tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80990813187332099512024-03-14T09:17:52.999+00:00Pete's Birding BlogAfter spending a couple of years building up a Bird Photo Gallery, I decided recently that I really ought to have some sort of blog to follow, alongside the images. So here we are. Hope you enjoy it.Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.comBlogger313125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-30046576118888575092023-12-04T13:20:00.005+00:002023-12-04T14:33:32.459+00:00Home in the Scottish Highlands<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It has been a while since I posted on here, which is disgraceful really. I tend to spend more time these days putting images and brief stories on my many Social Media feeds, so this has been neglected.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The last year has been eye-opening for me, both on a personal level and through my work. Living for over two years on the Isle Of Mull was in the main, incredible. The wildlife experiences I enjoyed and shared with clients and friends alike were at times breathtaking, but a number of factors contributed to me making the difficult decision to move again, this time to Inverness.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being based here offers me the chance to explore the whole of Scotland more easily, with the Highlands and Cairngorms on my doorstep. Mull is still just a short drive away (assuming the ferries are running), as is Skye and the east coast.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So now my work is mainly around the Scottish Highlands, especially in the winter months, for species like mountain hares, crested tits, red squirrels, red deer, red grouse, wintering wildfowl, snow buntings, waxwings and anything else that might be around.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The year offers such species as ospreys, gannets, grey and harbour seals, brown hares, roe deer, wildfowl and grebes, cuckoos and more. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And I'd be mad to turn my back on Mull, so I can run 2+ day workshops throughout the year there, for otters, eagles, hen harriers, short-eared owls and general wildlife. Having lived there for two and a half years, I have a great wildlife-diary in my head of what is around, when and where.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So without further ado, and any more waffling, here are a few images (in no particular order) from this year, taken on Mull and around the Highlands. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KUtEXdIIRL-TmUYshVvtkb02B6iIHFceiA3spoO22DC4XmFGddir6FVjR1Pr-iZz5wtdpc_g4YnuefIBlgCoFWzcWqKx2DSTEVxKpaI5ECoUDfTQwB3sQ00Mhopm40vnUqWFBj3pQIJzVo2zaj_LItGE_rFVQeh3_U61Kj5FxeDsGGVowNuedCTd48ds/s1520/IMG_2688j.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="1520" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9KUtEXdIIRL-TmUYshVvtkb02B6iIHFceiA3spoO22DC4XmFGddir6FVjR1Pr-iZz5wtdpc_g4YnuefIBlgCoFWzcWqKx2DSTEVxKpaI5ECoUDfTQwB3sQ00Mhopm40vnUqWFBj3pQIJzVo2zaj_LItGE_rFVQeh3_U61Kj5FxeDsGGVowNuedCTd48ds/w320-h223/IMG_2688j.jpg" title="Mountain Hare" width="320" /></a></span></div><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMspEuOZsyGqWlbpAH_bA1Te0p3v0T2gYZsA0SMhElOWXupP3pPiyXKDIXRCWKDuMfHknij6btwwKjp212YJU6ZC8Wcmd9do8-7S7jSAx3R0MHlFYuLkf-M-zdZh9I_Zz1V4ciRtuEnBKay8aMwvfY5yRvIPOgnewW58aKhcclbE1Lfx0jolmOwGEqYG8q/s1520/IMG_3680j.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1035" data-original-width="1520" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMspEuOZsyGqWlbpAH_bA1Te0p3v0T2gYZsA0SMhElOWXupP3pPiyXKDIXRCWKDuMfHknij6btwwKjp212YJU6ZC8Wcmd9do8-7S7jSAx3R0MHlFYuLkf-M-zdZh9I_Zz1V4ciRtuEnBKay8aMwvfY5yRvIPOgnewW58aKhcclbE1Lfx0jolmOwGEqYG8q/s320/IMG_3680j.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /></div><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I think that covers most of the year! The whales (fin and humpbacks) were from a ferry crossing I took to Stornaway and back, with friends late summer. It was astonishing what we saw that day, with porpoises, common dolphins, minke, fin, humpback and killer whales seen from the boat. </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you would like to join me for a workshop either here in the Scottish Highlands or on Mull, please email me, or visit my website for more information. </span><br /></div></div><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-88780442622425838132022-09-09T14:05:00.004+01:002022-09-09T14:08:38.047+01:00Where Did Summer Go? <font face="verdana">I normally write these blog posts into a text editor, format it all, and check it, before posting, but of late, I've been starting them, but getting distracted, and never completing them, so I'm writing this one straight into the Blogger itself, to ensure, hopefully, it sees the light of day.<br/><br/>
Summer never really materialised here. We had some nice weather in March and April, but after that, it was horrendous. I know, anyone who lives away from the west coast of Scotland will be saying that they had one of the hottest summers on record. Not here. Ours was one of the wettest and windiest, and it wiped out a large number of nests. In fact this year has been a disaster for breeding birds, from the poor weather to Avian Flu decimating parent birds and young alike.<br/><br/>
Not that any of the bad weather prevented me from working, and I did, for much of the time since my last blog post.Anyway, rather than mope about the rubbish weather and my workload, which let's face it, is my dream job, so I don't suffer, I'm going to focus this post on what the blog is called: <b>Birds</b>.<br/><br/>
I'm sure many readers find this blog from search engines, and expect to see posts about birding on Mull, so I ought to do more. Yes, I've seen lots of otter action, but this particular post is on the <i>birds only</i>.<br/><br/>
At the end of May, a group of gannets showed really well near Craignure, diving for what must have been a bounty of fish in the sea.
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Manx shearwaters ventured into the lochs in their hundreds at times, and I enjoyed some great views of them, from the Lady Jayne (Mull Charters) and even from the shore at times. And their presence brought predators, in the form of Arctic skuas.
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While elsewhere the populations of great skuas had been hammered by Avian Flu, on Lunga they seemed to be unaffected, and were busy terrorising the seabirds as usual. Because of the spread of the disease, the season for visiting the Treshnish Isles was cut short, but I still managed to squeeze in a few trips, and enjoyed the antics of the breeding birds.
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The puffins aren't the only stars there though. The shags were hiding as usual.
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And some of the razorbills refused to move away from their perches beside the path, so I took advantage of the close view.
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Bright overcast conditions led to some high-key shots being taken of the kittiwakes as well as the puffins.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4B1qw9en5Pw-N29LJ7vsspsZ0D4fArOhBaIN9L1N3Fk2u8W0cCzN5-Q93QdXkqUi5QfabzSQPMhGfXxqyOnbZbNg-SkX6BnNL94styit-S4Wh_k2GzhXzqR9UMDT2OjUQT4Subw6Vl9mpbyIt2Gpmrvsu8nBt-OWulu6gfFhB_Tv7tNyVCImph3CVw/s1220/IMG_4613j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1055" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4B1qw9en5Pw-N29LJ7vsspsZ0D4fArOhBaIN9L1N3Fk2u8W0cCzN5-Q93QdXkqUi5QfabzSQPMhGfXxqyOnbZbNg-SkX6BnNL94styit-S4Wh_k2GzhXzqR9UMDT2OjUQT4Subw6Vl9mpbyIt2Gpmrvsu8nBt-OWulu6gfFhB_Tv7tNyVCImph3CVw/s320/IMG_4613j.jpg"/></a></div>
Away from the Treshnish Isles, Mull itself offered up some incredible sights of birds, in particular cuckoos. At the start of the summer it was the adults that were grabbing my attention.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdt_bZGRuZnX29bz5ZF2peweBTN9i5moex1UC_I2O7EyFl_sDb6Ry0shZj5aJpLOaj2A64E7594OrawUTcZBdizn82HxasJUiWw3HNYY3ARU4JoXi8-rEfgYJ2PgvSElstPiNbV9iVsUsfXyxZjcxfLalVhA8MoSa0Hx4UmZry_H5_WNQWdGOVV99Zw/s1520/IMG_0313j2.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="976" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEdt_bZGRuZnX29bz5ZF2peweBTN9i5moex1UC_I2O7EyFl_sDb6Ry0shZj5aJpLOaj2A64E7594OrawUTcZBdizn82HxasJUiWw3HNYY3ARU4JoXi8-rEfgYJ2PgvSElstPiNbV9iVsUsfXyxZjcxfLalVhA8MoSa0Hx4UmZry_H5_WNQWdGOVV99Zw/s320/IMG_0313j2.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs1_kwszVF2eHHxGJmq_6RfPamW_VWBNUIu-s-gTpiYGXbmVdsBcLJxovpWQm7syM0fwV1s1KkMqeV4dC_6Pzcu3-kCVOLmsGbk6_Q8tPEi4SfT5_a8IvGxrafc7gd4z7na4D_aekiYKUkAqiG6aFP40JUWjyt4iOYGjfFz3UMMwKTJpVwZ5rtLe_kg/s1520/IMG_0351j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUs1_kwszVF2eHHxGJmq_6RfPamW_VWBNUIu-s-gTpiYGXbmVdsBcLJxovpWQm7syM0fwV1s1KkMqeV4dC_6Pzcu3-kCVOLmsGbk6_Q8tPEi4SfT5_a8IvGxrafc7gd4z7na4D_aekiYKUkAqiG6aFP40JUWjyt4iOYGjfFz3UMMwKTJpVwZ5rtLe_kg/s320/IMG_0351j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m0kCjXqlR5YfOrKWCChNoLmX9qOw_iBexgO19tHXY2CU7s2lAIO0M4SDSLQ7baFL2uLH2D1cOguN5iRinCBueEmRjwczdeMFLVR3pdL1vk6CtfDgYXj6W0tgdYNsKNp0SRUPN8pydOzS40_53kYSkGov1dNBiMrqWnqEmCriC_zl0zv5IktOrGETyA/s1520/IMG_0449j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="893" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8m0kCjXqlR5YfOrKWCChNoLmX9qOw_iBexgO19tHXY2CU7s2lAIO0M4SDSLQ7baFL2uLH2D1cOguN5iRinCBueEmRjwczdeMFLVR3pdL1vk6CtfDgYXj6W0tgdYNsKNp0SRUPN8pydOzS40_53kYSkGov1dNBiMrqWnqEmCriC_zl0zv5IktOrGETyA/s320/IMG_0449j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO16dt74YHYmyu7WqbyqgpspPTzxe0h5Wnt9zp3pVZy8lVsDVar9WDtmWnH_YdST35VXO9XZeHyQs430LoGpKILG2hoaZU1jZcnbB_PgDt4aPKi4X8Jc9DgeeC8csslEhvmLqigL8iwwqgUNiEXEXFQLr8nYgwZLBbDcF_pU9kaM3RHhxWD4h1nw16Q/s1520/IMG_0773j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="867" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghO16dt74YHYmyu7WqbyqgpspPTzxe0h5Wnt9zp3pVZy8lVsDVar9WDtmWnH_YdST35VXO9XZeHyQs430LoGpKILG2hoaZU1jZcnbB_PgDt4aPKi4X8Jc9DgeeC8csslEhvmLqigL8iwwqgUNiEXEXFQLr8nYgwZLBbDcF_pU9kaM3RHhxWD4h1nw16Q/s320/IMG_0773j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP8hPrd_4PAihYZV1ezGCgHfhHKJQTAIQR_W5l86RyW2vySka0uy74_2HlN-ZX8m8a58P3Q5r7N0rrw-ZEwAuT45n1gtW8CVALR15MdkcnxDMo8y6I9DrsngW9w8tdaeS3plMm63tjFhFHbM1MjmCEx1cJnSCobynG9HgTKYifSaxIpdCxsKvgRfnnA/s1220/IMG_2788j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuP8hPrd_4PAihYZV1ezGCgHfhHKJQTAIQR_W5l86RyW2vySka0uy74_2HlN-ZX8m8a58P3Q5r7N0rrw-ZEwAuT45n1gtW8CVALR15MdkcnxDMo8y6I9DrsngW9w8tdaeS3plMm63tjFhFHbM1MjmCEx1cJnSCobynG9HgTKYifSaxIpdCxsKvgRfnnA/s320/IMG_2788j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nrOAfDrDWpmzXsXnEMq3_ACwr1aXBDALroPGWC233EFE1qzXaXPwqJIbDhgFny38QUIhvYWT6k-GMU6GJQtHvM-mFmXFTVeuto0dpd78iltcK05qRyUzyB9twsN9IV2GCQ9abX5e17On9gQGQ5TOEhR4UBt-Sh6cSKpzACWbD5WD5OOaa22L4N97eQ/s1520/IMG_7567j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="896" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2nrOAfDrDWpmzXsXnEMq3_ACwr1aXBDALroPGWC233EFE1qzXaXPwqJIbDhgFny38QUIhvYWT6k-GMU6GJQtHvM-mFmXFTVeuto0dpd78iltcK05qRyUzyB9twsN9IV2GCQ9abX5e17On9gQGQ5TOEhR4UBt-Sh6cSKpzACWbD5WD5OOaa22L4N97eQ/s320/IMG_7567j.jpg"/></a></div>
And by the middle of summer, their offspring absolutely stole the show.
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Migrant visitors showed well too, including whinchats and spotted flycatchers.
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After the amazing days seeing the great northern divers before they left to breed elsewhere, it was a treat to find one that was just beginning to moult, after the breeding season. And it was very confiding.
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Encounters with the eagles were always a treat. Sadly the weather caused havoc with the golden eagles' breeding success, and Avian Flu seems to have killed fifty percent of the white-tailed eagle chicks. Hopefully the adults have some resistance to it, and will survive to try again next year.
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAm1oc4QJtuv7fs7XaURod_N2JVcUc7HDaQ8C1RB_waHOK7ecejOpl_2Knpr-q0nuxqCuaz8Lv5c96vjokTF-s_v3E85d84C9ruhsbOU_3ulOtpUYRI8MtDdEvkxlS33HPI8H2IVcuZNtn1aBacnreFCX0iAl5wZhzcJ5d-Au0GdQ-wGL7SD36jVlnA/s1520/IMG_7406j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="956" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqAm1oc4QJtuv7fs7XaURod_N2JVcUc7HDaQ8C1RB_waHOK7ecejOpl_2Knpr-q0nuxqCuaz8Lv5c96vjokTF-s_v3E85d84C9ruhsbOU_3ulOtpUYRI8MtDdEvkxlS33HPI8H2IVcuZNtn1aBacnreFCX0iAl5wZhzcJ5d-Au0GdQ-wGL7SD36jVlnA/s320/IMG_7406j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL4TYoKLfF4pP-tPK1g51NQsI56vsIWsLyxA-3QWDtdbAZe7gOPaHbSgAquAei14AkbzLf0Kaef-CB8DnFaaw9ayd3IGYl2egje3TM4MQ4joPaeKJj_q5nPxN-BBLlKbtMAEfs6tP78GciX6o8xaMwALzNKiKmK3XM2Mt3Qb50ifF5DyMHYlpKVE0pA/s1520/IMG_7774j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="980" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisL4TYoKLfF4pP-tPK1g51NQsI56vsIWsLyxA-3QWDtdbAZe7gOPaHbSgAquAei14AkbzLf0Kaef-CB8DnFaaw9ayd3IGYl2egje3TM4MQ4joPaeKJj_q5nPxN-BBLlKbtMAEfs6tP78GciX6o8xaMwALzNKiKmK3XM2Mt3Qb50ifF5DyMHYlpKVE0pA/s320/IMG_7774j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl86rP003Dl3ZXj3etp-WJQVfFOP5z97dxea0q1Q9FO2XPmY2k5-kEEiv_tW6FhVkBwGDRrv1lkPRWKlelwv-4LR4sCmYvJPJaEVf1q6lwE4nivvkvXSpM1ikNdjr7JbpcbrqRQrfukO8lmU7D_mIewY3TRVxPusP6YdkDQx9D-dL1f8CXVEQBsV2RWQ/s1220/IMG_7778j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1091" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhl86rP003Dl3ZXj3etp-WJQVfFOP5z97dxea0q1Q9FO2XPmY2k5-kEEiv_tW6FhVkBwGDRrv1lkPRWKlelwv-4LR4sCmYvJPJaEVf1q6lwE4nivvkvXSpM1ikNdjr7JbpcbrqRQrfukO8lmU7D_mIewY3TRVxPusP6YdkDQx9D-dL1f8CXVEQBsV2RWQ/s320/IMG_7778j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFS-IGrxILomzK2Gx1vFh9VgS5qOH_6_074vcKDUrpttpzT41GmlOsmEKWV0M_MSMEyVHwBRmWq7KaRdHb4IZlPkwGcDKp5nlGwIulcT9LAfD5Xuxy_hZZwwYeRgA0VOBipw1dkPvCEKIf_j8V7gkeuH9waPa9n9e9HX8DBThZp64uhWFVO3Wb_kQiA/s1220/IMG_7796j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOFS-IGrxILomzK2Gx1vFh9VgS5qOH_6_074vcKDUrpttpzT41GmlOsmEKWV0M_MSMEyVHwBRmWq7KaRdHb4IZlPkwGcDKp5nlGwIulcT9LAfD5Xuxy_hZZwwYeRgA0VOBipw1dkPvCEKIf_j8V7gkeuH9waPa9n9e9HX8DBThZp64uhWFVO3Wb_kQiA/s320/IMG_7796j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYUiJTqfClbPUDCcjCbZXbYBneoDjpGvGL6Vc8BwNNHwuHLoT0DDlXC8pRVfkNLcR9BMlpbdt_HzLyqGIjmmkdchV870pFVVBaqwnYw8yUYNXXVNX6E_DGRGfjKYZ6gqv2e4JvvutcNhQFDLm550Go0UXAS40Xmw_YuOFmTMsKyHuHArBtWB2DhiIJw/s1220/IMG_7810j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1220" data-original-width="1043" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzYUiJTqfClbPUDCcjCbZXbYBneoDjpGvGL6Vc8BwNNHwuHLoT0DDlXC8pRVfkNLcR9BMlpbdt_HzLyqGIjmmkdchV870pFVVBaqwnYw8yUYNXXVNX6E_DGRGfjKYZ6gqv2e4JvvutcNhQFDLm550Go0UXAS40Xmw_YuOFmTMsKyHuHArBtWB2DhiIJw/s320/IMG_7810j.jpg"/></a></div>
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And the white-tailed eagles continued to visit the Lady Jayne.
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While most of the nests were wiped out by the wet weather, I did see a few short-eared owls around Mull, usually early evening.
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A raptor I rarely see on Mull also turned up late summer, a merlin.
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And hen harriers were busy hunting all spring and summer, often giving even me, someone seemingly cursed with them, great views.
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And a raptor more frequently seen gracing the garden, the sparrowhawk.
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A bird I kept hearing but struggled to see, put in a couple of appearances too. Golden plovers. Beautiful birds.
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A bird I often look out for, sitting on lofty perches, is the common snipe.
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One of the sounds of the summer for me here on Mull, is the chatter from the swallows and martins.
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To wrap up, here are a few birds I've seen locally, mainly in Dervaig. I'm still hoping to get a closer view of the local kingfisher, but the osprey and curlew sandpipers showed really well. The red-breasted mergansers are frequently around.
