 
January 2012
Jan 31st Weather cold and
dry - A trip over to Oban today, not very exciting except for a White tailed
Sea Eagle circling over the ferry, friends who had sat on the wrong side
of the ferry were disappointed to miss it.
Jan 30th Weather dry at last
- We had to go up into the forestry behind our land to check out the burn
that supplies our water. During the winter the heavy rains had caused the
burn to flood over it's banks and at one point it was starting to take
a different route, if this was allowed to continue over time we would loose
our water supply. So we spent some time building up the bank with rocks
and fallen tree trunks to stop the water going the wrong way, we then built
a small dam with rocks to send the water in the correct direction, hopefully
over time the silt that has built up over the winter will get washed away
down the burn. As we made are way back through our woodland we saw a Buzzard
and a Woodcock.
Jan 29th
Weather similar to yesterday
- Highlights from our big garden birdwatch, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk twice,
Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mistle thrush, Yellowhammer, Brambling, 25 Rock
doves and 120+ Chaffinches. We had 9 Blue Tits, 9 greenfinches, 7 Goldfinches,
6 Great Tits, 3 Coal Tits and 3 Robins 3 Collared Doves, 2 Dunnocks, 2
Hooded Crows and a Blackbird. At Dervaig this afternoon there were 3 Redshanks,
2 Greenshanks, 3 Little Grebes and a very close White-tailed Eagle. Earlier
at Croig we saw Ringed Plover, Shelducks and an Otter.
  
Jan 28th
Weather dull with rain on
the light breeze - Pam and I went for a 2 hour drive out after morning
coffee and had some great sightings, firstly the views with snow capped
mountains on the Isle of Rhum and also the Ben More range on Mull but they
had more cloud on the very tops. The wildlife was pretty good with Grey
Seal, Red Deer and an Otter seen grooming and scratching itself as we watched
unobserved by the obliging Otter, we were so enthralled we forgot we had
a camera until it was too late. We saw 3 White-tailed Sea Eagles, A Golden
Eagle, fantastic pair of Hen Harriers, more Shelducks, the Gadwalls at
Cailaich and my first Bar-tailed Godwit a lone bird at Croig.
Jan 27th
Weather lovely, sunny and
calm - The Jay was back in the garden today as was the Great spotted Woodpecker.
On a drive out I saw an Otter fishing, lots of Red Deer and 2 separate
Golden Eagles. Other birds of note seen were Male Goldeneye, Shellducks,
a Red Throated Diver and Great Northern Diver, a single Greenshank and
some Ringed Plovers.
I also saw several friends
out and about in the lovely weather and chatted rather a lot.
 
Jan 19th to 26th
Weather this week has been
damp and dull in the main with some moderate breezes - I have not been
out and about much this week as Pam told me to stop being a wimp and get
out and get the gardening finished. Now I know there are some of you out
there who would say I should have put my foot down and gone out birding
instead but that would have been most of my male readers and they would
have done exactly what I did; finished tidying up the garden. This is why
there has been little on the blog this week although during one brief escape
I managed to get really good views of a male Hen Harrier and an Otter.
The rams have now left the ewes, isn't it a shame when partnerships have
to break up, hopefully there will be 9 single parents at Ardrioch in the
spring. We took the tops off our fir trees around the garden this week,
fir trees on Mull have had a tendency to fall over recently in the high
winds so we hope we have pre-empted this problem. Due to all the gardening
I am now having to to have physiotherapy on my shoulder and collarbone,
at least this is what I keep telling Pam, up to now I have received little
sympathy. We are looking forward to the RSPB BIG GARDEN BIRDWATCH this
weekend, do take part it is good fun and a very useful scientific exercise.
The blog should get back to normal again now I have finished the gardening.
p.s. Hang on! I'm not as
bad as he makes out, anyway he'd never get finished if I didn't say something
and now I'm going to have to nag him to do his physio exercises.............Pam
Jan 18th Weather good day
after overnight rain - Still working in the garden which I hope to finish
by the end of the week which will be a great relief to me as gardening
is not high on my list of priorities. We did take the dogs for a walk at
Calgary Bay this morning but saw very little in the way of wildlife but
did see a pair of Hen Harriers interacting off the Cailaich road.
