though mainly the other end to where we were. Orchids all around, flowers and loads of butterflies and other insects, plus brown hares! And a kingfisher that refused to sit still for Ann to photo. Aberffraw looks to be perfect with its dunes and grasslands for owls and other birds of prey, but not when we were there, alas! Malltraeth is a good spot for watching waders, with good numbers of little egrets viewable from the bridge and also from the paths leading past the small lakes. Plus the RAF base was worth a viewing, with the jets landing and blasting off noisily, frequently.
And Cemlyn Bay tempted me back for another go at the terns, taking in views from the other side by the old ruins this time, seeing the seals out on the offshore rocks and a pair of whitethroats near the car park.
As before, the peregrines provided some additional excitement, with both an adult (successfully taking something) and a juvenile (having less luck) disturbing the colony.
Having found a great local pub (Groeslon Hotel) near our digs, we enjoyed superb meals and ale after each day out before heading back to the caravan to hope the TV might decide to work long enough to watch some of the Commonwealth Games. On our last night, Ann decided to order chips and a crumble with custard as her meal, much to the surprise of us all, including the bar staff, but it was probably wise, as the crumble was cool enough to eat by the time she'd polished off the chips!
The final morning was wet, so we didn't feel too gutted to leave. The island is about right for a week, at this time of year anyway. Maybe in Winter with some more migrants around it might warrant a longer stay, but for a week in July, in good company, fine weather and decent digs, it had been a good tonic for us all.