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And that brings me up to date with a selection of images of the birds I've had the pleasure of watching over the late spring and summer, here on Mull. </font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-1759001400144558762022-05-15T12:23:00.000+01:002022-05-15T12:23:31.830+01:00April Workshops, Scares And A Bat<font face="verdana">April saw the workshop season for me really take hold, with much of the month out with clients searching for the wildlife encounters they'd dreamed of. Of course, this isn't a Disney film, so reality deals a different hand each day, but the majority of days out saw rewards for my punters.<br/><br/>
Otters are very much the favoured subject for workshops and after the struggles in March, this month was very much back to normal, and we enjoyed some cracking encounters.<br/><br/>
What was very refreshing for me though, as a birds of prey fanboy, was the amount of workshops booked to look for them. After posting my images of the hen harriers skydancing and hunting in March, a new client contacted me asking if he could make a late booking to try to see them, as he'd traveled around the UK hoping for a decent image of a male hen harrier, but had sadly had no success.<br/><br/>
He was in luck, and was left speechless after the first hour of the workshop, when we had a male quartering a meadow in front of us for nearly 45 minutes! Day two of his workshop saw him nail the shot of his dreams and left him lost for words again. We also enjoyed fantastic views of an otter later, and a sighting of a great northern diver whet his appetite for another workshop later in the month.<br/><br/>
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I'm lucky in this business to have some good friends who share the same obsession and career, and one of them, Andy Marshall, contacted me asking for my help. He'd promised a young lad that he'd run a workshop on Mull to show him the wildlife there, but a bout of illness was preventing Andy from traveling to Mull. Could I squeeze in a workshop to help out? They were in luck, and I had a day available during the week that the family were here.<br/><br/>
If a certain Danish lager company did workshops, this would certainly be up there. We started the day seeing a short-eared owl, and then continued it with a sensational otter encounter, and proceeded to see both species of eagles plus hen harriers. It was a golden day, and the smile on the young client's face (and his mum's) was priceless!<br/><br/>
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At one point, after we'd taken some decent images of the otter we were tracking, I suggested we get well ahead and lie beside the shore. The wind was favourable and I hoped we'd get a close encounter. As it was so close, I asked his mum to hold back, and just the two of us lay down, with him right on the water's edge. <br/><br/>
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Luck was on our side and the otter approached, through the seaweed where we could get shots, before swimming right past us, almost at touching distance. I whispered to him to simply put the camera down slightly, and just watch the otter go by, which he did, barely able to control his grin. And unbeknown to us, his mum videoed the encounter on her phone. Fantastic.<br/><br/>
Around the time of my birthday saw Kate arrive for a week. She's visited us before and loves it here. That week saw a return to Iona for me, which was a first for her and understandably she thought it was just stunning. Another sunny day spent sitting on or strolling round the beaches of the small island. <br/><br/>
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My birthday itself was rather eventful. Kate enjoys an early morning jog with her dog, Wren. I was still in bed when my phone began to buzz. It was Kate and she was really panicking. Wren had possibly been bitten by an adder and had taken a bad turn. Within minutes I'd driven down to collect them, before contacting the local vet and hurtled them over the hills to have Wren checked out. Not a bite, in fact nothing wrong with her at all, from what they could tell, thankfully.<br/><br/>
Aside from unusual birthday "treats", we enjoyed a brilliant encounter with an otter. It was actually hilarious at one point, as the otter was hunting around a large boulder on the shore, and we couldn't see it at times. I kept glancing at Kate to see if she had a view, and spotted the otter sitting on a rock behind her, munching on a small crab, and she'd not realised it. I almost burst out laughing.<br/><br/>
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After that, we crept round the shore, Kate sitting half in a rockpool and me lying right on the water's edge, and enjoyed a cracking few moments as the otter popped up through the seaweed and munched on some prey.<br/><br/>
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Probably the most unusual moment came when we were driving back home one day, early evening and spotted a bat flying in the daylight. It turned out to be a Daubenton's bat, and because we had our "smaller" lenses on, we could grab some shots as it flew around and attempted to perch on trees and walls.<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-XLWBozjl9TkKV6jTiran3QMEyLWNDk-nmG7TKx-AqON7QL16OlKQvhpgmMtHowzkzFjbc5Tgs9qS6jiqAJQJhCg5HsWzGJ6RyWO8wsFRXt3g5fSxbhZ756IPESiRYiLvrlNSaEDa9rPGwcw8g5GId_HkDKuSr3BpNxlFPjf-kl19z9HUKrAJU0Nqg/s1520/IMG_6846j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="958" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge-XLWBozjl9TkKV6jTiran3QMEyLWNDk-nmG7TKx-AqON7QL16OlKQvhpgmMtHowzkzFjbc5Tgs9qS6jiqAJQJhCg5HsWzGJ6RyWO8wsFRXt3g5fSxbhZ756IPESiRYiLvrlNSaEDa9rPGwcw8g5GId_HkDKuSr3BpNxlFPjf-kl19z9HUKrAJU0Nqg/s320/IMG_6846j.jpg"/></a></div>
Thankfully the combination of the R5 and 100-500mm lens worked well and I managed some flight shots.<br/><br/>
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I always find these weeks when friends visit seem to fly by so quickly, and this was the case with Kate. She left with some fantastic images of some of the wildlife, such as the great northern divers and even some of the garden birds, like the vibrant siskins that are visiting the feeders at the moment.<br/><br/>
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The end of the month saw a couple of challenging workshops with otters, where we struggled to see anything on one day, frustratingly. A reminder that as good as Mull is, it's not a zoo, and the wildlife doesn't always put on a show. <br/><br/>
It also saw an unusual sighting of ospreys here in the north of the island, and I managed not only to see the pair diving and catching a fish, but also seeing off a passing white-tailed eagle!<br/><br/>
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After one of the disappointing workshops, as one client was staying on the island for a while, I offered him another chance, just to come out with me for a day (on a rare day off) to see if we could break his curse with seeing otters. Initially we targeted great northern divers, and with flat, calm water on one of the lochs, the images were stunning.<br/><br/>
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Then his curse was lifted, we encountered an otter, enjoyed some fantastic views and he got the shots he'd hoped for. <br/><br/>
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Like the end of April, May promised to be very busy for workshops, which is a theme right through to late summer. And I'm very glad of that too, after the last couple of years.</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-8090212205056871952022-04-03T17:42:00.000+01:002022-04-03T17:42:00.694+01:00March, Frog-Eating Otters And Awesome Raptors<font face="verdana">
I had barely had time to unpack from my Highlands trip before I was back running workshops for otters here on Mull. Those run at the beginning of the month went well, but while I was out walking on a day off, I spotted the dreaded frogspawn. Why is it so feared? Well, this indicates the start of what we otter guides call "Frogging Fortnight" and refers to a period of time, usually around two weeks, where the frogs spawn.<br/><br/>
Most otters that visit the sea lochs here on Mull, do so via quite a hike from their holts, which might be a couple of miles from the shore. As they scamper along, they will pass through meadows, woods and through bodies of freshwater, and if they encounter something else they can eat along the way, then they'll not bother going all that way to the loch. So, imagine their delight when they spot a pool of frolicking frogs, effectively a soup of frogs for them to gorge themselves on.<br/><br/>
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I've seen signs of it at a pool not far from home, where otter spraints are abundant as are entrails and bits of frogs left from the attacks. Great for the otters. Rubbish if you're trying to find some for photography! But we made the best of it, and I was happy to have Andy staying with us for a week early in the month, while he ran a workshop himself. It made the evenings far more enjoyable when we could dine out and have a good laugh about things, discussing sightings and where might be best for finding and photographing otters.
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So when I wasn't running workshops, I targeted something else, something I moved to Mull to watch and photograph. Raptors.<br/><br/>
Having invested in a new RF 100-500mm lens for my mirrorless camera, I felt more comfortable going for long walks with just that in the bag. Before, with the 100-400mm lens, I always felt like I might miss out with an encounter, by being short by a few mm's reach. This meant I could scramble up the hills in search of harriers and eagles, and not fear for my safety when lugging around the big prime lens. It was great, and I was rewarded pretty quickly.<br/><br/>
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I hadn't actually gone looking for eagles. I was exploring an area where I thought might be good for adders, slow-worms and lizards, but my eyes soon drifted from the vegetation skywards when I spotted a golden eagle hunting along the ridgeline above me. After it drifted out of sight, I climbed the hillside, and crouched between some boulders, hoping it might return. It did. And flew right over my head. <br/><br/>
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Fantastic. <br/><br/>
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It even came back again, although it was against the sun, so the images didn't really work, but what an encounter.<br/><br/>
A raptor that has teased me for years now is the hen harrier. Every holiday I spent here on Mull would see me spending hours, dawn and late evening, waiting at harrier hotspots, hoping to get a close encounter, and I can count the number of those I enjoyed on one hand. <br/><br/>
When I spotted several harriers circling over some hills, I decided it was high time I put in some serious time with them, and with perfect conditions for a few days, I set up in a meadow, sitting beside a rock for a bit of cover, in a load of (probably tick-infested) dead bracken, and waited.<br/><br/>
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My goodness was it worth it. I watched up to ten harriers at a time hunting, circling and at times performing their stunning sky-dances. I had males "giggling" overhead, then swooping and soaring, against perfect blue sky. <br/><br/>
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Battles between males and females, and between rivals of both genders. <br/><br/>
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And chases between birds when one returned with a meal. <br/><br/>
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And it wasn't just hen harriers around. There were white-tailed and golden eagles, kestrels and buzzards, and for me, an absolute highlight, short-eared owls. <br/><br/>
It was late in the day and not a great deal had happened for a few hours. Everything was distant, so I had considered leaving. But I figured I ought to see the day out and sit tight, and boy was that a good move. One of the raptors hunting not far off was different, and I soon recognised the flight of a short-eared owl. It perched up on a fence post, and as it was so quiet, I decided to try to squeak it. As is often the case, it seemed to ignore the sound I was making. <br/><br/>
I glanced away from it, to see if any of the harriers were flying nearby. Then looked back and realised the owl had flown off. Where though? <br/><br/>
I looked down the side of my lens and realised it was flying right at me. Thank goodness the camera locked on, and because the R5 is silent, didn't spook the owl as it virtually flew down the lens. <br/><br/>
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It realised at the last second that I wasn't a meal, and flew over my head. But I'd nailed some cracking shots by then.<br/><br/>
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And as it flew by later, it gave me one of those stares that only they can do. I just love them.<br/><br/>
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The end of the month saw my dear friend Lyndsey arrive for a week's holiday, staying with us, here in Dervaig. I don't think she's ever visited Mull in March before, so it was going to be new, and fun, and thankfully the great weather I'd enjoyed during the week before she came, remained in place.<br/><br/>
Needless to say, after seeing my shots of hen harriers and short-eared owls, some of her time was spent in the same spot as I'd used, and while we didn't get a ludicrously close encounter with the short-eared owls, we did see some breathtaking sky-dances from the harriers, which put a smile on her face that only special wildlife encounters can do. That expression of unbridled joy from friends and clients alike, at seeing something magical like the sky-dance of hen harriers, never grows old.<br/><br/>
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We had encounters with otters, including one which we spotted when driving along, and I selflessly used the car to distract the otter's attention, while Lyndsey crept down the shore nearby, to get her shots. And it was lovely to see a mother with a fairly grown-up cub on another day. <br/><br/>
The breeze that had kept the heat haze away the previous week had all but died off, so we focused on subjects that were close, and were really fortunate to find (Lyndsey spotted them) two neonate adders basking out in the open. These tiny brown adders would have been born last August or September, and she amusingly named them Baldrick and Blackadder. <br/><br/>
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She also managed to nail a shot I've been after for years, with just the eyes of a toad protruding from the water of a small pool. I had been trying for the same shot earlier but each time they surfaced, they would face side on, or swim off. When she lay down, one popped up, then swam towards her for a better shot. Unbelievable, if somewhat amusing... <br/><br/>
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But her break wasn't just for wildlife, so with the forecast set for a warm, sunny day, we travelled the length of Mull, down to visit the Isle Of Iona. It's difficult to describe, but Mull itself doesn't really feel like a seaside, holiday location to me, even though there are loads of beautiful beaches. But Iona has a different feel to it, and strolling along with ice-creams, it felt like being on holiday. We needn't have taken the cameras, as we spent the time admiring the views and scanning the shoreline for cowrie shells, with one beach proving to be a real hotspot for them. We found hundreds! <br/><br/>
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Visits to other beaches here on Mull yielded great sessions with ringed plovers and other birds, such as pied-wagtails. <br/><br/>
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I love having friends come to visit me here on Mull, and while I tried to savour every second of the week, it was over in the blink of an eye, and we were into April. I bid farewell to Lyndsey after we'd enjoyed a morning of watching lapwings do their thing in mid-air, testing the capabilities of both the R5 and the R3 (Andy had kindly lent Lyndsey his new toy), and the new 100-500mm lenses. Both fared well, it would appear. <br/><br/>
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(Wildlife)Kate is here soon, but in the meantime, I need to turn my attention back to running workshops, and hope those amorous frogs and toads have finished, and the otters are back to normal. Fingers crossed...</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-68981010113024576152022-03-24T13:41:00.000+00:002022-03-24T13:41:59.143+00:00Winter On Mull And A Return To The Highlands<font face="verdana">With the house move, self-isolation and then lockdowns, last winter was anything but normal. I had hoped to take time out for myself over this January and some of February for my own photography here on Mull, but aside from a couple of days early in the new year, the weather was dire. When we moved here, the winter weather would alternate between a fortnight of wet and windy conditions, to being calm and sunny for the next couple of weeks. Not this past winter, when it seemed to be raining almost all the time. <br/><br/>
So when the sun did put in an appearance, I was out and about, checking in on the otter families and individuals I've come to know, and always on the look-out for something to point my camera at, especially the white-tailed eagles, that often look for food around the shores of the lochs early morning. <br/><br/>
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I'm hoping next winter sees a few more workshops during January and early February, as the island is quiet in terms of visitors, and while the days are short and the weather can be challenging, the amount of encounters I enjoyed with otters was incredible. And I had them to myself. <br/><br/>
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I also took a few walks around areas of Mull that I'd not really explored before, such as Loch Ba. This is a large freshwater loch behind the Knock Estate, and while it didn't yield an enormous amount of wildlife for photos, I did see a few goldeneye on the dark waters, plus a white-tailed eagle, as I was strolling along.<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc4ISX8-9niEFEvrCrjDxDrxXj-teVbruG46VezVfKRFo6gsHlkaURpEF8584hMh3ysGGxescHm0Z4i7WUvmLEHUvtJmAS3EGbZeOY7107BIhsNlaE5cSDHUVvcBKTfOZRe-ireTqPMvRAN7aiPXS4aGsY9xRekaOrWG8UPraq93O2xbTZXWMhdikWA/s1520/IMG_6424j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="918" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrc4ISX8-9niEFEvrCrjDxDrxXj-teVbruG46VezVfKRFo6gsHlkaURpEF8584hMh3ysGGxescHm0Z4i7WUvmLEHUvtJmAS3EGbZeOY7107BIhsNlaE5cSDHUVvcBKTfOZRe-ireTqPMvRAN7aiPXS4aGsY9xRekaOrWG8UPraq93O2xbTZXWMhdikWA/s320/IMG_6424j.jpg"/></a></div>
Other birds seen during the winter included whooper swans, this time on the Mish lochs, and on a lovely calm day, when the waters looked black. The sound of them calling echoed through the glens - it was magical.<br/><br/>
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A bird I'd never seen on Mull before also put in a brief appearance; a kingfisher. He was fishing on the tidal river near Lochdon from the large boulders that litter the shore. <br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfvY6C2kvfzxJLut4sWBGRWMSkA1QWdht55jUFq03OPC1hQGvEO_g2uGNGWSdrDVRPDhKPREdK9FpRQ00CO4SXoAy1Tit4-c-FXFyAJBQOlOoyvL2YQr7SjWVqMKDg0zx15N9k5ZQ2UNmrtxgQzWyP0_GoJUGkTVHABVR4J8JfuErQcRwERe6xgPl5Q/s1120/IMG_1615j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="1120" data-original-width="1062" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilfvY6C2kvfzxJLut4sWBGRWMSkA1QWdht55jUFq03OPC1hQGvEO_g2uGNGWSdrDVRPDhKPREdK9FpRQ00CO4SXoAy1Tit4-c-FXFyAJBQOlOoyvL2YQr7SjWVqMKDg0zx15N9k5ZQ2UNmrtxgQzWyP0_GoJUGkTVHABVR4J8JfuErQcRwERe6xgPl5Q/s320/IMG_1615j.jpg"/></a></div>
Birds of prey were one of the original reasons why I visited Mull, and I love having them around locally. I managed a couple of half-decent encounters with hen harriers during the winter, and a walk on the tops of the hills also resulted in watching a pair of golden eagles flying past me, pretty much at eye-level. Wonderful.<br/><br/>
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Traditionally February sees me heading north to the Highlands for workshops, but this year I was very much limited in duration by workshops here on Mull, either side of the trip. Most of my time in the Highlands would be spent running workshops, leaving only a couple of days to spend time with Andy and Lyndsey. <br/><br/>
My main concern for the sessions was an apparent lack of mountain hares. A location we have used for years has suffered a population crash, from a combination of rewilding, poor weather for breeding and a lack of visitors to the area from the lockdowns. Prior to the workshops beginning, Lyndsey and I went for a wander around the site, and it was clear that with the absence of people, the local golden eagles had been enjoying a larger area to hunt in, and we watched a young eagle spend the best part of an hour flying back and forth along the ridges of the hills, in search of the hares. <br/><br/>
The other worry was the weather. Andy had been tearing his hair out with the mild conditions during his workshops throughout the winter, which led to some of the stars not performing as expected. Andy is of course experienced enough to ensure clients have a great experience even when things aren't going to plan. Crested tits though, as an example, will feed on insects if they're flying around, which is what happens is it's warm enough and the ground hasn't frozen. <br/><br/>
I needn't have worried, as I timed my visit with a cold snap, and for the most part, the workshops were run in almost perfect winter weather, with snow and ice, and decent light too. And that meant the crested tits weren't able to find insects, so visited the feeders, making my job a lot easier. <br/><br/>
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The workshops at the crested tit site were magical. At times the birds were almost landing on us, they were so close. And as I'd invested in the RF 100-500mm lens for my camera, they were a great subject to test it on. <br/><br/>
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We also went looking for red deer, red grouse, red squirrels (at Andy's site), snow buntings and even called into some of the harbours for the waders and wildfowl around at that time of year.<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC4Wo_tJo0nDhQQHwg2Iqj4JmqIAfBFJPvWkDbwuFwP9ZTunJYJ7dczN-_SS_W7IwdaLMgXSbImmbDTe73zHnrv2_He9DzsV_bOxAAUEWJvQE0qwdQ3VIYj0tjIy0wiW54_nqoI61JZeAxtNQZ2SiZ4NKFNgadTg_K5rpwCPQ4e-QMuzCYLGylHFbxg/s1520/IMG_1018j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="1005" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyC4Wo_tJo0nDhQQHwg2Iqj4JmqIAfBFJPvWkDbwuFwP9ZTunJYJ7dczN-_SS_W7IwdaLMgXSbImmbDTe73zHnrv2_He9DzsV_bOxAAUEWJvQE0qwdQ3VIYj0tjIy0wiW54_nqoI61JZeAxtNQZ2SiZ4NKFNgadTg_K5rpwCPQ4e-QMuzCYLGylHFbxg/s320/IMG_1018j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvTZrLBFiNgwNf5VWIvDPSvAWyW5X-dFqMnU-ImdVPMaz7q5PULVZQl7-GdVET_hpghBBcEg5E0wI_On1WDdOX72EK4727E0RbHcFz6bzmijkmfdb_hHUKvlcM_m6zPrpXCTKdOd4HGjCMLZw1SlMCNJ-yB82H24L0xvo875isVDrPxNnIR2hR_98aA/s1520/IMG_1224j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="864" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcvTZrLBFiNgwNf5VWIvDPSvAWyW5X-dFqMnU-ImdVPMaz7q5PULVZQl7-GdVET_hpghBBcEg5E0wI_On1WDdOX72EK4727E0RbHcFz6bzmijkmfdb_hHUKvlcM_m6zPrpXCTKdOd4HGjCMLZw1SlMCNJ-yB82H24L0xvo875isVDrPxNnIR2hR_98aA/s320/IMG_1224j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bxqQNN3xA_G6gS7lto7d-QYQn4rCv1DpYX80jMbqC4QKb_XECfGLDE5K9YQlFeaot7NWXEh2DjidT4C-xalRQl74csNc7hj7dmm77VtFrleBgFbLjOETTkJlOQ-fZxG3edLLU4istQcut1DlZipDJH-z1aDNjI86itTtTQQi_boWQxT4m3d-oxQk5g/s1520/IMG_1298j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="938" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0bxqQNN3xA_G6gS7lto7d-QYQn4rCv1DpYX80jMbqC4QKb_XECfGLDE5K9YQlFeaot7NWXEh2DjidT4C-xalRQl74csNc7hj7dmm77VtFrleBgFbLjOETTkJlOQ-fZxG3edLLU4istQcut1DlZipDJH-z1aDNjI86itTtTQQi_boWQxT4m3d-oxQk5g/s320/IMG_1298j.jpg"/></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGewFmtXmKUil5kESGMVryaCHH-L36jIf9g-eb3P8J5sSljJ90s0FW32SFMSANfpUjb7IFpnN5SfqUe4wBxd-powLleGPeAb97oP_wjqLlIJ_oERYZV2bkz_p1ls5_Q7yHsHcbikndim-h5_ZnaWo79gE6ShknLytYABFybYce7Uu0xrYHgmU3HP7Pg/s1520/IMG_7345j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="934" data-original-width="1520" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHGewFmtXmKUil5kESGMVryaCHH-L36jIf9g-eb3P8J5sSljJ90s0FW32SFMSANfpUjb7IFpnN5SfqUe4wBxd-powLleGPeAb97oP_wjqLlIJ_oERYZV2bkz_p1ls5_Q7yHsHcbikndim-h5_ZnaWo79gE6ShknLytYABFybYce7Uu0xrYHgmU3HP7Pg/s320/IMG_7345j.jpg"/></a></div><br/><br/>
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And, having spoken with Andy and Lyndsey about possible alternative sites for the mountain hares, I was chuffed to find one for myself (and my client who was overjoyed with the encounter) on one of the days, based on the ideas they'd suggested. <br/><br/>
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The trip ended with a weekend spent with Andy and Lyndsey, enjoying some wildlife local to them. We visited the red kite feeding station at Tollie, which was fun, and where we bumped into Karen Miller, a friend I've not seen for ages (I could say that about many friends, what with the lockdowns and our move to Mull).<br/><br/>
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Plus we called over to some coastal locations in search of waders again. We didn't enjoy the same fortune I'd had with purple sandpipers on a workshop, but we did see dunlins, sanderlings and some wintering ducks.<br/><br/>
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I'm considering running some additional Highlands-based workshops perhaps in December and January if I get enough interest from people. Please drop me an email or complete the contact form on my website if this would interest you.<br/><br/>
Then it was back home, which didn't mean a day's driving down to the Midlands, but a trundle through breathtaking scenery leading to Mull again. Not a bad place to return to!