Jan 17th
Weather superb 6 days and
no rain whoopee - Great day today so we went out just locally but White-tailed
Eagle over bus, Hen Harrier hunting very close, Grey Seal, Great Northern
Diver and my first Common Snipe and Jack Snipe of the year.
I saw lots of familiar birds
as well as the special ones and as a passionate bird watcher I am as delighted
to see these birds as I am the more exotic ones. I also saw my Gadwalls
again today and got a much better photo of them as you will see below.
Jan 16th
Weather same as yesterday
but sunnier - A trip to Tobermory to take back the MOT certificate as the
garage had given me the wrong one not even a tour bus, hey ho. Coming
back from Tobermory via Salen and Ulva Ferry we had a close encounter with
a juvenile White tailed Sea Eagle unfortunately our photographs were rubbish
so we cannot put them onto the web site.
Jan 15th
Weather cloudy but calm -
After the bird race we decided to spoil the dogs and took them for a long
walk down Loch Frisa where we hoped we might see some Siskins or Common
Crossbills but in the event the trees we saw them in last year have been
chopped down. Although we were disappointed it has opened up the views
and they were fantastic and with light now being allowed in new life will
soon start appearing where the forests once were.
Jan 14th
Weather cloudy but dry with
light breeze - It was the Bird Club Bird Race today and we saw 59 species
in the north west corner of Mull and the winners from the South and centre
got 61 species. From all parts of the Island 6 vehicles of members took
part and in all 82 species of birds were seen. Our highlights were
a Jay, a Brambling, Treecreeper, Iceland Gull, Goosander a Dipper and all
three Divers with the Black Throated being my first one this year.
Jan 13th
Weather the same as yesterday
- We were woken up at 4am by a Tawny Owl calling from the top of a tree
right outside our bedroom window it was great to see this most inconsiderate
bird. On our way to Tobermory to fetch the bus back from its annual service
and m.o.t. we were lucky to see a single Whooper Swan on Loch Torr another
nice surprise on what is supposed to be an unlucky day.
Jan 12th
Weather lovely sunny day
- This morning I went to Calgary and found my first Purple sandpiper of
the year, it was on rocks with a redshank, a Turnstone and 3 Ringed Plover.
I also saw an Otter with 2 half grown cubs fighting over a large fish and
got a great sighting of this Buzzard which I was close enough to get a
good photograph. this afternoon we walked the dogs up a new forest track
and were amazed how many trees had split in two in the gales. After this
I gardened (yawn)
Jan 11th
Weather as yesterday with
less rain - I am actually tidying up the garden at last, as regular readers
will know not my favorite task but I have pruned the Weeping Pear tree
and done most of the front borders today which is a good start. I did find
time to go to Cailaich where I saw my first gadwall of the year, Gadwall
now seem to be coming an annual visitor although not in great numbers.
At Calgary there were 2 Great Northern Divers and 2 Red Throated Divers
always nice to see.
Jan 10th
Weather dull slight rain
and light breeze - today some friends and I in the Dervaig bird group
went and cleaned out the 2 Barn Owl boxes we erected last year and which
had been used in 2011. It was great to see a barn Owl at such close quarters
but there was only one Owl in the boxes, we know one died recently after
being hit by a vehicle so we hope the female left finds a new partner for
this summer and the boxes continue to provide good homes for these delightful
birds.
Jan 9th
Weather sunny after early
drizzle - Pam and I had a day out with Alan Mullbirds
Spellman today and i managed to add another 7 birds to my year list including
a small flock of Skylarks and my first Meadow Pipits of the Year. We also
had 2 Otters which was nice for Pam to see as she does not have time for
a decent look in the summer as she is so busy. Other notable sightings
on the day were another Glaucous Gull, Pam's first of the year and a Hen
Harrier and Teal my favorite Ducks and the first I have seen this year.
I have now reached 75 bird species on Mull this year and to check out what
I have or have not seen click on my 2012 bird list in yellow in the oblong
box near the top of this page..
Jan 8th
Weather better just rain
in the air - An early before first light drive gave me my best ever sighting
of a Woodcock, normally they take off and fly away as you approach them
but this one just carried on foraging by the side of the road and I saw
all its wonderful plumage. Earlier on the drive I had a very good sighting
of a Barn Owl bringing the number of bird species I have seen on Mull in
2012 to 68.