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-77217678978763490802022-03-11T17:19:00.002+00:002022-03-11T17:25:11.208+00:00End Of 2021 And Our First Year On Mull<font face="verdana">
It's mid-March and I'm still catching up with what I did last year. I'll try to be brief so I can get back to the latest events.<br/><br/>
The end of the summer saw me running workshops, mainly for otters because a lot of the other subjects, such as the puffins had left for the winter. It's really noticeable when birds like the common sandpipers, swallows and martins leave, as the soundtrack to the island fades away, and it's really quiet. <br/><br/>
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Andy was on the island for a few days whilst running a WTE masterclass, and invited me aboard for one of the sessions. That led to an unbelievable experience later that day, when the two of us were invited by Martin and Alex to sail out at night, on the Lady Jayne looking for something unusual... bioluminescence. <br/><br/>
We sailed out of Ulva Ferry and headed to the area where we had seen a pod of common dolphins earlier in the day. Conditions were perfect, as it turned out, with overcast skies and calm water. Martin suddenly got excited and called us to look at the toilet. We initially declined - why would you go look at a toilet!? When he'd convinced us it was for something being seen, and not smelled, we took a look, and could see small sparks of light in the water being pumped from outside through the system. <br/><br/>
Alex then grabbed a broom from the deck, and thrust the handle into the water beside the boat. Moving it around, it resembled a magic wand, with a glow around the handle, and sparks of light trailing off of it. Magic.<br/><br/>
Then the real magic happened. A dolphin approached. Normally, during the day, you're hard pushed to see them until they surface or go beneath the boat. We could see the outline of it glowing below the surface from about 50 metres away, and it appeared to surge by like some sort of glowing torpedo. Taking it in turns, we would sit on the bow of the boat and watch as the dolphins rode the bow-wave in front. It was jaw-dropping. Like something from Avatar. <br/><br/>
Could it get any better?<br/><br/>
Well yes. A shoal of mackerel surfaced and chased along in front of the boat at speed. We could see each individual fish, as a shimmering shape, glowing in the darkness. And as a dolphin raced in, the shoal reacted to it, surging in directions away from the it, creating more light and more gasps of delight from the four of us. <br/><br/>
Annoyingly though, with four photographers on board, none of us had good enough equipment with us to capture the sight of it, so unfortunately it's one for us to remember and smile about, and for you the reader, to try to imagine.<br/><br/>
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With fewer people around into the autumn, the otter workshops were generally great fun, though often in challenging conditions. On some of the wetter days I chose to leave my camera in the car, as it has a habit of misting up (the viewfinder) in wet weather, and I didn't want to make it any worse. <br/><br/>
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What is great for me, is to hear back from clients after workshops, that they've gone out, armed with what they have learned, and put it into good practice and seen the rewards from it, enjoying encounters with otters by themselves. <br/><br/>
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October saw the Mull Rally return, and with it a hoard of spectators. I didn't bother taking bookings for those days, as it would have been nigh on impossible to drive around Mull looking for wildlife, with so many roads closed and so many people around. I did however, stay local, and enjoy the event with a friend, who'd driven up from the Midlands for the experience. And was it just that!<br/><br/>
Some of the stages were at night, and the sound of the crackling and popping engines as they thrashed their way round the twisty roads at ridiculous speeds, echoed through the glens. For a petrol-head like me, it was awesome. We had one of the teams using our drive as their service centre and hoped they would do well in the event. Alas it wasn't to be, and a jump, skid and large rock put an end to their adventure. Maybe next time.<br/><br/>
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To be standing outside the local pub, at about 3am, watching works rally cars hurtling past, was fantastic. I'm not sure Rob enjoyed it quite so much, as he was working ridiculous hours in the pub each day, and saw very little of the rally, or his friend who was up to see it.<br/><br/>
One of the highlights late in the year for me, to satisfy my "birder" urges, was the sighting of a red-backed shrike near Aros. I got wind of it about a day after it had been spotted, and went for a look. Unlike the shrike seen back in Sutton Park before I left for Scotland, this one had just two birders already looking for it, who were then joined by me, to help locate it. We did, and after seeing it, I was left to watch it alone.<br/><br/>
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I got some images, but hoped it might stick around for another go, and with favourable conditions the next day, I returned, and had the place to myself. As with most shrikes I've watched, this one had a circuit where it would fly around, hunting for insects. And a larder area where it would impale food, close to where it disappeared for some down-time too. Then it was a case of looking for the best place to photograph it, on that circuit. It took a couple of hours, but I got some incredible views, and left with some lovely images.<br/><br/>
For November and the start of December, Andy was again on Mull, though for much of it, staying at the accommodation he uses for hosting his clients. But it did allow us to meet up when neither of us were working.<br/><br/>
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The wet weather has some advantages, one being it fills the streams up and forces some of the dippers that normally feed in them, out to the shores of the lochs instead, and that allowed me to get up close and personal with one. Amusingly, as I was photographing it, an otter wandered by, spooking the dipper. <br/><br/>
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With the pandemic still affecting events, we ended the first year on Mull at home, with friends over for the festivities. I really enjoyed Christmas Day, and the food we ate was perfect. After so many sad Christmasses of late, it was great to experience such a fun one. Maybe next time, other family members from down south might choose to visit.<br/><br/>
And so ended the first year spent living on Mull. It had been stressful, eventful, fun, enjoyable and successful. It still doesn't quite feel like "home" for me, but that's starting to change with each passing day. And the view from the windows never gets tiring, even if it does tend to rain quite a bit here. And as for the wildlife, well, that speaks for itself through my images...
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-71281593522503954112022-02-12T17:15:00.001+00:002022-02-12T17:36:44.746+00:00Tours In July And Friends In August<font face="verdana">After missing out because of the pandemic and all its restrictions in 2020, Andy and I were relieved to be able to run our summer photography tours here on Mull through July, though this time it would slightly different in that I wasn't staying in the accommodation with the clients. While this added about an hour to my day in terms of travel, it was so much better to be able sleep in my own bed, instead of whatever I was lumbered with in the digs. Usually some sort of inflatable mattress in a sleeping bag.<br/><br/>
Almost all of our previous trips out to Staffa and Lunga had seen bright, dry weather, but the first one of our visits was wet. I was actually pleased, after seeing some wonderful images Lyndsey had captured during a very wet visit, with puffins sitting around covered in beads of rain. Maybe it was the wrong sort of rain, but the puffins didn't seem to like being wet, and kept shaking the rain off of them. <br/><br/>
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It was good to see some of them out collecting nesting materials though, and this allowed us to lie down to photograph them as they scuttled around on the grass. <br/><br/>
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Of course what most clients aim to get photos of, are flying birds, especially the puffins. What was noticeable was how much better at tracking the birds the latest mirrorless cameras are compared with even the top of the range professional D-SLRs, to the point that we'd try an idea of a shot with birds in flight, and the Canon R5 in my case, would nail the shot almost immediately, leaving me wanting to try something else. <br/><br/>
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The settings on these cameras is key though, and by adjusting clients' cameras to match my own improved their hit rates enormously. Of course I have years of experience with photographing birds in flight, even tricky ones like puffins, so that coupled with the incredible AF on the R5 meant that during moments of downtime, where the clients were immersed in their own quest for shots, I was able to dial down the shutter speed, and attempt to pan the puffins. No, not over a fire, but with a panning movement to follow them in flight, blurring the background and their wings, but keeping the head and feet in sharp focus. <br/><br/>
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Funnily enough, the hardest part was getting an image that actually showed movement in the background, rather than tracking the puffins.<br/><br/>
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Our second and third visits to the Treshnish Isles were back to normal, with bright and often sunny conditions. This creates shadows and lights up the feet of the puffins as they fly in. <br/><br/>
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What the sun also does is give rise to sparkles on the water, and that can create an interesting effect behind the birds as they fly in front of it. However, this mass of contrasting blobs confused the AF on the R5 and it repeatedly failed to lock on to the birds. I solved this by disabling the emulation mode on the electronic viewfinder, which shows the view as it would be through a D-SLR, and that allowed me to get a lock.<br/><br/>
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After the sparkles came more shadows and contrast, and I attempted to capture images of the birds as they flew against a shaded area whilst being lit up by the sun. Again it was challenging to obtain and maintain focus, but was fun, and I enjoyed some success with it.<br/><br/>
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And it was a treat for all to see a puffling looking out of its burrow occasionally, on our final trip to Lunga.<br/>
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The private trips out with Mull Charters for the white-tailed eagles are always a highlight for me, even though I was running my own workshops using them, and working alongside Martin or Alex aboard the Lady Jayne throughout the summer. <br/><br/>
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The eagles were always on form, but we were also treated to some great views of cetaceans, with a minke whale getting my pulse going, being the first whale I'd ever seen. The less said about me missing out seeing orcas in Shetland one year, the better.<br/><br/>
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And of course back on Mull itself, we managed to find some otters for the clients, including one remarkable encounter where a young dog otter sauntered over to where I was lying on the shore beside the clients, and sniffed my boot! <br/><br/>
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And because I was using an R5 which is silent, and had my 100-400mm lens attached, which allows for close focusing, I managed to get some images when it was slightly further away from me, showing some incredible detail on the otter.<br/><br/>
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Once the tours ended, I had a bit of time for myself, and enjoyed some down-time with friends who had travelled over to Mull to catch up with me, and also to photograph some of the wildlife and views on offer.<br/><br/>
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We enjoyed some wonderful encounters with the eagles from the Lady Jayne, otters around Mull and towards the latter half of the month, spent a great deal of time pointing our cameras at the families of short-eared owls that had been raised over the summer. <br/><br/>
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It reminded me of some of the winter sites I've visited for the owls over the years, when there are so many flying around that you don't know where to look. It was wonderful, and we saw the owlets flying to meet their parents for food, and also the sound of them begging for it, from the vegetation. Once one started, they all joined in.<br/><br/>
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What was noticeable though at the end of August, was that some of the birds that had been a constant sound throughout the warmer months, had started to, or had actually gone. They'd left the island once more, and it began to get quieter. <br/><br/>
Something I expected to be more apparent as summer made way into autumn and eventually winter, but that's for another post.
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-73598723652501806132022-01-02T18:17:00.000+00:002022-01-02T18:17:51.193+00:00Late May and June 2021<font face="verdana">At the beginning of 2021, with plenty of time on my hands, and lots to see and do around Mull, the idea was to keep this blog updated every week or so. That was until the end of May, when the world opened up properly and a tsunami of work came my way in the form of workshops and crewing days out on the boat. And welcome it was too, after the drought of opportunities caused by the pandemic.
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So over the next few posts, I'll try to cover off some of what I saw and photographed during each calendar month, here on Mull.
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<h3>Late May</h3>
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The end of May saw me spending a few days with Oliver Wright, a friend and also a genius with macro photography. He's spent many a week here on Mull before, but was keen to visit when he heard I'd moved here, and wanted to tie the trip in with a search for insect-eating plants, namely sundews. He was hoping to find insects trapped in the sticky goo on the plants, and be able to do a stacked image of one.
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We headed down to a glen near Loch Buie and proceeded to walk about five miles in search of the plants. We found plenty along the way until eventually we spotted a small clump near a stream, and insects were trapped. Having learned how to do a macro stack during lockdown, I had a go too.
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Amusingly, after hiking back to the car, we discovered a pool about fifty metres from where we'd parked, which had dozens of the sundew plants in, and they had caught insects too!
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Also seen along the way was a striking and vibrantly coloured green tiger beetle, which never seemed to stay still. I managed to grab a couple of images as it scuttled around the ground, but amazingly, in one of the moments when the beetle stopped, Oliver managed to stack some images of it, and came away with a stunning shot.
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<h3>June</h3>
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As well as seeing Oliver up here on Mull, we welcomed first Andy for a few days whilst he was running a few workshops in June, and then shortly afterwards, Lyndsey spent a week here immersing herself in the wildlife. When possible I spent time with both, running workshops the rest of the time.
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Rather than try to recount the numerous adventures enjoyed over the month, I'll post images and add some accompanying text. Most folk probably only look at the images anyway!
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One of the sounds of the summer for me comes from the chatter of swallows. They're everywhere at times, even choosing to nest in the eves of the new metal shelter outside the local pub. But one old wooden building seems very popular, and I would often wait nearby to watch the antics of these acrobatic birds. A gap in the panelling gives a great look-out for them, and also makes a good frame for an image. <br/><br/>
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A bird that caught my attention on my very first visit to Mull over a decade ago was the cuckoo. It was May when we stayed, and we saw plenty of them, but I didn't get any really decent images. So this year, when their distinctive calls drifted through the glens, I was out taking images of them as much as possible. And with the amazing auto-focus of the Canon R5, I captured quite a few in flight too.<br/><br/>
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Another bird call that fills the air during the warmer months is that of the common sandpiper. They seemed to be on every shoreline during the summer, and once their young had hatched and were pottering around in the vegetation or around the stones on the shores, then the sounds became louder than ever. Mull is so quiet when they've left.<br/><br/>
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After seeing several when out on walks during the lockdown periods, it was great to spot another Irish hare on my way to collect clients one morning, and for it to still be out in the open as I headed out with them, enabling them to get shots of it too. They're usually out very early in the morning, or at dusk. <br/><br/>
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I'm hoping that 2021 wasn't a one off for breeding success of short-eared owls, as I can't recall ever seeing so many around Mull from late spring right through to August. Back in June though, when Lyndsey was here, we went out just for a mooch around the isle to see what might be about, and found a few of these, and it was amusing for someone like me, who almost obsesses about these owls, to see someone else fall for their charms. <br/><br/>
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There were signs of breeding success from resident birds like stonechats, and also from migrants, like their rarer cousins, whinchats.<br/><br/>
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As well as birds flying around Mull, there were masses of insects too, including the striking golden-ringed dragonfly. <br/><br/>
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And basking under warm vegetation, or in this case, some corregated metal laid out, were slow worms. Adders were seen, but were always on the move.<br/><br/>
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With all the flying insects around, it wasn't a huge surprise to find birds that like feeding on them, and I saw a few warblers around, though flycatchers were generally easier to photograph. That said, this one was posing in a small coppice and the air was filled with swarms of midges. I grabbed some shots before I followed Lyndsey's actions, and fled back to the safety of the car. <br/><br/>
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With numbers elsewhere in the UK falling, it was good to see plenty of curlew around Mull, feeding on the shore and around the moors. They seemed to have quite a few chicks too. <br/><br/>
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Pipits were a common sight, with rock pipits around the shoreline, picking up insects from the drying seaweed, whilst on dryer land, meadow pipits were busy targeting insects attracted to the plentiful supply of manure from livestock.<br/><br/>
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Late May through June saw me visiting the Treshnish Isles frequently, mainly for workshops. As usual, most of the time spent with clients focused on the puffins, especially as the island of Lunga was carpeted with bluebells for several weeks. As with previous years, there were plenty of other species around, and I thought this year the number of great skuas (bonxies) had increased, as they seemed to be terrorising the smaller seabirds constantly at times.<br/><br/>
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There were differing fortunes for the eagles on Mull. While the white-tailed eagles had a brilliant breeding season, to the point that one nest raised three chicks and two other nests were able to donate an eaglet each to the Isle Of Wight project. The golden eagles struggled, with several pairs failing to raise their chicks. One did though, and proved to be a popular spot for folks to watch on from the roadside. Almost all of my eagle images from May and June were of the white-tailed variety, and mostly from the Lady Jayne as workshops were very popular aboard her, and I also spent a fair amount of time helping out Mull Charters. <br/><br/>
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Hang on, you might be thinking, you've not posted any shots of otters! Most of my workshops are based around otters, so needless to say, there were quite a few encounters throughout these weeks with the various individuals and families living on Mull. I've selected a few from these days out.<br/><br/>
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Hopefully this covers off a fair bit of what I've seen and photographed over those weeks, and provides a taste of what might be encountered should you choose to visit Mull late May through June. July will be up next, and expect more otters, eagles and puffins, as it's the month that Andy and I run our summer tours.
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-14453046815128864522021-05-21T15:54:00.000+01:002021-05-21T15:54:31.419+01:00Crewing And Guiding<font face="verdana">
Looking through the windows of the Lady Jayne as she chugged into Loch Na Keal, on a blissfully calm day, could have been any other trip with Mull Charters, but this was different. I was sitting in the "driving seat" steering her as she headed down the loch in search of white-tailed eagles, and anything else that might be around.<br/><br/>
Admittedly I didn't move to Mull to be a part of the team that is Mull Charters, but after Martin asked if I'd be interested in helping out from time to time, I jumped at the chance, and it wasn't long before I was called upon to act as a part of the crew.<br/><br/>
Alex was the skipper for the day, and it's a role he's clearly good at, not only for being great with all things technical aboard the boat and of course informing the punters of what they're seeing and what might be around that day, but also at helping a novice like me with getting the basics sorted.<br/><br/>
Needless to say, the eagles made the job easier, by coming out to the boat several times on each trip, and we enjoyed some cracking views. <br/><br/>
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While the trips this past week were my first as a crew member, I'd already been out aboard the Lady Jayne this year, both with family and friends, and also with clients.<br/><br/>
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The R5 does seem to struggle to identify the head and eye of the eagles as they approach, often picking up the wing tips or the tail, though to be fair on it, that's still a massive improvement on the older cameras I've used, that would focus on the sky, water or hillsides. <br/><br/>
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The images from the trips haven't disappointed though.<br/><br/>
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I've also been out for my first <i>puffin-fix</i> of the year, visiting the Treshnish Isles of Staffa and Lunga. The latter being the favourite location for seeing the charismatic characters themselves.<br/><br/>
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Here, the R5 was jaw-droppingly good. It picked up flying seabirds from a long way off, and maintained focus on them constantly, regardless of the background, or how good or in most cases, bad I was at tracking them, and keeping them in the preferable part of the frame.<br/><br/>
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I can't wait to get back out there to play some more.<br/><br/>
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Aside from trips, I've been looking out for great northern divers, as they're in splendid breeding plumage at this time of year, just as they fly off north to breed.<br/><br/>
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They're not easy to get close to, and serenely drift away from the shore if they spot you approaching.<br/><br/>
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Of course the otters are still around, and I was pleased to catch up with one of the families I'd been watching during the lockdown period, and the mother still has both cubs in tow. They were busy hunting one rainly afternoon, hauling out fish, crabs and even lobsters!<br/><br/>
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Not quite the incredible view I had just over a year ago with one, but great to watch and photograph, and interesting to see how they handle such potentially dangerous prey.<br/><br/>
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Mull is now feeling more like its old self again, with plenty of visitors, businesses back open again, pubs and restaurants operating almost normally, trips to see wildlife all up and running and some of the sounds of the island, such as the chattering of barn swallows, filling the air again. Let's hope some of it remains that way.</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-85708237411162744742021-04-18T10:33:00.001+01:002021-04-18T10:33:58.647+01:00Return Of Spring Migrants And Hope<font face="verdana">I'm not a massive flower fan, but I can't help but smile at the daffodils around the garden here on Mull, as they shine in the morning sunshine. Even on dull days, they lift my spirits, and they've had to endure some wintery weather over the last few weeks, including sleet, hail and several dustings of snow. <br/><br/>
We're in April already, it's my first Birthday here on Mull, and the weather has been somewhat typical of the month. Sun one day, snowing the next. In fact, on some days this month, we've seen four seasons in an hour, let alone a day. But most recently, we've enjoyed some warm sunny days and it amazes me how quickly the island dries out. I've even had to water some of the potted plants.<br/><br/>
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There are signs of spring everywhere, with buds on almost all the plants, some blossom flowering and adding much needed colour to the hills, and of course migrant birds are returning to Mull with every passing day.<br/><br/>
In March, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever see a wheatear, envious of those down south reporting sightings, and posting images on social media. Then a familiar flash of white on a small bird flying beside Loch Na Keal stole my gaze, and I realised they'd arrived. <br/><br/>
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By the time the calendar flipped over to show the dates of April, I'd seen dozens of these striking little birds, perched beside the road, on rocks or grassy mounds, anywhere that gave them a vantage point to dart over to pick off an insect.<br/><br/>
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After seeing a lone sand martin weeks ago, it was lovely to see small flocks of these aerial masters, hawking insects over the freshwater lochs, joined by their cousins, house martins. I feel the need to stop and scan such groups of birds at the moment, in the hope of seeing a swallow among their numbers, and this paid dividends just a few days ago, when half a dozen swallows fluttered down to perch on an overhead line.<br/><br/>
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Another bird that contributes to the sound track of Mull during the warmer months is the common sandpiper. Whilst trundling round Loch Na Keal a few days back, looking for wheatears, movement beside one of the stone bridges caught my eye. I was driving, so slowed to a crawl, and watched the sandpiper poke around the structure of the bridge, before dropping out of sight, to the stream below. <br/><br/>
Then just a day ago, I heard that familiar call, when exploring a new area of the loch we now live near, and saw another one, searching seaweed on the shore of a small sandy beach, for food. I had just enough time to line the camera up for a record shot before it took flight, skimming the water as it crossed the entrance of the loch, to continue feeding on the rocks on the other side of the channel.<br/><br/>
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Perhaps the final piece of the springtime jigsaw of seasonal birds arrived at Grasspoint recently, when I heard a cuckoo shouting his name out repeatedly. He flew off before I could line up the camera, but they're back now too. Fab!<br/><br/>
I'm not really familiar with the north end of Mull, having spent most of my time on the isle during holidays and more recently guiding, either down the south end at Pennyghael or around the centre, focusing on Loch Na Keal and the surrounding area. So I'm exploring the area around home as much as possible, and trying to make a mental note of what species are around, and where, and in the case of migrants, when to start looking out for them.<br/><br/>
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The edge of the loch where it meets the river flowing from the glen, seems to be a fantastic area to watch waders, especially red and greenshank, oystercatchers and snipe. Curlew are also here, and their bubbling call carries up to our house day and night, such a haunting call, and one sadly fading from the rest of the UK. With snipe being around too, I've also spent time standing in near darkness in the garden, listening to that distinctive whirring sound, made by their tail feathers as they perform their courtship flights. I just need to work out the best place to get some photographs of these birds, as they're nervous and will take flight if I attempt to creep down the shore towards them.<br/><br/>
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Understandable though, with the birds of prey around the island. While the white-tailed eagles will put everything up from the water, the local buzzards seem to panic the gulls and smaller waders each time they circle overhead, and the sparrowhawks seem to get a thrill from zipping past everything like a feathery missile, scaring them into a frenzy, only to ignore them, targeting birds in residents' gardens across the loch, instead.<br/><br/>
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Having had a taste of the sky dance of another raptor in March, I have been spending a great deal of time watching areas around here for hen harriers, hoping to see some more action. As with past attempts at watching these shy birds, I've had varying fortunes, seeing almost nothing on some days, and constant action on others. There doesn't seem to be a pattern, but I think there are at least three pairs in the area, based on the males I've photographed. One appears to be in full adult colours, another has traces of his juvenile plumage and the third is very much midway through the transition from juvenile to adult. <br/><br/>
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I've seen food being taken to perhaps a waiting female, hopefully on eggs, and also other females out hunting for themselves. <br/><br/>
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The hen harriers are also increasingly becoming aggressive to other birds that stray too close to presumably the potential or actual nest sites, and I've seen them chasing hooded crows, ravens and buzzards away.<br/><br/>
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When the weather has been forecast to be fair, we have been heading further afield, and at the start of the month, drove all the way to the southern tip of Mull, taking a leisurely stroll along the white sands of Fidden Beach. Such a tranquil spot, with stunning views across to Iona, with turquoise waters, and pink granite around the shore. While the majority of the birds on show were gulls, I did see oystercatchers, wheatears, pipits (lots of meadow pipits back now too), wagtails and the ever-amusing Frankie Howerd call of an eider gave its location away, as it soaked up some sunshine on a small rock out in the bay, shared with a number of common or harbour seals.<br/><br/>
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Passing through Pennyghael on the way home, always reminds me of Dad, and I half expect to see him standing in the doorway of the cottage we used to rent, taking in that glorious view across Loch Scridain. Such memories are still difficult, as they remind me of those wonderful, happy days spent there, but also gut-wrenchingly sad, that he's no longer with us.<br/><br/>
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As it was when he first left us, wildlife always provides a welcome distraction from the grief, and we paused on our journey back, to grab some images of an otter, feeding on a scorpion fish at the edge of the loch. <br/><br/>
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And at last, we have some dates for when some sort of normality might begin to drip in. Tourists from Scotland can visit later this month, and I believe the pubs might actually open their garden gates for business. By the time our July tours are operating, I'd hope that most of the restrictions will have been lifted, and I can enjoy showing clients around this wonderful island again.</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-67971599989673754622021-03-29T13:17:00.000+01:002021-03-29T13:17:18.839+01:00Sky Dances With Hen Harriers And A Golden Couple<font face="verdana">March arrived like a lamb, and it appears to be sticking with tradition, going out like a lion with gales and heavy rain. In fact, the last few days have seen hail, sleet and even snow falling here. <br/><br/>
The weather might not seem very spring-like, but the wildlife is definitely showing signs of it. Our walks along the forestry tracks, once remarkably silent are now accompanied by bird song. I heard goldcrest, chaffinch, robin and even crossbills calling earlier.<br/><br/>
But one of the sights I had hoped to see during spring was that of hen harriers sky-dancing. This is where the male and female court in some spectacular displays in the air, with the male soaring high, then diving down in steep swoops, before rising again, to repeat the "dance".<br/><br/>
A male caught my attention as he hunted beside the road I was driving along. With his grey and black plumage, and flash of white on the base of his tail, he's hard to miss, but annoyingly flew away over the hills before I could park up for a shot. But knowing he was around encouraged me to spend some time in that area, and that resulted in some incredible views of two pairs dancing.<br/><br/>
Initially I watched from the car, and at a distance too far off for anything worthwhile on the camera. But returning the following day, I walked into the hills, and tucked myself away behind a large rock, and waited.<br/><br/>
It wasn't the sight of the male that alerted me, but their call. I knew one was around, and scanned the slopes with my bins.<br/><br/>
A male and female, and they were flying close together. <br/><br/>
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As the male flew over her, she flipped over, like harriers do when they do their food pass, but not quite touching talons. Amazing to watch, and close enough for my long lens to capture.<br/><br/>
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She dropped down low, and he headed up the hill, gaining height, before angling back down, zipping back to meet her in the air. <br/><br/>
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Being so close to each other, allowed me to see the physical size difference between the genders. She is considerably larger.<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwveI5Wpp1U/YGG4oq8-qoI/AAAAAAAAHJA/5ingPK7nDg4JbekmzWLLDizzacxiLTVFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/IMG_7959jl.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="813" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fwveI5Wpp1U/YGG4oq8-qoI/AAAAAAAAHJA/5ingPK7nDg4JbekmzWLLDizzacxiLTVFgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_7959jl.jpg"/></a></div><br/><br/>
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The dance continued, with the female doing the chasing.<br/><br/>
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When they separated, he soared to the top of the hills and circled for a while, before she headed back into the sheltered area below, and again he dropped in to meet her.<br/><br/>
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I stayed there for hours, and enjoyed numerous sightings of the harriers, only realising later on, when a male and female flew over, followed immediately by another male, that I had been watching at least two pairs. <br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1NjM2sj8Jw/YGG5eS1stfI/AAAAAAAAHJs/DZ03l_0RG_sPtOGmchf56LZKwfHb9nbLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/IMG_8297j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="925" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-c1NjM2sj8Jw/YGG5eS1stfI/AAAAAAAAHJs/DZ03l_0RG_sPtOGmchf56LZKwfHb9nbLwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_8297j.jpg"/></a></div><br/><br/>
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Rather than me waffling on about the sight, I'll let the pictures do the talking...<br/><br/>
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Wonderful to observe such behaviour and to be able to capture some of it with the camera. <br/><br/>
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I have to say, I thought this encounter would serve me well for this latest blog entry, but having had a taste of the action from the harriers, I of course, tried several times more to see the same thing. I even scaled one of the nearby hills to see if I could get a different angle, but instead, I got blown off my feet in gales, and saw almost nothing. <br/><br/>
I say "almost", as I did see another raptor in the distance. A golden eagle, and when the harriers failed to show on yet another visit, I saw that there was a pair of golden eagles hunting over some moorland. Annoyingly, given the lack of people on Mull at the moment, when I tried to race to a spot where I could be close enough for a decent image of them hunting low over the ground, three cars materialised out of nowhere, and I had to wait, by which time the eagles had moved on. <br/><br/>
But I tried again, on another day, and after watching several white-tailed eagles soar over the hills, I spotted the pair of golden eagles circling high, and they started to head in my direction. My imagination, for what might be a magical encounter, is pretty creative, so you can guess how I felt when one of the eagles read my mind, folded back its wings, and went into a stooping dive, right down towards me.<br/><br/>
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It was a very breezy day, and the wind was blowing right up the hillside towards them, allowing them to use it, to simply hang in the air. But a flick of those enormous wings, and they accelerated away, higher and out of sight over the ridge.<br/><br/>
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I was buzzing, and wondered if they'd return. Moments later, one appeared high in the sky again, quickly joined by the other, and together, as if choreographed by some wonderful force, they began to descend down the hillside once more.<br/><br/>
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Initially I tried to keep both in shot, but when they drifted too far apart, I focused on the closer one, and watched as it slowly approached, before lowering its landing gear, and vanishing behind the ridge. <br/><br/>
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I wondered if the other one would join it, and perhaps give me the chance of more shots of them together?<br/><br/>
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It did, but then one popped out into view again, scouring the side of the hill for movement, with no sign of its partner. I didn't mind too much, I mean, how can you, when there's a golden eagle flying around in front of you?<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QK6iWzmFEW8/YGHAX1ir9TI/AAAAAAAAHM8/RtRxq_dQ8wQ56OmSHh_Y2ytauzgMjI2EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/IMG_0061j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="855" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-QK6iWzmFEW8/YGHAX1ir9TI/AAAAAAAAHM8/RtRxq_dQ8wQ56OmSHh_Y2ytauzgMjI2EgCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0061j.jpg"/></a></div>
But then suddenly there were two again, albeit that bit far apart to get both in some sort of focus. Which to focus on? I favoured the closer one, until it dropped from view.<br/><br/>
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Again they separated, and I wondered if the moment had passed, but they appeared over the ridge, this time much lower down, and much closer together. My heart was racing.<br/><br/>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UA_qdsLZw1A/YGHAwZf8XuI/AAAAAAAAHNM/G5XXcJZWN1kAgjjvx_oJC9dVUXAKyOmtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s1520/IMG_0141j.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="1520" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-UA_qdsLZw1A/YGHAwZf8XuI/AAAAAAAAHNM/G5XXcJZWN1kAgjjvx_oJC9dVUXAKyOmtwCLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_0141j.jpg"/></a></div><br/><br/>
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I had no problem getting both in the same shot, and they got so close to one another, it appeared as though their wings had touched (they hadn't!). <br/><br/>
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For a few moments, I had a pair of majestic golden eagles, hanging in the breeze, and in the same shot. If a certain lager company did wildlife sights, this was probably one of the best I've ever had.<br/><br/>
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After they inevitably parted, I had some fabulous views of them individually, as they drifted this way and that, along the hillside. <br/><br/>
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The light was changeable, with the strong breeze and clouds, some rather ominous-looking, coming and going. <br/><br/>
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Bright sunshine one moment, gloomy the next. But I didn't mind. I was just trying to control the stupid grin behind the camera.<br/><br/>
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They were scanning every square centimetre of the hillside, craning their necks to look for any signs of prey below, sometimes almost going into a hover, but with those massive wings, they didn't need to do anything more than open them up to the wind to gain lift.<br/><br/>
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After one last pass of the hillside, together and separately, the eagles must have sensed that the weather was about to take a turn for the worse, and they soared off high into the sky, effortlessly, and drifted away along the ridge. <br/><br/>
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I waited for the rain, sleet and hail to pass over, but the skies remained grey, and the eagles didn't return. It was a shame that they failed to find anything to eat, but they look so healthy, I can't imagine it would be long before they did find a meal somewhere.<br/><br/>
I think it's safe to say that I'm enjoying living on Mull, and can't wait to share some of its treasures with clients coming to join me here, when allowed to do so.</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-34113240637234015612021-03-10T10:40:00.001+00:002021-03-11T10:45:01.234+00:00A Sand Martin, Diver In Breeding Plumage And More<font="verdana">March began like a lamb, with some wonderful bright sunny and warm weather. Rob actually enjoyed a Birthday, which was never a possibility when he worked in the motor trade, as it was the beginning of a new registration, hence incredibly busy. Not this year. No, instead we went for a walk with Arnold along the sands of Calgary Bay, followed by a trip down to Duart Castle. The views across towards Oban and up to <a href="https://bennevis.co.uk/" target="_blank">Ben Nevis</a> were breathtaking.<br/><br/>
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And then later in the day, sat out on the patio, and enjoyed a celebratory drink in some most welcome spring sunshine.<br/><br/>
The following day we swapped Calgary for Langamull, a more secluded beach, but just as beautiful, and warm. <br/><br/>
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While there wasn't a massive amount of wildlife around for me, aside for a distant female hen harrier, some buzzards and a pair of ringed plover, it was simply divine to be strolling around a deserted beach in short-sleeve conditions.<br/><br/>
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There are signs of spring everywhere, not just with the daffodils and crocuses flowering in our garden, but with some of the wildlife being seen. Whilst driving alongside Loch Na Keal I spotted a small bird zipping over a small reed bed. Without anyone behind me, I parked in the middle of the road, and got my invaluable Kite HD+ 8x30 bins on it. <br/><br/>
A sand martin! Already. At the time, I wasn't aware of how unusually early it was, as they'd been spotted south of the border already, but after reporting it to Mull Birding, I realised it was remarkably early for the area. <br/><br/>
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Another surprise for me was on one of the walks on the beach. Mostly, I lug around the 500mm over my shoulder, like I'm armed with a bazooka, and have very little to point it at. Usually gulls, oystercatchers and occasionally an eagle, though usually high up, passing over the area.<br/><br/>
But this morning had already offered more promise, with an otter fishing near the old stone quay, and whilst watching that, I saw a bird surface. It was dark coloured, and wasn't a shag. The Canon R5 has a cool feature in the electronic viewfinder, of being able to zoom in on what you're looking at, up to 15x over and above what the lens' reach provides. <br/><br/>
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A black-throated diver, and in breeding plumage. Fabulous.<br/><br/>
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Rob took Arnold for a longer walk around the beach that morning, whilst I sat on the rocks beside the bay, hoping the diver would swim a little closer. <br/><br/>
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It remained a bit distant for my liking, but the pixel-packed sensor on the R5 allows for some hefty crops, so the images ended up looking ok.<br/><br/>
Despite visiting Mull so many times over the last decade, some of the views still grab my attention. On an afternoon recently, I'd driven up into the hills near home, hoping to see eagles or red deer. While I did see one young white-tailed eagle fly by, being pursued by a mob of hoodies, it was the view developing over the water, towards the Treshnish Isles that caught my eye.<br/><br/>
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I had my 24-105mm with me, but found the 100-400mm lens worked best for the scene.<br/><br/>