Jan 7th
Weather little improvement
- After the recent gales I went searching for white winged Gulls and so
where do you go if you want to see Gulls on Mull, Tobermory tip of course,
I get to all the best places. Well I was right and found not 1 but 3 Iceland
Gulls in fields right by the tip. Driving down to Salen I spotted 2 more
White winged Gulls at Aros Castle an old ruin from the time of the 'Lords
of the Isles' and on closer inspection 1 of the was the larger Glaucous
Gull so as the rain came down heavily once more I returned home a very
happy bunny.
Jan 6th
Weather still showery and
windy - We took the dogs fo a walk at Quinnish this morning and were amazed
by how many trees have fallen in the recent gales. This is not necessarily
a bad thing as it lets in light and allows for regrowth, like the year
a new beginning. There was not a lot to be seen but we did get a nice Mistle
Thrush singing from the top of a tall still standing tree. This evening
we went to the 10th anniversary dinner of the Isle of Mull bird Club of
which I have served as Chairman and Pam as Secretary, many congratulations
to all involved.
Jan 5th
Weather a bright often sunny
day - We took advantage of the weather to go on two walks with the dogs
and although we did not see much in the way of wildlife it was nice to
be out in the sun at last. We did see 4 Ravens already starting to pair
bond in readiness for breeding, it is always a pleasure seeing these incredible
fliers do their aerial acrobatics.
Jan 4th
Weather rain all day - It
was a case of Deer in the mist today as we saw several through the rain
and although it was difficult to see them properly it made for a very atmospheric
Scottish scene.
Jan 3rd
Weather same as yesterday
- A Brambling in our garden this morning and a Great Spotted Woodpecker
also paid us a visit. At Cailaich Point I saw A little Auk the first live
one I have seen in 12 years living on Mull, lots of Kittiwakes and Guillemots
there as well and 2 Red Throated Divers in the bay. I am having terrific
fun despite the weather and seeing some quite rare birds, I must try to
find my camera.
Jan 2nd
Weather windy with squally
showers - Another day out with our friends produced a very good Otters,
both types of Eagle, Hen Harrier and Red Deer. We also saw Great Northern
Diver and 2 Goosanders but the bird of the day for me was a Jay seen south
of Craignure. We have already seen 54 species of birds this year and I
nearly forgot the great views we had of 19 Barnacle Geese at Gribun.
Jan 1st
Weather rain in the morning
better in the afternoon - We went for a drive out with friends this afternoon
after new years hangovers had cleared. We saw 2 Golden Eagles. 4 White-tailed
Sea Eagles, 3 Hen Harriers, 2 Otters, Red and Fallow Deer, Grey and Common
Seals, Great Northern Divers, Greenshank and Redshank, comical Oystercatchers
and lots of Curlews. In the garden this morning a very nice Treecreeper
and a Yellowhammer and Greenfinches galore. A total of 38 bird species
seen and 6 species of mammals, 2012 season up and running.
January 2011
Jan 31st
Weather rain all day, windy
- Pam and I went to fetch some fodder for the new sheep this morning and
despite only being out for 2 hours and in dreadful weather we saw a lot
of wildlife and Pam never got out of the bus. I don't often do this but
here is a list in the order we saw them-Redshank, Ringed Plover, Little
Grebe, Curlew, Hooded Crow, Mute Swan, Heron, Wigeon, Oystercatcher, White-tailed
Eagles, Great Northern Diver, Hen Harrier, all Mulls Gulls, Otter, Golden
Eagle, Red Deer, Greylag Geese with one Pink footed Goose amongst them
and a Peregrine Falcon. Who says the weather has to be good to see wildlife?
(Pink footed Goose 2nd to right)
Jan 30th
Weather dull but dry in the
morning wet in the afternoon - Big garden birdwatch today with 18 species
seen in the garden with 2 notable misses, the Collared Doves have disappeared
maybe the Sparrowhawk has taken them and we have no Wren in the garden
this winter. We did see 140 Chaffinches and 21 Greenfinches, 3 Siskins,
6 Goldfinches, a Treecreeper and a Brambling amongst the 18 species seen.
Jan 29th Weather dull
but calm and dry -
Gardening nuff said.
Jan 28th
Weather Cloudy, cold but
dry - I went out for a couple of hours this afternoon and saw the male
and female Goosanders seen below, the male has a dark green head with a
white body which has a pinkish wash , it is a very beautiful duck usually
favouring fresh water. When I was out Pam saw the Brambling again in the
garden, we have not seen it for a few days and this was only a brief sighting
as the Sparrowhawk flew through scattering all the birds off the feeders.