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On the way home, I noticed a small flock of common snipe out in the open, feeding in the exposed mud of the estuary in Dervaig. I have been so desperate to "get out to explore" that I'm guilty of overlooking what is on my doorstep, so to speak.<br/><br/>
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Whilst further afield, I've been watching all sorts of wildlife. I've noticed that the skylarks are around in greater numbers already, and also that the individual ringed plovers scurrying across the shores of the lochs, are now in pairs. <br/><br/>
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And the oystercatchers are being very vocal, doing their parallel dances and occasionally mating. This sound seems to attract the hunters, and I've seen some of the buzzards try to take them, though I've not seen any success for the hunters yet.<br/><br/>
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With the frogs starting to breed during this month, sightings of otters are becoming a little harder to come by. But earlier this month, I was seeing them everytime I went out. <br/><br/>
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The conditions really haven't been great for approaching them lately, but thanks to the silent camera, at least one possible issue has been removed for me. <br/><br/>
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Even on calm days, when the slightest sound carries for miles, I'm able to take hundreds of images in total silence.<br/><br/>
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Amusingly, it's not me making the most noise for one otter family. One of the cubs is the squeakiest character I've ever heard, and even when it is already filling its face with a fish caught by its tireless mother, it squeaks constantly with envy at the sight of its sibling being presented with a meal. <br/><br/>
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I tried to video the scene on one day, as the squeaking began, but as I steadied the camera to press Record, a tractor with metal trailer came clattering by behind me, and drowned out the sounds from the otters completely. And by the time the farmer had faded away, so had the otters. They were back out fishing. Comedy timing. That said, I have seen it catch its own food now, so there's some progress!<br/><br/>
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Visiting a different loch, we spotted another group of otters. I crept down to hide, as one of the otters came ashore. It was obvious that the otter knew someone was walking nearby (Rob with Arnold) and craned its neck up to see. Thankfully Rob had the sense to move away, and the otter returned to fishing again.<br/><br/>
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Later, another otter family appeared in the same area, and again I hid to watch.<br/><br/>
Mum was fishing for herself, as the "cubs" appeared to be well fed and capable of catching their own meals.<br/><br/>
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But it was lovely when she was joined by one of them on the rocks, for some mutual grooming.<br/><br/>
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Closer to home, we watched two white-tailed eagles having a dispute in mid-air over the glen, just up the river from our house. We've seen a pair of sub-adult birds (Dave Sexton from the RSPB reckoned they were perhaps aged about 3 years, so not ready to breed yet) hunting in the same area, and wondered if one of those had strayed into the territory of the adults that have nested across the glen from here? The youngster was sent packing, and the adult spent a few minutes soaring over its territory.<br/><br/>
Amazing to be able to watch such action from the kitchen window! <br/><br/>
With March coming in like a lamb, I dread to think of what weather we might see if it leaves like a lion. Stay tuned...</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-18272371599564659452021-03-01T00:01:00.000+00:002021-03-01T00:01:00.959+00:00Late February And Spring Is Starting To Appear<font face="verdana">It's the last day of February and spring definitely feels like it has arrived. The garden is bursting into life, with daffodils and crocuses flowering already, and the shrubs and some trees showing signs of buds getting ready to add more colour to the view.<br/><br/>
After doing some gardening this afternoon, it was warm enough for us to sit out on the patio, and enjoy a beer. <br/><br/>
This week I also spotted some skylarks and their numbers increased with each passing day, plus I saw a gannet venturing into the airspace over Loch Na Keal, whilst looking for fish.<br/><br/>
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Whilst out on a leisure drive, a diving gull caught my attention. What was it after? I could see another bird nearby, so fired up my camera which has a really cool zoom feature on the digital viewfinder, which allows me to see stuff that is literally miles away. <br/><br/>
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A velvet scoter! I'd not seen one of those for years. That saw the end of the drive, and me sitting beside the shore for a couple of hours, hoping it might come a bit closer.<br/><br/>
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It was eating whelks, crabs and langoustines. The latter would prove problematic to dismantle before eating, and that was when the gull would make its move.<br/><br/>
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Whelks were easier, and swallowed whole.<br/><br/>
Having seen golden eagles displaying a couple of times over the years, I've now lost count of the times I've witnessed the wonderful spectacle. They go into a dive, wings folded back and rocket towards the ground, before lifting back up, sailing high again. And repeat it over and over. Just a joy and real treat to see.<br/><br/>
The "local" white-tailed eagles seem to be around more now too. We're seeing them most days over the hills near the house, or causing the gulls to take flight over the loch. Fingers crossed they decide to nest in the forest over the glen. That'd be epic.<br/><br/>
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And we've seen them sitting on the rocks in the loch too, watching what the local otter family was up to. No doubt hoping for a cheap meal.<br/><br/>
Of course otter-watching is always something I enjoy. There are numerous families around the lochs at the moment, and having watched their movements since getting here, I usually manage to find them during the days. <br/><br/>
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I've still not see one of the cubs on either of the two families I've watched most often, catch a fish. Fortunately for them, their mothers are fantastic hunters and never let them go hungry.<br/><br/>
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I also saw one family join up with what I believe is the dad of the cubs, and play for a while on one of the rocky outcrops just off the shore. <br/><br/>
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Shame the light was so poor that day.<br/><br/>
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Unlike one afternoon when I watched the same family, just as the sun was sinking down behind the hills, and turning the water and anything wet, golden. <br/><br/>
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Was a fantastic session.<br/><br/>
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Away from the "stars" I've enjoyed taking time to photograph the stonechats that are in good numbers up here, and are so good at posing for shots.<br/><br/>
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As are the hooded crows. There are always a few hanging around on the beach when we take Arnold for a walk. <br/><br/>
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<br/><br/>
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And herons, which seem to be everywhere...<br/><br/>
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March will probably have begun by the time I get this online, and I can't wait to see what the new month will bring.</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-21526670382393727062021-02-12T18:16:00.000+00:002021-02-12T18:16:55.930+00:00Moved To Mull!<font face="verdana">It's mid-February, and the days are getting noticeably longer. We've just had a spell of cold, but sunny and dry days, unlike the rest of the UK, which has been in something of a deep freeze, with some of the lowest temperatures on record, and a good dumping of snow.<br/><br/>
Not here. On Mull.<br/><br/>
Yes, during the latest lockdown, the various pieces of the puzzle finally fell into place, and we were able to move from Blackwell in Worcestershire, where I had been lodging with my brother, to the Isle Of Mull, here on the west coast of Scotland. Unlike the first lockdown, the housing market was allowed to stay open, and we were legally able to move. <br/><br/>
I was going to spend hours recounting the nightmares and stressful days we had trying to sell three houses, and secure one in Tobermory, only for the latter to fall through, and us (my brother Rob and I) ending up buying a place in Dervaig instead. But this is supposed to be a blog about wildlife, not the "joys" of moving house.<br/><br/>
Armed with a legal letter from our solicitor, should we be stopped on the way up, we made fairly easy progress to Scotland, and stayed the night just outside Oban in about the only hotel that would allow us to stay (we had a dog with us, which made it even harder). Of course no breakfast, because of the CV19 situation, but they did give us a packed lunch which was handy when we finally arrived at the house on Mull. <br/><br/>
The first night here was cold. Really cold. Coming from a place where boilers use gas, we were faced with an oil one, and we just couldn't get it to work. For fear of blowing something up, we left it alone, called a plumber out for the next day, and tried to get some sleep. Easier said than done, when the removals team weren't due until the following day, and all we had were some "summer" sleeping bags. I ended up getting up at about 3am, getting dressed again, and sleeping in my clothes, in the sleeping bag.<br/><br/>
That seems like a distant memory now, as does the 10+ days we spent isolating in the house after the removals team left. Neither of us had symptoms of the virus, but we wanted to be sure of it, and not risk the residents on Mull, who are in a lower tier to the rest of Scotland, because of having hardly any cases on the island.<br/><br/>
Since then though, we have been out and about, exploring the surrounding area, and further. <br/><br/>
The house we have is lovely, has views of wooded and open hills from most rooms, and from the end of the garden, a beautiful view across the glen, with the river and reed bed at the bottom, the tidal loch, and more woods. I'm hoping we might have a view of the white-tailed eagles from here, if they nest in the forest over there again.<br/><br/>
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That said, my "garden bird list" already has white-tailed eagles ticked off, and buzzards, a kestrel and hooded crows. I'm missing seeing the foxes that used to visit my garden in Birmingham, but there aren't any on the island, so I won't be seeing any anytime soon!<br/><br/>
Once we were allowed out from the isolation, we enjoyed a long walk through the woods north of the village, and I looked at some spots that might be good for watching for otters from. A drive over to Loch Na Keal resulted in an amazing view of six white-tailed eagles perched on a spit of land, with an otter. I could only fit five in the shot, and I have to thank a local lady for taking the time to tell us about the eagles being over there.<br/><br/>
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The best place we've found for walking the dog is Calgary Bay, which is a beautiful white sandy beach, surrounded by cliffs, and always seems to have something to look at. Mostly pipits and gulls, and hooded crows. But there are waders occasionally too, such as ringed plovers and oystercatchers.<br/><br/>
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But it's worth keeping an eye to the hilltops, in case an eagle soars over, and also out to sea, as divers often come into the bay to find food. <br/><br/>
When not out walking the dog, I have been back to some of my favourite spots for watching for otters, and have seen two families so far, both with two cubs. <br/><br/>
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And on another day, I watched a dog otter kill and eat a shag. Certainly not something seen very often.<br/><br/>
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But the best moment so far came after a walk on Calgary, and I suggested to Rob that we should take the long drive home, taking in the sights from the cliff road. As we drove over the moors, I spotted an eagle circling in the distance. Parking up, I could tell it was a golden eagle. As it sailed off over the hills, we followed, and found a safe area to park to watch. One eagle was circling some cliffs, and I was just about to curse my luck that it was against the sun when Rob spotted a second eagle, coming out from the hills nearby, in glorious light, and low down. <br/><br/>
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It flew right over us, having a look down as it went, before circling higher, and heading off over the hills again. It was calling too, so was perhaps chasing off a rival. <br/><br/>
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Seeing golden eagles is always a special moment for me. I know the white-tailed eagles are larger, but because they feed lower down on the edges of the loch, and of course visit the boat trip, they seem a bit more accessible. Golden eagle encounters are generally more from good luck, even when I know where to look for them, and getting a sight as close as this one was wonderful.<br/><br/>
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I know I have neglected this blog for a while, but now I intend to keep it updated with my adventures here on Mull, at least monthly. And for anyone wanting to see more day-to-day posts, why not follow me on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram. I'm using all three platforms to air images, not just from my camera, but also from my phone, which is usually easier to use to grab landscape shots.<br/><br/>
Lastly, I need to mention my dear friend Max Silverman who sadly died just after Christmas, after a short battle with cancer. He was a real character, eccentric at times, but always cheerful and funny, and a pleasure to spend time with. He often accompanied me on days out looking for wildlife, or would happen to be in the same place as I was, and we'd hook up for an hour or so, exchanging stories and banter. I know he'd have been envious of my move up here, but had he been fit enough, he'd have come for a visit eventually. I'll miss him a lot, but I'm glad I got to know him, and spend some time together, enjoying a hobby we both adored. <br/><br/>
Time to batten down the hatches I think, as the gales forecast have already arrived, and I can hear the wind whistling past the windows. Tomorrow might be a day to spend time reviewing images, or perhaps watching the birds in the garden. Never know, an eagle might drop in...</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-16507559677661477142020-10-11T12:39:00.000+01:002020-10-11T12:39:26.671+01:00Red Backed Shrike And Vigo The Bearded Vulture<font face="verdana">
When I first got into bird photography, I would drive all over the country in search of species to photograph and add to my extensive galleries. In recent years though, partly from my choice in a career, and earning less money than I did when working in the IT sector, I have been less inclined to go see rare birds, unless they really "float my boat".<br/><br/>
Readers of this blog will know that I love raptors and any predatory bird, so when I learned of a red backed shrike not that far from home, I thought I ought to get out to see it.<br/><br/>
Having seen several great grey shrikes over the years, and one rather lovely woodchat shrike, this would be the second red backed shrike for me, but actually the first one seen in the UK. I found one in Lindos whilst holidaying there.<br/><br/>
This individual has been spotted in Sutton Park, in an area alive with birds and insects, and it was on the latter that the shrike was feasting upon. I quickly located the shrike in a crab apple tree, but it wasn't the best spot for a photograph. Sure I took some, just in case it flew off never to be seen again, but I hoped it would follow the same behaviour of the other shrikes I'd observed before, and have a loop around the area where it would go to feed.<br/><br/>
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Sure enough, after a while in the apple tree, the shrike took flight, and I saw which direction it went. I, along with a couple of other people, followed it, at a respectful distance. This was what I had hoped for, and the shrike proceeded to perch up on a number of bushes and trees, over a period of an hour or so, as it hunted in different areas of the park. All the while swooping down to catch insects, both from on the ground and from the vegetation.<br/><br/>
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The loop it was using was thankfully smaller than some I've seen in the past with the great grey shrikes, which can cover miles at a time. Then, when it looked like it was perhaps going to return to where it started, and I'd first seen it, it vanished into a thicket of gorse, and didn't reappear for over an hour. I guess that might have been where it had a larder, and was where it rested for a while.<br/><br/>
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Whilst the shrike was chilling out, I took the chance to grab a few shots of one of the common redstarts also feeding around the area. I also saw a spotted flycatcher, which was another first of this rather restricted year for bird watching.<br/><br/>
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When the red backed shrike finally resurfaced, it again went to the crab apple tree, and began the loop once more. By then though, I had amassed a few images, and decided to head home.<br/><br/>
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For a bird of prey fan, I couldn't possibly have failed to notice the sightings of the juvenile bearded vulture nicknamed Vigo, that had been roosting and feeding around the Derbyshire Peak District. And I had been very tempted to visit, but she was proving to be difficult to see at times. To my shame I decided not to bother going. I could probably have found time between little owl workshops, but the thought of driving up there, then walking miles and not seeing it was off-putting.<br/><br/>
Then she left, and was seen around Norfolk. And most recently Lincolnshire. Whilst eating my breakfast I saw a report pop up on my phone from Bird Guides about the vulture being seen near Cowbit in Lincs, and I decided to see exactly where in Lincs it was. Then it dawned on me... I knew the area, having been there before for wildlife with my friend Ian. And it was only a two hour drive away...<br/><br/>
Two hours, thirty minutes later I was driving towards where the sighting had been made, and I saw her. I was trying to get across a busy road, and I could see her flying with an unhappy band of corvids surrounding her. Most distracting when trying to drive!<br/><br/>
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Thankfully I was able to get across, park up and had the camera out in seconds to capture shots of the first bearded vulture I've ever seen in the wild. <br/><br/>
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One word for her. "Wow". <br/><br/>
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She was enormous, dwarfing the other birds around her, even large species like red kites and buzzards.<br/><br/>
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Then she vanished into a small coppice. Having taken a number of images against a bright sky, I decided to walk along the road a bit, so as the sun would be behind me if and when she flew again. <br/><br/>
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A wise move, as she broke cover, and flew across the field in front of me, then circled round behind, out of view.<br/><br/>
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That was when she flew right over my head. Way, way too close to fit her in the shot, so I chose to put the camera down and just admire her as she sailed over. Wonderful!<br/><br/>
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I had hoped on my drive up to simply see the vulture, but to have enjoyed such a view, without the need for binoculars was exhilarating. <br/><br/>
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She then powered off across the fields, and with the help of a band of very merry birders, we relocated her in a tree. Incredible that such a massive bird could simply vanish when perched in a leafy tree. I simply couldn't get a clear shot. And then she broke cover, and flew away again. <br/><br/>
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Following her to another tree, I could see her again, but by now the forecast rain was approaching, and the skies were very dark. Given how rubbish the light was when I was photographing her in the trees, I have to doff my cap to the sensor in my new mirrorless camera (Canon R5) at how much detail and colour was recovered from the images.<br/><br/>
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The rain started to fall, and she took flight again, heading into a private estate. The farmer / landowner, bless him, then invited a few of us first on the scene, to drive down a track to see if we could get a view. We did, but the rain was really starting to come down, and I thought it was probably wise to head home.<br/><br/>
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Two "twitches" and two fantastic results. Maybe I should get out more...?</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-82512089578798787582020-08-07T08:44:00.000+01:002020-08-07T08:44:34.505+01:00Little Owls To The Rescue<font face="verdana">
"Has he disappeared from the face of the planet", I hear you ask. I'm guilty of yet again neglecting this blog, though this year has been an unusual one. <br/><br/>
With CV19 preventing travel to Mull during June and most of July, the tours I had planned on the island, both bespoke ones and those co-run with Andy, have had to be postponed for 12 months. Needless to say, this has left a whacking great hole in my earnings for the year.<br/><br/>
So as soon as the lockdown eased, I drove over to the farm where the little owls live, and have focused almost entirely on them since. <br/><br/>
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This is a bit like history repeating itself, in that the first year I watched the pair, I was able to watch the parents taking food into the barn, and the nestlings fledge, or branch as it's called for owls. And like that first season, just the one owlet made it to the trees.<br/><br/>
As I am unable to see into the nest, I can't ever tell if the eggs all hatch, or if the nestlings make a meal of one another, or if they are lost when branching. All I get to see is an inquisitive and very fluffy character staring at me from the foliage of the oak tree one day, and I can tell you, it's always something special to witness.<br/><br/>
Unlike the first time I observed the family, I was more familiar with the sight of the owls this year and less wowed by the novelty of it all, and noticed a lot more this time round, and I have to hold my hands up. I got it wrong. It's not the male that I see, that does the lion's share of the work, but the female.<br/><br/>
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How do I know? Well when watching the owls before the owlet branched, I noticed she had a patch of ruffled feathers around her underside, and when she preened, I could see her skin. A brood patch, and only the females get this. It's a good job I didn't publish an article about it in a local wildlife magazine. D'oh!<br/><br/>
The male tends to sit further down the line of trees, and while I have seen him bringing in food, he's generally on lookout, sounding an alarm call should a buzzard, or more recently red kite, stray too close.<br/><br/>
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As with previous years, I enjoyed watching the female come down for food, repeatedly, and take it into the barn. During this stage of the nesting, I was able to practise getting flight shots, and found the 100-400mm lens was best for this, as it allowed a wider view initially, then zoomed in when I could guess where she'd fly.<br/><br/>
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And by rigging up a beam, I was also able to capture some more running shots, with the female scuttling towards me.<br/><br/>
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When the lockdown eased in July, I opened the site up for workshops, though with a change because of the social distancing measures. Rather than the clients sitting with me in my car, they have had to use their own. And it's been great, to be honest. While I miss the banter in the vehicle, the clients are able to have all their gear to hand, and not perhaps be concerned about messing up my car.<br/><br/>
On 15th July, on a day off between workshops, I called into the farm like usual, and spotted something rather fluffy in the oak tree. An owlet! Naming it "Acorn" which seemed appropriate, I scanned the trees for siblings, and tried to listen for other hissing calls. <br/><br/>
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During a subsequent workshop, Acorn was perched down where the male likes to watch out from, and suddenly we heard hissing, the begging call of an owlet from within the barn. Was there another? <br/><br/>
No. The owlet that I had assumed could only walk and climb, could fly already, and had flown from the furthest tree, out of sight, and back into the barn. If it could fly from the trees, might it fly down to the roof soon, and entertain the paying public?<br/><br/>
Barely a week later, on a Sunday afternoon, I called in briefly to have a look, and down fluttered Acorn, to the roof, to beg for food from its mother. Fantastic.<br/><br/>
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Since then, both clients and I have been enjoying some wonderful views of Acorn and its mother, on the roof and occasionally on the perches. Acorn isn't quite ready for those yet, as I have seen it fall off of the barn roof a couple of times, though always flying off, to style it out.<br/><br/>
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Currently Acorn is tending to entertain clients as it charges around on the roof, occasionally flying or jumping, but mainly just standing there, looking utterly gorgeous. <br/><br/>
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Hopefully the family will remain safe and well right through until mid October when the relationship between parents and the offspring breaks down, and Acorn will have to find its own territory elsewhere.<br/><br/>
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If you would like to join me for a workshop, please take a look at the website page (<a href="https://www.petewalkden.co.uk/little-owl-workshop/">Click Here</a>) and either fill in the contact form, or drop me an email. Spaces are going fast, and the owlet, Acorn, is getting less fluffy with each passing week.<br/><br/>
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While the workshops are never going to make up for the lost income of the postponed Mull tours, they are providing some sort of a living for me currently, and entertainment for me that is going to last long in my memory, and has firmly put a smile on my face. </font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-89408181866484151132020-04-14T10:56:00.001+01:002020-05-30T09:22:19.532+01:00Lockdown Photography - Macro Stacking<font face="verdana">Lockdown continues and while I was tempted to capture more images of the birds visiting the feeders in my garden, I felt it might be more productive to learn something new, and try a technique I had been considering for years now, after meeting and becoming friends with Oliver Wright. Now if you haven't seen Oliver's work, check it out on his website (<a href="https://www.oliverwrightphotography.com/">here</a>) and dive into some of the macro images he's captured.<br/><br/>
Some of you will be thinking, hang on Pete, you've done loads of macro already. And you'd be correct, but all such images were from one single shot. With macro, the depth of field is so narrow, that bright conditions are needed to capture details, using a small aperture. Even then, using perhaps f11 for images, only a small portion of a subject might be in focus.<br/><br/>
What Oliver does, is stack images. There are loads of other macro photographers out there that do this of course, but what appealed to me from his brief demonstration to me, was that he does it hand-held, without any tripod or slider, so it'd be something I could potentially do when out and about. Summer for example can be a time when birds seem to vanish during long stretches of the day, or perhaps the light is too harsh or heat-haze is killing focus on other opportunities, and has been a time in previous years when I have turned my attention to the invertebrates around where I am standing.<br/><br/>
So with lockdown in force, I grabbed my Canon 7d mk2, 100mm f2.8 IS macro lens, extension tubes and headed out into the garden. The pond is a hive of activity most of the time, and I have photographed the small wolf spiders that hunt on its fringes before, but now I was trying something new. Didn't take long to locate one, so now it was down to me putting into practice what I had seen Oliver doing several times before.<br/><br/>
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The idea is simple. With the lens wide open (at f2.8), you obtain focus on the subject, then without changing it, rock the camera back and forth whilst taking shots. In theory capturing tiny sections of the subject with each shot. Sounds simple enough, until you realise that the rocking has to be the same length as the creature, so barely registering on your muscles as movement, the light can change of course during the process and the main issue, the subject can move too. And when it does, it's usually something you don't realise has happened until post-processing later on.<br/><br/>
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Mooching around in the vegetation in the garden started to reveal a hidden world. As well as spiders and flies, there were small beetles and shield bugs too. <br/><br/>
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And the garden wasn't the only place to look for creepy-crawlies. I recalled several times having seen a spider on the wall of my porch, so went out front to look, and sure enough, found it near where it normally is.<br/><br/>
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It was a nursery web spider, and it was hiding in the small pocket of shade offered by a bolt protruding from the brickwork. And it was kind enough to remain motionless while I faffed around beside it, taking numerous sets of shots. <br/><br/>
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The benefit of working on subjects around the house and garden is that I have access to my PC immediately, so can look at what I've captured, and if I need to try again, I can. <br/><br/>
Post processing stacks of images is in itself quite fun. There's a procedure for it, which might seem daunting at first, but is actually dead easy, and PhotoShop does all the work for you.<br/><br/>
I decided to help others learn this skill by writing an article on my website, and it can be seen here:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.petewalkden.co.uk/2020/04/11/focus-stacking/">Pete Walkden Photography - Focus Stacking</a><br/><br/>
And some of the results from recent sessions can be seen below. <br/><br/>
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These were all captured with the Canon 7D mk2 (though one was with the Canon 1DX) and 100mm macro, plus the Kenko extension tubes. I am tempted to get the 5x macro lens, the Canon MP-E 65mm for much more detailed images, as the revealed detail on these images of the tiny creatures is what fascinates me. But lockdown also restricts deliveries, so I might have to wait for a while on that, and perhaps hold on to my pennies, just in case.<br/><br/>
One unexpected bonus I found yesterday when crouched down low in the overgrown or "wild" section of my garden yesterday was the presence of birds, also looking for invertebrates. Whilst I looked, I had a very close encounter from a willow warbler, and then moments later a dunnock hopped by. Raised a smile to see so close. <br/><br/>
Let me know if you have any questions on this technique, either in the comments section here, or via email (info@petewalkden.co.uk). <br/><br/>
Lastly, for anyone interested in finding out about macro photography in general, before going on to tackle this technique, please take a look at this great article below:<br/><br/>
<a href="https://www.pixpa.com/blog/macro-photography" target="_blank">Pixpa - Macro Photography - A Complete Guide</a>
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-67428208340734133502020-03-29T13:33:00.000+01:002020-03-29T13:35:03.688+01:00March Adders And Lockdown<font face="verdana">I've said numerous times in the past, that I ignore my garden and what visits it. I am guilty of spending time pretty much anywhere but being at home when looking for wildlife to photograph, but this past week, with the lockdown enforced from the Coronavirus pandemic, I have begun to appreciate the garden once again.<br/><br/>
The start of March saw me on Mull running an otter workshop, followed by a fun few days back home in the company of Lyndsey, who was collecting Andy's new car from the dealership where my brother works. After she'd headed back north, with the house being so quiet I was as usual keen to get out, to find wildlife, and top of the list were adders. <br/><br/>
There aren't many locations to see these snakes in the Midlands, but I discovered one through research some years ago, and through a lot of walking and looking, worked out where to find them, on the site. With a forecast for sunshine, I drove over, and started to scour the areas I knew for them. The male adders would have emerged from hibernation during February, and by now some of the larger females would also be out.<br/><br/>
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As with a lot of wildlife spotting, you need to "get your eye in" and then the snakes start standing out from their surroundings. <br/><br/>
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The day ended with me having seen four individuals, which wasn't a bad tally. I managed some relatively "clean" shots of a couple too, which isn't always possible with where the snakes tend to bask in the sunshine. <br/><br/>
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Then as I was contemplating a return visit, the lockdown came into force. Stay at home was (and still is) the message, and only go out for essential work or shopping. Well, my work isn't essential on any level, when faced with this virus, and my freezer was pretty well stocked already. Truth be told, I had been monitoring the news globally, and had guessed something like this lockdown might be enforced, so had picked up odds and ends prior to it kicking in.<br/><br/>
Confined to the house, I woke on the first morning, and looked out into the garden. It was a mess to be frank, with brambles and ivy encroaching from all sides. Armed with secateurs and gloves, I spent most of the first couple of days of the lockdown, fighting was might be called Battle Of The Brambles. I won, eventually, but my fingers suffered from the thorns and their ability to pierce any gardening glove.<br/><br/>
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Whilst pruning I did notice the birds that were visiting the feeders, so once I was happy that the garden was in a decent state, I turned my attention to my camera again. Initially, setting up in the conservatory with the 500mm on a tripod, I found that few birds save the plucky blue tits were coming in. It's funny, given how often birds here see people, that they are so wary of them, compared to those I see in the Highlands, when photographing the crested tits, for example. But flighty they were, and I needed to do something.<br/><br/>
Part of the problem is having the conservatory door open. Perhaps the birds are used to seeing it closed, and it looks different. Only time will tell if they get used to it. But I employed my bag-hide to help mask the shape of my camera and tripod, and it also helps hide me somewhat.<br/><br/>
Next I needed to set up some perches, and a bit more pruning was needed to make some of the backdrops to the shots, cleaner. Then it was (and still is) a case of standing still behind the tripod, and waiting. <br/><br/>
By far the most frequent visitor is the humble blue tit. I think there are two pairs coming in. They mostly aim for the suet balls, but are quite happy to pick from the seed mix tray or the sunflower heart feeders.<br/><br/>
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A bird that always makes my heart sing when I see it, is the long-tailed tit. And I've noticed that a pair seem to be busy in the far corner of the garden, hopefully building a nest. They're collecting spiders' webs from around the shrubs, but every so often coming to the suet ball feeder to keep up their energy levels.<br/><br/>
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There are three pairs of robins around too, and one pair of coal tits. <br/><br/>
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In recent years, when I have spent an hour watching the garden's birds, I have noticed a lack of greenfinches. Thankfully that trend has reversed, and there are at least three pairs coming in. <br/><br/>
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Goldfinches are also around, chattering as they wait for a turn on the feeders. Always a treat to see, and brighten up the dullest of days.<br/><br/>
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At the beginning of the month there was a male blackcap constantly hogging the feeders, trying to chase off other birds, though strangely the blue tits scared him away! Since I've rigged up the camera, he's gone into hiding. Typical. That said, I did see a female yesterday, and a rival male, so perhaps he's busy with other things now.<br/><br/>
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A pair of nuthatches are vocal most mornings, so I got up early one day this week to try for some shots. Yes, you guessed it, no sign of them until late afternoon...<br/><br/>
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As well as a busy wren zipping around the hedge at the back, there is also a pair of goldcrests around, so when I spotted one flitting around the lower branches of the evergreen tree, I was out in a flash, armed with my Canon 7D mk2 and 100-400mm mk2. You need to be quick to capture images of these tiny birds (smallest in the UK) so I ended up with many shots of empty branches, or blurred tails. But thankfully a couple of decent images.<br/><br/>
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The star of the garden though, has to be the bullfinch, and from what I can tell I have at least three pairs coming in. One I have seen in previous years unfortunately has lesions on one of his legs, so he can't perch up on the feeders. Doesn't seem to be affecting him though, as he hovers to take seeds. And he is absolutely gorgeous in colour.<br/><br/>
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There's another vibrant male, with no such problems on his legs, and he almost glows, though he needs to remember to clean his beak after nibbling on the freshly growing buds on the trees around the garden.<br/><br/>
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And finally a young male, with a subtle pinkish colour, but is no less beautiful.<br/><br/>
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And of course each male has an accompanying female, stunning in their own way. <br/><br/>
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So after ignoring my garden in recent years, it has now become my saviour, and provides me with something to occupy my mind and point my camera at, during these trying times. Stay tuned for more posts...</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-14976813492169982182020-03-11T10:12:00.000+00:002020-03-11T10:12:47.143+00:00Winter Workshops In The Scottish Highlands And On Mull<font face="verdana">The house is silent, I'm alone again, and the wind is battering the rain against my windows once more. Just like it was when I left for the Highlands, almost a month ago. I've barely had time to soak up the events of the last four weeks, but I'm sure it'll start to sink in over time, and while most of it is fresh in my head, I thought I ought to write it down, for this blog.<br/><br/>
As usual, early in February I packed my bags and headed north, to the Scottish Highlands. Like last year, the weather that greeted me on arrival was cold, and wintery, but unlike last year, it remained so, and my clients all enjoyed what I would consider to be winter conditions. Last year by the middle of my stay, the temperature was a ridiculous 17 degrees Celcius, and the "most wanted" subject for my workshops, the crested tit, was nowhere to be seen.<br/><br/>
Not a problem this year, and they would prove to be perhaps the stars of the show for the winter workshops. Normally I have availability for these workshops right up to the time I leave, but this season, I was fully booked before the beginning of December, which was great for me. The only concern would be the ptarmigan, as the windy conditions always make trips up the mountain pointless - if it's windy, the ptarmigan are impossible to approach, not to mention the difficulty of making the hike up there in the first place.<br/><br/>
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After arriving and settling in at Andy and Lyndsey's house, I spent a day with Andy initially, at the crested tit site, and then helped him with a project the following day at the squirrels, before accompanying one of his clients to the crested tit site again. And after last year's no-show over there, to see these charismatic birds buzzing around the feeders constantly was the most wonderful of sights.<br/><br/>
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Made even better by the snow falling all around. <br/><br/>
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I won't go into all the details of how the workshops panned out, but will simply say that everyone got almost everything they hoped for. As mentioned earlier, the gusty conditions prevented us from finding the ptarmigan until the workshops later in my stay, when the weather finally calmed down, but the red squirrels, red deer, red grouse, crested tits, snow buntings and mountain hares all put in an appearance for my clients.<br/><br/>
I've selected a few images from the sessions for the blog...<br/><br/>
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The trip up for the ptarmigan was so worth waiting for. It was a bit of a hike up, and like last year, was a joint effort with Andy and his client leading the way. When they left us to it, favouring a session back down the mountain with the snow buntings, we reapproached the group of ptarmigan, and got some lovely stuff of them. Any session with these birds is memorable, and I always treasure the time with them.<br/><br/>
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Readers of this blog will recall previous trips to the Highlands resulting in me seeing some fantastic wildfowl around the harbours. Sadly in recent years, due to essential dredging of these busy fishing areas, the birds haven't been seen, until this winter, when we watched some more long-tailed ducks fishing in the sheltered waters.<br/><br/>
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An unexpected treat for my clients that day.<br/><br/>
While most of my time in the Highlands had been set aside for workshops, I did have a couple of days free, and I was more than happy to spend the time with Lyndsey, who spent one of the days showing me round a glen near where her grandparents live, which is definitely one of the most picturesque areas I've ever been fortunate enough to see. <br/><br/>
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Snow-capped mountains, waterfalls, lochs and small islands, with red deer around to add to the magic. The weather might have been a little challenging at times, but it made it all the more incredible.<br/><br/>
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And a place I returned to with my clients the following week, who were also as spellbound by it all as I was.<br/><br/>
At the end of the month, I had to leave Andy and Lyndsey, which is always difficult, as I love spending time with them. But rather than be heading home, I was driving south and west, to the Isle Of Mull for a week, most of which would be spent running a bespoke workshop looking for otters.<br/><br/>
The start of the visit was pretty grim in terms of the weather. Howling winds and horizontal snow, sleet, hail and rain. But it didn't take me long to locate the subject for the workshop. <br/><br/>
And one encounter would prove to be very special indeed. Roll the clocks back to several years ago, when I was on Mull with my Dad, but also spending time with Ian and his family. They'd just arrived for a week, after we'd already been there for one already. We had CB radios, and were constantly chatting to one another when I heard Ian telling me he'd got an otter, with a lobster. I remember the moment clear as day, even now, after all these years. I was watching some goosanders, and I decided not to go round to join him, for fear of spooking the otter, and costing him the shots. I waited, and Ian bagged some incredible shots that day.<br/><br/>
This time I was alone, and watching a mother and almost grown-up cub out fishing in the loch. There was some splashing, what appeared to be a brief spat out in the water, and then one otter started to head to the shore, at speed. I wasn't sure of what it had caught, but as the rain had finally stopped, I thought I'd go and get into position to see it. Scrambling down the lochside into a pile of slimey seaweed, I set the camera up and tracked the otter as she broke through the waves. <br/><br/>
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A lobster. <br/><br/>
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She actually brought it ashore closer to me than I'd expected, favouring the shingle shore instead of the rocks where I thought she'd come out. I grabbed some shots as she carried the prize up the beach, finally dropping it not far from the road. She briefly sniffed the lobster, before tucking in... facing away from me.<br/><br/>
I have to admit, despite nailing the shots of her bringing it ashore, I was gutted not to be seeing the eating. Until a car went by, and she paused, moving away from her meal, before going back, and this time choosing to eat it, facing me.<br/><br/>
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She spent almost a quarter of an hour dining on the lobster, right in front of me, but never being aware of my presence. Her cub swam past midway through the meal, squeaking away, but she ignored him, focusing on her fine cuisine instead.<br/><br/>
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After finishing, she then found a grassy spot further down the loch to come out and groom on, and after going back into the water briefly again, she spent more time grooming her fur beside a small estuary. This did lead to one moment of frustration for me, when at the precise moment she climbed out of the water, a pair of sheep decided to move between the otter and me, and start nibbling the grass. I couldn't see anything!<br/><br/>
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Thankfully they moved on, and I could get some final images of the otter before she headed upstream and away for a well deserved sleep.<br/><br/>
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I had a couple of regrets from the encounter. Firstly it arrived just hours before the workshop began, and it would have been wonderful for my client to have shared the experience, and secondly that Andy wasn't alongside me, as he's keen to capture such a sight for his upcoming book on otters. <br/><br/>
While the workshop didn't see such an incredible encounter, we did get to see several otters, capturing images of them fishing, eating and grooming, as well as a ridiculously close encounter on the final morning, when a mother and cub scrambled over the rocks to come within fifteen feet of where we were attempting to hide. Magical stuff and left both of us smiling for hours.<br/><br/>
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The end of the trip was supposed to see me returning home, before welcoming Lyndsey to my place for a change, when she was collecting Andy's new car from the dealership where my brother works. But the sad demise of Flybe saw me diverting to pick her up from Glasgow. Made for a fun final few days at the end of a busy period, back on home turf, where Lyndsey got to enjoy some of the wildlife I perhaps take for granted, such as the great-crested grebes, and avocets at Upton Warren.<br/><br/>
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I'll soon be putting up details of workshops in the Highlands for 2021, on my website, so if you're interested in joining me for a few days, please drop me an email. Same for a bespoke tour on Mull - I'm always happy to show people around the island!</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-21802065858885083972019-12-31T12:56:00.000+00:002020-01-27T13:21:59.726+00:00End Of A Decade, And An Era.<font face="verdana">It's the last day of the year, of the decade in fact, and I felt it was perhaps time for a post, summing up my feelings on what has been a grim year for me personally, but also to lighten that mood with some wonderful encounters with wildlife, over the last few months. Some readers may wish to skip over paragraphs, as perhaps I'm using this post to aid my grieving process.<br/><br/>
My last post was covering the Mull Summer Photography Tours, which given events since then, feels like a lifetime ago. As ever, Mull produced the goods, all the clients were happy and for Andy and me, it was a success, yet again. Leaving the island on a bit of a high, the world came crashing down when I saw my Dad afterwards. <br/><br/>
He had been struggling with pains from the cancer that had returned, and had decided to abandon the treatment for it, as it was making him feel utterly miserable, so had made the choice to try to enjoy what he had left with <i>just</i> the usual levels of pain and discomfort. When I had left for Mull, he was looking thin and gaunt, but he looked skeletal when I saw him on my return, though still managing to look after himself at his home.<br/><br/>
Normally the weeks after the Mull tours are filled with action, antics and amusing behaviour from the little owls, but it was clear when I visited the farm for the first time in late July that something was wrong. The adult was out as he usually is, but he wasn't taking the food I was putting out back to the nest, just gobbling it down himself. The nest that had been developing before I went away, had failed for some reason. <br/><br/>