 
Jan 27th
Weather glorious sunshine,
calm and cold - We went looking for a White-tail Eagle nest this morning
and although we were unsuccessful we had a lovely walk. We saw lots of
Red Deer and a juvenile White-tail and heard but did not see some Crossbills.
Gardening again this afternoon and a neighbour delivered our new ewes 4
Cheviots and 2 Hebridean, hopefully they are in lamb, if they are they
are due to start lambing in April.
Jan 26th
Weather sunny and breezy,
cool - A day out with Tony and Alan mullbirds
Spellman to the south of Mull today, we had a great day out with lots of
laughs and 48 bird Species seen and 4 Mammals including the 4 Arctic Hares
in the picture below. We saw 24 White Fronted Geese, 9 Great Northern Divers,
3 Golden Eagles 2 White-tailed Eagles and 2 Otters and a large mixed flock
of Fieldfares with a few Redwings amongst them.
 
 
Jan 25th
Weather the same as yesterday
with less rain -I went out for a couple of hours today and spent 20 minutes
watching a pair of Golden Eagles interacting with each other, it is great
seeing natural behaviour in idyllic surroundings and it makes me feel very
privileged. I did not rush today and took time out to visit .Kilninian
Church and took in the views up Laggan Burn. On a less fun note Gardening
again in the afternoon, does anyone have a cure for boredom, yawn!!!
Jan 24th
Weather dull, cloudy,
breezy morning with rain in the afternoon - We went down to Cailiach with
Tony this morning and saw a White-tailed Eagle, it is one we have seen
regularly on the island, we know this as it is wing tagged, today we noticed
it had lost the tag from the left wing. We also saw this Gadwall at Cailiach
an unusual Mull bird but regular in other parts of the UK. There was a
Shelduck at Cailiach back on territory and the first one seen this year,
2 Grey Seals in the bay and the group of Shags seen in the picture below.
Just in case there is any doubt Tony is in the picture bottom right, with
that hat it is easy to become confused.
 
 
Jan 23rd
Weather cloudy, dry and calm
- I went for a drive today as it was dry and warm and we had the car back.
The highlight was a Black Throated Diver at Salen, the first I have seen
this year, there were lots of Great Northern Divers and Slavonian Grebes
on Loch Na Keal as well. I saw 3 separate Otters and 3 White-tailed Eagles,
a Golden Eagle and more Red Deer than I could count, another nice sighting
4 Bar-tailed Godwits at Killiechronan. It was a lovely drive and I bumped
into several people for a catch up, Dave Sexton from the Rspb, Prassad
from Treshnish and the Rev Tony Budell who has just arrived to spend a
few days with us. Tony collects and delivers aid to the people and children
who are still tragically suffering from the aftermath of the Chernobyl
disaster which has its 25th anniversary on the 26th March at 10.32pm. www.britishhumanitarianaid.co.uk
Jan 22nd
Weather cloudy but calm,
warm and dry - We went for a walk in Tobermory today as our car has been
repaired at last and we had to go in to pick it up. On our way in we saw
an Otter on the Mishnish Lochs, this is the first time we have seen Otter
here although we have heard of other people who have. It was very quiet
on the walk with little wildlife to be seen but the dogs enjoyed all the
new smells.
Jan 21st
Weather cloudy but warm and
calm - I did the annual pruning of the Weeping Pear tree in the garden
today one gardening job I do like as you can see a difference when the
job is done, it is a bit like giving a guy with long unruly hair a short
back and sides. On the bird front we had both male and female Great Spotted
Woodpeckers in the garden on the peanut feeders today.
Jan 20th
Weather pleasantly sunny
and warm - A great day to be out and about and where was I Gardening, lets
just say I was feeling very frustrated, I hope the good weather continues,
at least I saw the Brambling on the feeders again today.
Jan 19th
Weather beautiful sunny,
warm and calm - A morning spent gardening, not great in this weather and
an afternoon at a tour operators meeting trying to find a solution to the
parking in passing places through Glen More particularly between Craignure
and the turn off for the scenic route. We are looking at putting in small
short stay parking areas for 2 or 3 cars at a time in various places on
the old road which runs parallel to the main road. If in doubt about how
to drive on the single track roads check out the guidelines at the bottom
of this blog page. I will update you as to the progress on the parking
issue as their is little funding available. On a lighter note on my way
to the meeting I saw 2 White-tailed Eagles and an Otter swimming with an
enormous Crab in its mouth, it made me feel quite envious as I love Crab.