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No owlets meant much reduced action, and while I managed to get some clients some good sessions with just the adult, the lack of young caused a great number of people to cancel. More disappointment for me, and I was sad for the owls too, as they had followed the national trend, where their numbers are falling. There was no apparent reason for the failure, and of course the nest is in a location I can't access to take a look.<br/><br/>
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With the lack of action at that site, I started to look elsewhere, and visited Grimley a few times. It's a fantastic site, though the recent addition of a lot of new fencing has restricted photography somewhat, but back in early September it was being visited by a couple of hobbies. I love watching these dashing falcons, as they accelerate and swoop to catch insects on the wing. <br/><br/>
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One seemed to favour a stretch along a tree line, which meant I could tuck myself into the vegetation to attempt to capture shots as it fizzed by. I won't disclose my success percentage! <br/><br/>
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The other liked hunting over the reeds on the main lake, and perching in one of the trees, always that bit too far off for a clean shot.<br/><br/>
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But they were fun as usual, and the distraction I needed at that time. As was another bird, the kingfisher. It's funny, to me at any rate, how you have periods where you fail to connect with certain species then have one chance encounter, and see them frequently thereafter. I'd not had any decent chances to photograph a kingfisher for years, then one landed in front of me at Grimley, and the spell was broken, seeing another one close up at Upton Warren days later.<br/><br/>
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A call one afternoon at the end of the first week of September was the beginning of a weekend that will be etched in my mind forever. It was one of the nurses that had been calling over to Dad to ensure he had everything he needed, and she was with him at his home. He wasn't coping any longer, and he had decided to move out and into a hospice. The nurse explained that we might have to wait for a few days for a bed to be available, but it was a horrible shock to my system, and the reality of it all set in again. The following morning, I received a call from the hospice to say a bed was available, and could I arrange for my Dad to be with them by midday. <br/><br/>
There was no reply when I rang my Dad's doorbell, so I let myself in. Upstairs he was asleep, thankfully, though you can imagine my dread when I walked into his room after he'd not replied to my voice. I don't have many regrets with regards to how I spent time with him, what I did for him over his last few years, but I do feel strangely guilty at how I tried to rush him out of his house that morning, to get to the hospice on time. For me, perhaps I was remembering when Mum had gone in, they'd helped her to a point where she actually came home where she died, but to Dad he must have known he was leaving his home for the last time. It breaks my heart thinking about it. <br/><br/>
The staff at the hospice were as wonderful as ever. He was tucked up in his bed in no time, with attentive nurses at hand for anything he might want. My sister and her husband had joined me by then, and we chatted to Dad, when the doctor was in seeing him. Dad was well aware of his condition, and was typically matter-of-fact about it all. We left him, promising to return the following day with one of my older brothers. <br/><br/>
That morning, I was back at Grimley, trying my hardest to keep my mind off what was going on. My brother and I visited Dad early afternoon. He seemed more alert and in comparatively better spirits during the visit, asking me to bring in his electric shaver as he was starting to grow a beard, and he was chuckling at my description of myself being dressed in camo at Grimley, and looking like a massive tit, for want of a better term. <br/><br/>
Just two hours after we left, as I was driving back from the local country pub I received a call from the hospice. By then I knew the number, and I knew before the lady told me, what had happened. The nurses had apparently checked in on him, got him another drink and made sure he was comfortable with pillows, and had shared some banter with him, then returned just an hour later and he'd died. I try to make light of it by saying he timed it so my brother and I had had time for a pint before the dreadful news came through, which is the sort of considerate thing he'd have done.<br/><br/>
The hours, then days and weeks that have followed have been a blur really. I have since spent three weeks on Mull, initially running a bespoke one-to-one tour, then the fortnight of Otter Photography Tours with Andy. As usual, the wildlife on Mull shone, and the clients left with oodles of images of what they had perhaps hoped for.<br/><br/>
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We even had a pretty good encounter with a golden eagle on one of the days during the first week, on a day we had set aside for raptors. Hen harriers, buzzards of course, plus kestrels too. <br/><br/>
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Plenty of otters, despite us having to contend with difficult tides and wind direction. Experience, local knowledge and determination certainly pay dividends.<br/><br/>
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Closer to home, more kingfisher encounters kept me entertained, capturing images of them both perched and in flight. <br/><br/>
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With some glorious light too. I know there are paid hides for such things, but seeing them in the wild is pretty special.<br/><br/>
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Plus a brief sighting of a cattle egret, standing perfectly between two cows! <br/><br/>
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A couple of trips to the Highlands, a place I never visited with Dad in tow, so holds no such memories, was rewarding. I got to see a red squirrel kit that was so small and adorable, it had Lyndsey and me cooing over it like idiots. She named it Peanut, which seemed appropriate.<br/><br/>
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After last winter's nightmare with crested tits (too warm for them), it was wonderful to see several visiting the feeders at Andy's site, and with the heather in bloom, we managed some lovely images in and around the woodland floor.<br/><br/>
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And on my last visit, we managed to catch up with a flock of waxwings, which is never a bad thing. Forres always seems to get them, every winter. I don't think any have arrived in the Midlands yet, which is a shame, as I love the sound of them, as well as the sight.<br/><br/>
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So here I am again, on the last day of the decade. Next year should see some big changes for me, but more on that as and when it happens. 2019 has seen me lose my biggest supporter of my choice of career and life-style. Dad was always immensely proud of my decision to make a career out of something I love doing, despite the financial risks involved. He was always interested in what I had been up to, what wildlife I'd seen and photographed, and what plans I had. While I consoled myself initially after he'd died with the fact that all of my memories of being with him were happy ones, I'm really missing chatting to him, joking and learning from him, from his life experience and wisdom. And I'm sure that feeling will continue, as it has for Mum, who we lost at the beginning of this decade. <br/><br/>
Dad had said to me on numerous occasions towards the end, that he'd enjoyed his life, made the most of it, with family and friends, and had no regrets. He was eighty when he died, so in cricket terms (a sport he'd played as young man and watched avidly always as a fan), he had made a decent innings. As a father one couldn't have asked for anything more, nor as a friend and in his twilight years, my companion for some of my most cherished memories, away looking for and photographing wildlife.<br/><br/>
This past decade has seen me walk away from a successful career in IT to one where I love what I am doing, and I hope the next decade will see this choice blossom, especially if I can follow my Dad's example, and make the most of every single day. <br/><br/>
Happy New Year, sincerely.</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-57861990922076195002019-10-13T11:03:00.001+01:002019-10-13T11:03:54.099+01:00Mull Summer Photography Tours<font face="verdana">The summer Mull Photography Tours usually begin with Andy and me looking for the wildlife in advance of the guests arriving, but as we'd both spent time on Mull just a few weeks prior, there was no need for such planning in advance. We already knew where the otters would likely to be, and what other species were showing well around the isle.<br/><br/>
Our tours generally focus on three main subjects, puffins, otters and white-tailed eagles. I know in the past, my blogs from such trips have been long and detailed most of what happened during the weeks, so this time, I'm focusing on the images, and not the tales behind each shot. Just a visual feast of what can be obtained during one of our summer tours...<br/><br/>
<h3>Puffins</h3><br/>
To see these charismatic birds, we take a trip with Turus Mara, out to the smaller island of Lunga. Puffins are an absolute delight to work with, and Lunga has a very healthy population of them to watch. As well as close up portraits, we aim to take shots of them in action, running if possible, but usually flying. Against the sea or sky, this is relatively easy, but against the dark, shaded cliffs, such images are much harder to achieve.<br/><br/>
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This year we were fortunate (if you can call it that) to see some rain fall when we were out there - admittedly not everyone's cup of tea, being exposed to the elements on an island with no shelter, but the rain adds something to shots, and it was the first time we had seen such conditions in all the years of visiting Lunga.<br/><br/>
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<h3>Otters</h3><br/>
With one otter for every mile of coastline, Mull should in theory have over three hundred individuals living around it. Of course some areas of the coastline are more accessible than others, and we managed to catch up with many otters over the three weeks, unlike quite a few photographers we spoke to, who had really been struggling to find them. I guess this shows the value of knowing a place like Andy and I do, and where to look. Plus it helps when we both spend so long on the island throughout the year.<br/><br/>
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<h3>White-Tailed Eagles</h3><br/>
After the bliss of the previous year's sailings when we were treated to t-shirt weather out on the seas, flat calm water and of course constant eagle sightings, this year's wet weather was not so welcome. While the rain can add something to shots, it also tends to close in around the boat, and can prevent or at least discourage the eagles from leaving their perches, and flying out to see us.<br/><br/>
That said, we still managed to get some awesome encounters, and the light between downpours was rather unusual at times.<br/><br/>
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text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DignEcrcgrI/XaLzteXuzEI/AAAAAAAAGlk/dN0LNtxfq_w5kqzE5UrEIW8tlJLcFTBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_9864j.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DignEcrcgrI/XaLzteXuzEI/AAAAAAAAGlk/dN0LNtxfq_w5kqzE5UrEIW8tlJLcFTBbACLcBGAsYHQ/s320/IMG_9864j.jpg" width="320" height="173" data-original-width="1520" data-original-height="822" /></a></div>
<h3>And the rest...</h3><br/>
Of course Mull and Lunga have more to offer us than just the three main subjects, and I've included a few of my favourites of other subjects from the time spent on the islands.<br/><br/>
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I hope this photo-blog post gives a quick, visual idea of what can be achieved during one of our tours. Alternatively of course, you could book on to a private guided tour, run just by me, targeting your preferred subjects. I'm happy to run workshops for otters or eagles, or anything in between!</font>
Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-86868304088244694392019-08-18T20:56:00.002+01:002019-08-18T21:20:05.819+01:00Mull For Spring Wildlife Guiding<font face="verdana">
Normally my trips to Mull begin late June and end with the Otter Photography Tours in November, but this year I was asked for a bespoke tour on the island at the end of May. Then Andy asked if I could assist with a group of clients the following week, and suddenly my diary was pretty much "Mull" from late May until late July. Not a bad thing, when I love the place so much.<br/><br/>
The tour in May was unlike the July tours, in that the clients had arranged their own accommodation, and I would be just guiding them. They had requested a trip out with Mull Charters, so I duely booked us on to a trip, and then added another place when Lyndsey asked if she could tag along, whilst spending the week on Mull, sharing the accommodation I'd booked. This made the week a proper mix of work and play, as I'd have company during the evenings, and as we were based in Tobermory, we could enjoy the delights the resort has to offer.<br/><br/>
And prior to my guiding days, we both went out looking for wildlife, and quickly located some otters. <br/><br/>
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My clients had asked to see otters and any owls, if they were around. Alas the short-eared owls on Mull seem to have suffered a couple of poor breeding seasons, so I was unable to tick that request off, but we did see some beautiful hen harriers instead. <br/><br/>
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Otters were somewhat easier to find, though keeping them to ourselves was harder. It's hard to remain hidden when pointing large lenses at an otter, so other visitors to the island will often park up, and sometimes, cheekily approach for a better view. This is something that is impossible to prevent, but anyone choosing to approach a photographer who is close to an otter should think twice... they might have spent hours waiting for such an opportunity, and your approach might spook the otter, if not done very carefully and considerately.<br/><br/>
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My clients were just about perfect though, following my advice and enabling us all to get close to things, plus it was evident that they simply just loved wildlife, and being on Mull, so everything we looked at was as interesting and adored as the "star" species.<br/><br/>
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Speaking of which, the Mull Charters trip was typically wonderful, though the bright sunshine made the images rather contrasty. Rather that though than the heavy rain we endured during the July tours; more on that in the next blog post.<br/><br/>
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And the otter encounters, especially one, were magical. Having spotted one swimming near the shore of a loch, I parked up, and we all headed down to the shore to watch. The conditions were good in terms of a breeze, though the light was slightly against us. That said, I really regretted my decision not to take a camera down to the shore, when the otter proceeded to catch and bring in several crabs, eating them just a short distance away from where we were hiding. Thankfully my clients hadn't been so complacent, and amassed many images of the otter.<br/><br/>
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After retreating for lunch, when the otter had moved away for a snooze, we returned to where it had rolled up, and waited patiently for it to wake up. This time I did bother with my camera, and grabbed a couple of images for myself!<br/><br/>
Towards the end of the week, I had a couple of days free before Andy was due to arrive. I really wanted to find some hen harriers to photograph, but my usual luck was in, and the rains arrived. So I went looking for more otters, knowing any others I might find would assist during the coming weeks of guiding. Along the way though I couldn't refuse to stop and photograph a band of house martins, collecting mud from a roadside puddle.<br/><br/>
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Unlike harriers, otters don't mind the rain, and I soon clocked one scooting along close to the shore, diving for food. Then it was just a case of tracking it, and grabbing any photo opportunities that arose.<br/><br/>
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And a few were given in the hours spent with the otter. The first sighting was just before 2pm, and I left at about 5pm, when I realised the rumblings from my empty stomach were getting loud enough to perhaps spook the otter! And the more observant reader will notice that there were actually two otters during that session.<br/><br/>
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Initially I thought I might have spooked the first otter, but it was actually the arrival of the second otter into the same stretch of shoreline that made the first leave and head elsewhere.<br/><br/>
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I then enjoyed moments as it fished and ate the catches both out in the water and on the shore, and later when the tide was further in, out on the legs and support structures of an old pier. <br/><br/>
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The weather was appalling throughout, which was probably why no-one else seemed to be out, and I had the place to myself. <br/><br/>
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As is typical when fishing for any length of time, the otter heads ashore for some grooming and a nap. This one chose a nice rock to curl up on, and I simply had to sit and wait for the action to begin again. <br/><br/>
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More fishing, and then a close encounter when another session of grooming occurred, right in front of where I was hiding.<br/><br/>
Of course having such an amazing experience meant there was no prizes for guessing where Lyndsey and I headed to the following day. And in similar conditions!<br/><br/>
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We followed one of the otters quite some distance along the shore, to the point where I decided to cut my losses (it wasn't giving us many photo chances) and return to pick up the car (ever the gentleman), leaving Lyndsey to continue the pursuit alone. I hoped she'd have more luck on her own, and as I drove back towards her, I realised she had, and was watching the otter as it munched on some sort of fish, pretty close to where she was hiding. <br/><br/>
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I waited until the action had finished, before parking up to collect a rather bedraggled Lyndsey, and we drove along the loch to see if we could catch up with the speedy creature. We did, but chose to photograph it from the car, to avoid disturbing it, and well, to stay a bit drier! <br/><br/>
The first week had flown by in the blink of an eye. Lyndsey was leaving and being replaced by her husband Andy, for my second week. We were to start the week aboard the Lady Jayne with Martin, Alex and Dan, for a fishing trip for the eagle food. I was initially looking forward to it, though the bad weather had continued and the sea was rough.<br/><br/>
In hindsight the trip was a bad move. Both Lyndsey and I were feeling rather rough from a good night out on our last evening, and going out on a boat trip with a dodgy stomach in calm weather isn't wise... After attempting to photograph some of the seabirds flying past, and taking my eyes off of the horizon, my stomach rolled over, and for the first time ever in my life, I was physically sick aboard a boat. Martin was sympathetic, asking me to move elsewhere, further away from the wheelhouse to empty my stomach! <br/><br/>
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Needless to say I was of no use whatsoever for the first part of the fishing, and just watched the others occasionally landing fish. It wasn't proving to be a successful trip for the fishing either. But when the seas calmed, so did my stomach, and I was able to join the fun. I even caught quite a decent sized fish, though I think Dan had to get it off the line for me! I'll stick to the photography I think!<br/><br/>
With just the Sunday to recover before Andy's bespoke tour began, I was relieved to see the sun had returned, and it actually felt like summer. Back to the same area where I had enjoyed success the previous week, we soon spotted an otter fishing, and got in position. Andy, had sent his professional camera body and 600mm lens away for a service prior to the tour, so was using just a 7D mark 2, and 100-400mm lens that day. I envied him when the otter came in, as without the bulk of what I was carrying, he was able to slither down the shore to a much closer position to watch the otter.<br/><br/>
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The otter had caught a sizeable skate, and then spent an age eating it. <br/><br/>
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And with the tide coming in, it pushed the otter closer still! I had to move across at one point to avoid getting Andy's hat in my shot.<br/><br/>
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Monday saw the first of my "working" days, where I took one of Andy's clients out looking for otters. And within minutes of starting to look for them, I spotted a youngster out mooching through seaweed beside the shore. And we were relieved it was a youngster, as the conditions were almost entirely against us as we got closer, with the wind blowing the wrong way, and hardly anywhere to hide. But being young, it wasn't bothered by our presence.<br/><br/>
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I had seen this otter out the previous week, but with its mother. I assumed she was resting nearby, and the cub was out alone, looking for something to satisfy its ever increasing appetite. <br/><br/>
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At one point, the cub crept right past us, too close for pictures to be taken. I just whispered to my client to simply enjoy the moment, and watch. <br/><br/>
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And as the cub scrambled further along the shoreline, I called a halt to our session, not wanting to risk spooking the otter away from where its mother was sleeping, and waiting for the cub to return to. Years of experience of both the locations and the otters on Mull allow me to make such decisions during these sessions, which is beneficial to clients and otters alike.<br/><br/>
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Our trip to Lunga the following day, with Turus Mara, saw me just tagging along for my own pleasure, though I did offer advice for suggested images and settings when asked by the clients. I had secretly hoped for bad weather after seeing the images Lyndsey had managed the week before, but the skies were clear, and the sun was shining on the small island and its inhabitants. It did make a change to be there earlier in the year as both sea pinks (thrift) and bluebells were in bloom, though the latter were beginning to fade away.<br/><br/>
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The following day saw the first of two private sailings with Mull Charters. And it was wet. <br/><br/>
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Not that the weather dampened our spirits, or the eagles' desire for food, and we were treated to a number of visits, seeing the action at very close quarters.<br/><br/>
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We also encountered a pod of dolphins, though they weren't interested in playing with us, focusing on fishing instead. Still lovely to see.<br/><br/>
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I favoured using my 100-400mm lens during the trip, but took along my 500mm, coupled with both the 1.4 teleconverter and my 7D mk2, giving me a focal length of 1120mm, should something a bit further off warrant a photo. And it did... when a pair of eagles perched up on a skerry. <br/><br/>
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That said, hand-holding that lens whilst balancing on a moving boat isn't easy!<br/><br/>
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The second private charter, a couple of days later was a different story. Bright and sunny, with a breeze too, but unusually, both were from the same direction. This meant we had the chance of well-lit shots with the eagles flying towards us. Cue a great throw from Alex, perfect positioning of the boat from Martin, and a dive sequence that left even Andy and me with our jaws on the deck.<br/><br/>
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It was the perfect way to end a great week on the island. <br/><br/>
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Rather than head south, I followed Andy north to Inverness for a day, which wasn't wasted of course, when we went out looking for mountain hare leverets, and called over to Chanonry Point for the dolphins. <br/><br/>
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It rounded off a fine fortnight in Scotland, but was really just a taster for the main event, which would see me returning to the Highlands again in less than three weeks, to help Andy and Lyndsey prepare for the Mull Summer Photography Tours, then of course head down to Mull to run them...
</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-27250439824832778152019-05-05T15:49:00.000+01:002019-05-05T18:02:06.393+01:00RSPB Otmoor As A Substitute For Norfolk<font face="verdana">In recent years, this blog would now be populated with an account of my annual trip to North Norfolk, but Dad's ailing health and numerous appointments meant it never happened this year. Spending time on the Norfolk coast, looking for new arrivals for spring, seeking out brown hares, barn owls and anything else I can find, is one of the highlights of my wildlife calendar. <br/><br/>
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Instead, April pretty much passed by without a great deal of camera time. I found some adders early on, and managed to see one shed its skin too, which allowed for some macro images of the detail on it, when the owner had slithered away. <br/><br/>
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One highlight from the month was a day trip down to Otmoor, an RSPB reserve I have admired for many years now. With well established reedbeds and shallow pools, it has attracted species such as hobbies, bitterns, marsh harriers and common cranes, plus the paddocks and tracks are home to brown hares, cuckoos and the increasingly rare turtle dove. In fact, it could tick off a number of species I'd normally go to North Norfolk to photograph.<br/><br/>
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The visit in April provided a few sightings of marsh harriers and a brief flight from a bittern, plus the sound of one booming from a reedbed. But it was perhaps a tad early for what I usually go there for, so when May arrived, I headed back down to the reserve once more.<br/><br/>
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Opening the car door at the car park, I immediately heard a cuckoo calling, and along the track to the main part of the reserve, I added both common and lesser whitethroat to the list. High over the meadows and reedbeds were hirundines, busily catching insects on the wing, and after last year's disappointingly low numbers, I was very pleased to see some swifts too.<br/><br/>
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Further along the path, a sedge warbler was high in a hawthorn, singing away, and warranted a couple of shots. <br/><br/>
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Taking a brief wander alongside the ditch, past the hide, I hoped to see a grass snake, but I soon realised that the volunteers / workers on site were replacing fence posts, so there was little chance of seeing a creature often just disturbed by creeping past, let alone when posts were being hammered into the ground nearby! But I'm not going to moan, as the site is maintained so well, for wildlife and visitors alike, that it's got to be one the jewels in the RSPB's portfolio of reserves, and that is down to their hard work.<br/><br/>
Down at the first screen, a couple of lizards were sunning themselves on one of the darker coloured logs, probably wondering why it was colder now in late spring than it was in late winter...<br/><br/>
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The pools were busy with diving ducks, such as "tufties" and also numerous miffed coots, frequently chasing one another over the surface of the water. <br/><br/>
As I watched the hirundines and swifts chasing insects on the wing, I mused to myself that the hobbies ought to be arriving soon. Then instantly, as if by magic, I clocked a falcon in the distance and immediately recognised the shape! They were back too, and one became six, then seven and maybe even eight as I watched them drop down from the heavens, to chase insects. Wonderful.<br/><br/>
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A bittern was once more booming from the cover of the reeds, and after enjoying the sight of a marsh harrier paying a slightly closer visit, one visitor sharing the screen with me, commented that she'd love to see the bittern before she left. Right of cue, one burst from the reedbed and flew across the back of the pool!<br/><br/>
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By lunchtime the reserve seemed quiet in terms of people, perhaps because they'd seen the forecast of heavy showers. I was alone at the screen watching the hobbies, hoping one might fly nearby, when I glanced out of the side window, and spotted a brown hare. Before I could get a shot, it had hopped out of sight. <br/><br/>
A family of greylag geese swam by, the parents looking supremely proud of their many goslings, following close by. I grabbed some shots, but in the back of my mind, I wondered where the hare had gone. <br/><br/>
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Out the back of the screen, I scanned the path and there it was, sitting on the grass, about a hundred yards away. Normally there are people milling up and down the track between the screens, but with no one around, I crept closer. The hare didn't bat an eyelid.<br/><br/>
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So I dropped to my knees, and then lay flat, and crawled closer along the ground. Remarkably the hare didn't run off. And by being at eye-level with it, I could get some nice mush in the foreground. <br/><br/>
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Then it was a case of waiting for the hare to do something, and hoping that other visitors didn't arrive.<br/><br/>
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In fact the only problem for me then were some red ants that were crawling around beneath me. I crawled a bit closer, and away from the ants...<br/><br/>
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With a huge slice of luck, I managed to spend a good hour lying there watching the hare, and it was active too. I saw yawns, stretches, pellets being taken, grooming, shaking (post rain shower) and grazing. <br/><br/>
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And when one other visitor arrived at the screen, he kindly chose to wait for me to finish photographing (the hare finally moved away and into a hedgerow). <br/><br/>
Having enjoyed such a fabulous day, I was keen to return, so with a dry forecast, I found myself back at the first screen once more. This time however, it offered little in the way of shelter from the cold wind blasting across the reserve, so I set up camp beside the path behind, watching the many swifts buzzing around, secretly hoping for one of the hobbies to fly over too.<br/><br/>
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As I was carrying both my 500mm and my 100-400mm, I rigged the 1DX up on the big lens, and the 7D mk2 on the zoom. For the ridiculously agile swifts I used the lighter zoom, and when a hobby strayed into view, swapped out for the big 'un. <br/><br/>
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Thank goodness for digital media, or I'd have spent a fortune on film, and achieved very little. And annoyingly, the dry forecast turned out to be anything but, with heavy showers being hurried through the reserve on the icy wind. <br/><br/>
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With no sign of the hare alas, I spent the afternoon focusing on birds in flight, and left with images of swifts, hobbies and even some of the cuckoos that have been very vocal of late.<br/><br/>
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It might not be Norfolk, but Otmoor has certainly raised my spirits, and given me a mountain of images to look through. </font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-79797228620019899022019-03-13T21:25:00.000+00:002019-03-13T21:25:40.984+00:00An Unusually Mild Winter In The Scottish Highlands<font face="verdana">My eyes were stinging and tired as I scanned the hillside for hares. Normally I like to get to the Highlands, chill out for a day or so, and rest my eyes after the long drive up, but this winter, a late booking had meant I was working the day after arriving. Not that I minded of course, but tired, dry eyes and a strong cold wind don't mix.<br/><br/>
With the direction of the wind, I decided against going higher up the hills for the hares, preferring to approach one on the lower slopes. Over the years, fewer seem to be around down here, possibly because of folks trying their luck with getting images, and spooking the hares away from their usual forms. Or maybe the unusually wet winters of late have thinned out the hare population.<br/><br/>
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Thankfully my luck was in, and after spotting one, and carefully approaching it, I was able to get my client close enough for her to capture some images of the mountain hare. It was a bit of a tease. Over the years, I have learned the signs for when a hare is about to do something, but this individual kept doing such actions, but then failing to do anything else, and would sink back down into the form, and snooze again. We had to wait for quite some time before it sat up and took a pellet.<br/><br/>
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Sometimes the way with hares. Not all of them are "performers". Some will sit and stare at you, never moving for the several hours you're watching them for. Others, like the one named Mrs G, or Mrs Grey on account of her grey fur, would get up every 20 minutes or so, to groom, yawn, take a pellet or even move out of the form completely to graze nearby. <br/><br/>
So it was a real shame later during my stay in the Highlands, to hear from Andy that he'd found her, dead in her form. She was perhaps 4 years old, which isn't a bad innings for a wild hare. But she will be missed, not only by Andy and me, and I know Andy was especially upset with her death, as she features in his mountain hare book as one of his favourites, but by many other photographers and guides who spent time with her over the years. <br/><br/>
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That first day on the hills felt like winter, but within 24 hours, the mild weather that would become a theme had started to sweep in, and after a day spent on the moors with red grouse, and a wasted afternoon looking for crested tits, most of the snow had gone. This would be the first trip to the Highlands in February when I would not photograph a crested tit. They were around; I could hear them calling. But according to some of the land-managers Andy had spoken to, the ground simply had not frozen over the winter, and as a result, insect-life that hatches from the earth was able to continue to do so, over the colder months. Crested tits prefer insects as food to peanuts or other offerings from us, so simply don't visit the feeders. <br/><br/>
This of course posed a problem for me as a guide, especially as most of my clients booked on to workshops wanted to see these enigmatic woodland birds. I believe in being upfront and honest with clients, so contacted them to explain the situation, and thankfully they didn't mind substituting other subjects in, instead. <br/><br/>
One subject that wasn't affected by the mild weather was the red squirrels, and with over half a dozen individuals now visiting the woodland site, my clients at times didn't know where to point their cameras! <br/><br/>
An additional benefit of the warm conditions was that the reflection pool wasn't iced over, so as well as portrait style, sitting, nibbling shots, and of course the jumping, action shots, we were able to enjoy the sight of the squirrels sitting beside the water too. <br/><br/>
Another substitution was a day with the mountain hares. Without the snow on the ground, they were much easier to spot, but as with a previous visit, the wind was howling through the glen, and I again chose to look for ones lower down. After one ran off before we had even begun to approach it, I quickly found another, which was in such a sheltered form, it remained dry even when the rain was pouring down, and blasting in the wind. <br/><br/>
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Unlike us. I had to be mindful that both of my clients that day were under the weather themselves, with colds, so I kept checking in with them that they were ok with the situation, and not getting too cold. The temperature might have been almost double figures, but the driving rain and windchill made it feel considerably colder, and I was not surprised when they decided to call it a day. Thankfully by then, this hare had put on a decent show.<br/><br/>
The one subject that clients and us guides alike often miss out on seeing, is ptarmigan. The weather is key when attempting to visit where they can be found on the mountain tops, not only for the safety of everyone going up, but also how the ptarmigan will behave when we're with them. <br/><br/>
So when I noticed the forecast for one of the workshops promised warm temperatures and barely a breath of wind, I offered my client the chance of photographing ptarmigan instead of the cresties, and he jumped at the chance. As it happened, Andy had also suggested the same idea to his client at the time, and we all headed off up the slope together, although they soon charged off ahead, both seemingly in a race to the top. We ambled up slowly, taking in the view and enjoying the wildlife along the way.<br/><br/>
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What was helpful though, was Andy and I having CB radios between us, and we could relay sightings of the birds to one another. As it happened, after a couple of initial encounters, we went our own ways, as spotting the birds was easy without snow on the ground, and with the birds mostly paired up, and with calm weather conditions, approaching them was reasonably straightforward.<br/><br/>
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By spending a great deal of time approaching one pair, we seemed to gain their trust, and we could get close enough for some wonderful images, as they climbed over the rocks, fed, and sat, perhaps enjoying the unusual warmth of the sun at that time of year. It was simply wonderful.<br/><br/>
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Great weather, cooperative subjects, stunning scenery and a very happy client. Certainly rates as one of my best days out in a long time.<br/><br/>
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In between the workshops, I spent some time with both Andy and Lyndsey. Andy was mostly working though, with this being a very busy time of year. Lyndsey though, with the stress of her job, was more than happy to accompany me out looking for wildlife on weekends. <br/><br/>
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With her local knowledge, we spent a few hours with a pair of dippers on a small stream in a woodland. It was fascinating to watch them building and lining a nest in the bank, and also zipping off along the water to fish.<br/><br/>
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We also popped over to see the red kites at RSPB Tollie. While there might only be a handful of these aerial masters that visit the feeding station, isolating them as they dive is a tad easier than at Gigrin, and the smaller feeding stations around the car park were attracting smaller birds, such as long-tailed tits, and even a few bramblings.<br/><br/>
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She also took me to a site along the coast from Inverness, a bay that seemed popular with sea ducks. Out on the water was a raft of common scaup, which was a treat to see. A site I would definitely have to revisit later in the trip.<br/><br/>
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While there was some snow left on the ground though, I chose to revisit the hares myself. In much calmer conditions than previous visits, I hiked up top, and spent several hours photographing individuals in forms, and those scampering around the hills. I was also testing out a new pair of boots that I'd received for Christmas. These fleece-lined Arctic-style boots claimed to be good for temperatures well below zero, and had been recommended by many friends. They were right. My feet remained toasty all day! Such a benefit when sitting or lying in the snow for hours. <br/><br/>
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I'd only taken up my 1DX and 100-400mm lens, as I wanted to ease the strain on my back (my 500mm is the original heavy version) and also to allow me to get a variety of shots, which only a zoom affords. And I have to say, the latest incarnation of the 100-400mm lens is incredibly sharp, and very fast at locking on. <br/><br/>
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As Andy was out guiding so much, on one of the days he invited me to join him and his client on the hills with the hares, which resulted in several hours of amusing banter between us all. The client was wanting more habitat shots, instead of close portrait images, which takes the pressure off as a guide, as the hares remain at a distance. By then though, most of the snow that had been on the slopes had melted away. <br/><br/>
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Among the many screes that line the sides of the glen though, were other mountain hares, and these were actually harder to spot than the ones on the grassy hills. Their fur, especially at this time, as the summer brown colour starts to grow through, make them almost impossible to spot at a distance. <br/><br/>
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Revisiting the bay Lyndsey had shown me, resulted in much frustration with the scaups, as they seemed to always remain distant. However, some of that disappointment was made up for by a smart-looking male pintail, that was feeding amongst some mallards. <br/><br/>
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I seem to miss these when they turn up locally, so it was a pleasant change to have one filling my viewfinder.<br/><br/>
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Other excursions included both red grouse and red deer. The latter being harder to spot lately, after much culling in the Highlands. I'm not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, it is necessary if we want the area to see a return of the woodlands that used to carpet much of the land, but they're becoming a rare sight these days, and one wonders if the cull needs to be paused. Maybe this is how it used to be though, and perhaps in the days when wolves, bears and lynx controlled their numbers, they were few and far between?<br/><br/>
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After finding a herd numbering towards a hundred, I watched some grazing, and others moving around the hills, crossing a river in the process, and one even decided to have a mud-bath. That was rather amusing!<br/><br/>
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Taking a step aside from the wildlife for a few hours, I headed east to RAF Lossiemouth, to watch the trio of RAF Tornados fly over one of their old bases. It was ridiculously warm, with some sightseers wearing shorts and t-shirts. Spotting the planes was made much easier, by having a friend constantly texting me the latest location of the jets, so I could be aiming the camera in the right direction in time.<br/><br/>
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While the planes never really passed over closely initially, one of the Tornados returned later, flanked by a pair of RAF Typhoons, the replacement fighter plane. That made for quite a sight.<br/><br/>
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With more free time, Lyndsey was able to spend another day with me looking at what might be lurking in the harbours along the coast from Inverness, diverting to look for a great grey shrike along the way. Stonechats were busy establishing territories, but when a mistle thrush flew past and along a fence line, our eyes were drawn to another bird, that Lyndsey spotted perching up behind. It was the shrike, and a scramble to drive the car along the road ended with some decent, if somewhat distant views of the butcher bird. And it was very apparent from Lyndsey's excitement how pleased she was to see one. <br/><br/>
Later we found ourselves at the back of a beach, facing the setting sun, and hoping the waders that were feeding on mud exposed by the retreating tide, might venture close enough or create a silhouette for an image.<br/><br/>
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To be honest though, the sunset itself was simply stunning, and any subjects sharing the limelight were a bonus.<br/><br/>
We had hoped to spend the Sunday venturing up the mountains for the ptarmigan, but high winds put an end to that idea, so we headed east to RSPB Troup Head instead, and caught up with the colony of seabirds there. I was surprised at the number of gannets already in residence, making nests, renewing pairings, and bickering over real estate on the cliffs. <br/><br/>
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Also around were kittiwakes, fulmars, guillemots and razorbills, and a few eiders and shags on the sea below. But the gannets stole the show for us, and again, I ended up ditching the prime lens for the zoom.<br/><br/>
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I also spent some time playing with panning shots, a slow shutter speed and a fast bird. Not easy in blustery conditions.<br/><br/>
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What we hadn't realised though, was how much stronger the wind had become over the time we had been there for. We were obviously very sheltered in the cliff-top spot we were sat in, and when we wandered back to the bags before leaving, we had a struggle to stand upright! The walk back to the car was brutal, and at one point, poor Lyndsey actually stopped making forward progress with the strength of the wind! I had to give her a push! And she wouldn't do the decent thing of collecting the car either, to drive back to pick me up... <br/><br/>
With a multitude of feeders around their garden, it is hard not to notice the variety of birds visiting Andy and Lyndsey's garden, and one species that caught my eye was the lesser redpoll. Along with a few siskin, they were taking nyger seed and as I've not photographed any for ages, I thought I should take advantage when I could. <br/><br/>
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I tried a couple of set-ups, and both worked well, though the second, making use of teasels against a diffused background definitely had more appeal.<br/><br/>
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And after watching clients enjoy the antics of the red squirrels on numerous workshops during my stay, I felt I ought to use the site myself for a couple of days. So as well as adding to my collection of images of the squirrels leaping and posing, I also got some more types of images, such as running towards the camera, peering round trees, sitting at the back of the reflection pool, and climbing down a tree towards the camera. <br/><br/>
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And I even managed to get one of the squirrels to look right into the lens (on remote trigger, of course) which made for an effective shot.<br/><br/>
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My month in the Highlands raced by, and I found myself having to leave a bit earlier than planned, when my brother who turned 50 at the end of the trip, asked if I could make it back in time for a celebratory night out. I did, but after such a long drive, I felt almost as knackered as I did when I was looking for hares, and struggled to stay awake for the meal. <br/><br/>
If anyone fancies joining me for a workshop in the Scottish Highlands next February, I am taking bookings now, and usually have a bit of availability left for those who wish to book last minute. Given the nature of recent winters, I can understand why folks might want to wait until the snow arrives before booking. But mild weather or not, the Scottish Highlands offer a wildlife lover a wide array of subjects to point their lenses at, so I always manage to enjoy my stay, come what may.</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8099081318733209951.post-35517805716849488572019-01-10T13:33:00.002+00:002019-01-10T13:50:34.938+00:00Sunny Intervals Leading To Wildlife Encounters<font face="verdana">
Inevitably, after spending weeks in the wildlife-rich Highlands, and then a fortnight on Mull, showing clients the wildlife on offer there (mainly otters), returning back to the Midlands is a bit disappointing. The "Post-Mull Lull" I call it. But I'm being unfair on wildlife around home. Plenty of it around, but perhaps more effort to find it and get images.<br/><br/>
The weather during December didn't help either. The forecast could have just had a huge grey cloud over us for the whole month! But on odd days, the sun managed to break through, and when I did make the effort to venture out, I enjoyed some fine experiences. <br/><br/>
The Cotswolds are just down the road. And I love to trundle round the lanes, looking at what might be out and about. Admittedly, my timing when I visited wasn't great, as there seemed to be a number of shoots on, and I was even questioned about what I was doing in one hamlet (despite my huge lens being pointed out of the car window), and then followed for a mile along the road, to watch what I had said I was doing. Maybe "shooting game with a camera" is more offensive in these parts to using a shotgun?<br/><br/>
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Anyway, as a result of the shoots, there were huge numbers of pheasants and partridges scuttling around, and it was just a case of finding somewhere to park up, and waiting. I love getting images of them on the traditional stone walls around the Cotswolds. <br/><br/>
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Comical characters!<br/><br/>
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With such short days at this time of year, and from past experience, I knew chances of seeing any action from wintering short-eared owls would be slim, but called over to a familiar site anyway. On arrival, there was a kestrel hovering over a meadow, long enough for me to grab a burst of shots.<br/><br/>
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And a short while later, a barn owl appeared. <br/><br/>
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Quartering the fields, it dived a couple of times for prey.<br/><br/>
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Once it had dispatched a rodent of some sort, it flew away meaningfully. Perhaps there are hungry beaks to fill elsewhere, or it was to be added to a cache, for rainy days...<br/><br/>
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The festive season of course means catching up with friends and family, so frequent visits to the pub would limit chances for wildlife photography. But just before the big day arrived, I called over to Bittell Lakes, local to me, for a black-throated diver that had been reported. On arrival, there was no sign of it, and the "finder" had left the site. With the light the "wrong way" I chose to leave after failing to see it, but returned within half an hour after it was spotted again! This time, at least I got to see it, but by then it was circling the trees, and flying away!<br/><br/>
Thankfully it flew just down the road to Arrow Valley Lake, in Redditch, where I caught up with it, a day or so later. I wish I'd been wearing something I didn't care for getting mucky, as the fishing jetties around the pool were slimy, and while I could have gained a lower angle by lying down, I'd have ruined my jacket... <br/><br/>
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Still, the diver was doing circuits around the pool, and came very close at times.<br/><br/>
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And very popular with birders and photographers alike, even gaining interest from locals walking their dogs. Though I did hear it being referred to as a "black throated dipper" by one. <br/><br/>
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Smew have to be one of the most striking wildfowl around, so when a pair had been showing well on a fishing lake in Worcestershire, I had to make a visit. Very spooky, they tended to stay on the far side of the pool.<br/><br/>
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But eventually one flew a bit closer, and brought the other one over too.<br/><br/>
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With a lack of breeze, reflections were fantastic, and added something else to the images.<br/><br/>
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It's been years since I last visited Brandon Marsh, so on one bright morning I headed over. The roads around the area have changed dramatically, so I had to pay particular attention to where I needed to go... On arrival at the site, I bumped into a photographer friend, who gave me a very useful update on what had been seen there of late, though somewhat typically, I'd managed to miss it all. Still, worth knowing what can be seen there and when. We sat in one of the hides for a while, and hoped the kingfisher might perch up. It did, but about 100 yards away. But the two whooper swans that had been frequenting the lake recently had chosen to stay that day, and we enjoyed some super close views. Sadly by then the light had gone, so I had to play with exposure settings to get interesting images.<br/><br/>
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Another bird on my radar and also close to home, was a common scoter. I've seen these before, but usually further afield, such as Burghead in Scotland. So to have one on my doorstep was great. The weather wasn't though, so at the first sign of blue skies, I was off to the lakes. Unfortunately it was a Sunday, and most of the local residents had had the same idea. Finding the bird wasn't hard, but it tended to stay out in the deeper water, so rarely came in close. <br/><br/>
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I had chosen to lie on a fishing jetty, and as a result, gained a few weird looks and comments from passersby. I'm used to that though!<br/><br/>
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As soon as the cloud gathered, the light all but vanished. Perhaps it will linger for another bright day?<br/><br/>
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With all the grey overcast conditions, I had been watching the forecasts like a hawk, so was a bit miffed when one day promised to be sunny, but I had already made arrangements preventing me from going out. And when images from a friend surfaced on Social Media, I knew I would have to make the most of the next day, as the sun was again apparently going to shine, and it might be a while before such conditions presented themselves to me again.<br/><br/>
A few years ago, I visited a site in the Forest Of Dean, where I hooked up with a couple of friends, and watched crossbills drinking from small puddles near a woodland. It wasn't great light back then, and I didn't have my 1DX, so I was keen to revisit, after seeing images, and reading reports of similar happening again.<br/><br/>
Parking up, I opted to stay in the car, and after an hour, was rewarded with a small group dropping down for a drink. <br/><br/>
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Fabulous, and in the sunlight, the birds simply glowed.<br/><br/>
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Over the next few hours, I enjoyed several sightings of them, and by moving the car around a bit, got slightly closer each time. <br/><br/>
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The flock comprised of adults of both genders, plus juveniles and sub-adults. All of them absolutely beautiful.<br/><br/>
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As with a lot of wildlife, it pays to learn sounds as well as sights, and I could hear the flock approaching, well before any would appear, giving me plenty of time to get the camera ready for the shots. Silent mode of course, as they're flighty birds.<br/><br/>
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When the sun had moved right round behind me, and shadows were cast across the puddles, I knew I'd enjoyed the best of it, and left them alone. What a treat though.<br/><br/>
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I'll soon be back in the Highlands, showing clients the wildlife up there, but these local trips reminded me that I don't have to travel to the other end of this island to find subjects worth photographing.</font>Pete Walkdenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17033049646426852397noreply@blogger.com0