Jan 18th
Weather cloudy warm and calm
- We went to Oban today as I had broken the frames of my glasses, so this
required a trip to the big city for us, it is not something we do often
but it does give us chance of a bit of sea watching on the crossing. The
strange thing we saw on the crossing was an Otter out in the middle of
sea half way between Mull and Oban, this Otter was the farthest away from
land we had ever witnessed. There were also lots of Kittiwakes flying past
the ferry as we journeyed to Oban always a nice Gull to see, they look
and fly like a cross between a Gull and a Tern. It is a pity you cannot
be in 2 places at once as we learned as we were watching the Otter and
Kittiwakes a pod of 5 Bottle nose Dolphins were seen on the other side
of the ferry.
Jan 17th
Weather cloudy, warm with
the odd heavy shower - I could not put it off any longer, I had to make
a start on tidying up the garden today. This involved carrying lots of
branches and the remains of a tree which fell down in a late autumn gale,
yes I know I should have done this long ago but gardening is just not my
forte. The one thing i did learn today was I am not as fit as I used to
be because at the end of the day I was Knack..... The birds in the garden
were great though as I frequently needed rest breaks.
Jan 16th
Weather cloudy, warmer with
showers - I went looking for birds at Cailiach Point today and dropped
Pam off to walk the dogs, there was nothing unusual at Cailiach but the
views as always were worth the short trip. I also had to dodge around a
herd of black highland Cattle which were spread out on and either side
of the road, these gorgeous animals might look fierce but they are quite
gentle unless they have young calves and you have a dog, if this is the
case give them a very wide berth.
Jan 15th
Weather cloudy, warm, wet
and very windy - Not the best weather for the bird race but 17 members
in 5 cars took part, in all 76 bird species were seen with Pam and I seeing
55 species in the day which luckily for us turned out to be the highest
total for a vehicle. The highlights for us were 6 White-tailed Eagles,
a Golden Eagle, a Hen Harrier, a Kestrel and our Sparrowhawk going through
the garden, the only Sparrowhawk seen in the day. We also had our garden
Brambling which has so far evaded the Sparrowhawk, a flock of Long-tailed
Tits and a Treecreeper. We found waders to be hard to see again today although
we did manage Snipe at Cailiach Point. We had a very good day and everyone
who took part enjoyed the day, hopefully this event will continue for many
years.
Jan 14th
Weather cloudy, dull but
still mild - I went out to look round the local wader spots today and was
disappointed at the lack of wader species to be seen in the Dervaig area.
I saw a Greenshank at Dervaig, a single Redshank at Croig, Oystercatchers
and Curlews at Calgary and very little else. This is not a good omen for
the bird club bird race which takes place tomorrow with Pam and I the only
ones from the Dervaig area taking part.
Jan 13th
Weather same as yesterday
with occasional showers - The local Sparrowhawks are having a great time
in our garden at the moment, we saw them fly through several times today
attacking mainly Chaffinches. Siskin numbers in the garden are climbing
daily now, always a nice little bird to see. As I am writing this we noticed
that a Goldfinch had fallen asleep on a branch below a seed feeder, cute
or what or does it think our Sparrowhawks only take Chaffinches, a very
risky strategy.
Jan 12th
Weather cloudy but warm with
little wind - A breakthrough in the Deer saga Pam saw a calf that I and
the dogs disturbed it ran across our front paddock and jumped straight
over our cattle grid, proof at last that this is where they get in, it
will probably mean we have to put a gate in at the entrance to our drive.
On a brighter note the male Brambling was back in the garden again today
with all the other finches in at present, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches
and Siskins.
Jan 11th
Weather cold and sunny all
day but not windy - Pam went with the dogs to the bank bus in Dervaig this
morning, it is great that we have a bank that comes to us and we don't
have to get the car out to go to the bank and we get to give the dogs a
walk at the same time. The dogs love Dervaig as they get fussed by everyone
in the village. We went for a short trip out this afternoon, it was a reasonable
hour spent looking for some wildlife even if there was not a lot about,
just a hunting Golden Eagle, a fishing Otter, an idling Grey Seal, lots
of Red Deer, yes we can find them if they are not on our land, a Great
Northern Diver and finally a White-tailed Eagle going to roost.
Jan 10th
Weather very wet but not
like the unfortunate Australians so we can't complain - Pam on a walk with
the dogs watched an Otter for some time and in the meantime I had to go
and sort out the water supply as the particle filter tends to block during
heavy rain. It can be a case of water water everywhere not a drop to drink
otherwise. We still have not seen the Red Deer on the farm so the mystery
continues.
Jan 9th
Weather thawing fast after
the heavy snow, it has nearly all gone already - There has been good and
bad news about the car, it needs a small part transplant, not good on our
pocket but not fatal on the car. We have been having the after christmas
book sorting today when we decide which books go to the charity shops and
which go into the self-catering and which stay in our bookcases. I did
not get much help from Pam as she had a new 1000 piece jigsaw for Christmas
and spends as much time as possible on that.
Jan 8th
Weather more overnight snow
and heavy snow in the early evening - We had visitors again last night
but we still could not find them or how they are getting in and out, it
is most odd. A local friend of ours saw them jumping over our cattle grid
, which is where we thought they were getting in but there were no footprints
in the snow anywhere near the cattle grid and no sign of Deer except tracks
that appeared to go nowhere - The mystery deepens as does the snow.
Jan 7th
Weather after another small
dusting of snow during the night it has been a pleasant day - There is
a mystery at Ardrioch at the moment, it is the case of the invisible Red
Deer. As readers will know we have fenced Ardrioch to keep the Deer out
but at least 2 are still here, we know this as their foot prints are in
the snow, and it is rumoured that they have been seen, but not by us. We
have tried tracking them, we have searched for them, we even have nightmares
about them, but we cannot find the dratted creatures or where they are
getting in. I will keep you updated on this particular drama as it unfolds,
As we were out looking for the Deer this morning a Hen Harrier flew over
the farm, as did a Sparrowhawk and we disturbed a Buzzard and as i write
this there is a Tawny Owl in the garden. Log in tomorrow for the continuing
saga of the invisible Deer.
Jan 6th
Weather more snow off and
on with more wind - Replenished the bird feeders today, have any of you
got Chaffinches in your gardens or do we have them all, now I know they
are very beautiful but enough is enough we must have 200 in the garden
at any one time at the moment, hey ho a single Brambling has turned up,
for the uninitiated this is the Chaffinch of the north a fairly scarce
winter visitor here.
Jan 5th
Weather snow in the morning
but it had all melted by the afternoon - I saw my first White-tailed Eagle
of the year today sitting looking a bit disconsolate sitting on a small
hill in driving sleet. Teal my favorite duck were in Aros Bay and looking
particularly splendid despite the weather, other ducks seen here were a
pair of Red Breasted Mergansers and some Mallards also a couple of Mute
Swans.
Jan 4th
Weather warm and damp - Pam
had to go to Craignure today on bird club business so I went with her,
we had travelled over 1800 miles over the Christmas period and the car
had run perfectly, 20 miles on Mull and it broke down, thanks to Alan 'Mullbirds'
Spellman for giving us a lift home. The car is now in Mackay's Garage in
Tobermory having tests, we have not heard yet how expensive it is going
to be, luckily we still have the mini bus.
Jan 3rd
Weather beautiful from Cheshire
to Argyll then snow and heavy rain - We travelled back to Mull today from
family visits over Christmas and New Year and only just got through Dalmally
before the road was closed because of snow. The dogs were not happy that
we had left them behind and although they were pleased to see us they were
also very grumpy for most of the evening. Ardrioch had not fared too badly
during the very cold weather while we were away and luckily we only had
one burst pipe, thanks to Chrissie and Mike for looking after everything
whilst we were away.
Jan 1st
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR GUESTS AND FOLLOWERS OF THIS BLOG
January 2010
Jan 31st
Weather beautiful, sunny
and cold - We did our big garden birdwatch today and then went for
a walk up a forest track we have never been up before and saw a pair of
Bullfinch and a Common Crossbill. Crossbills are very early nesters
and should be sitting on eggs already despite the cold weather which is
probably why we are only seeing male birds. This year I am making bird
lists for the year, I am not normally a lister but this is a special birthday
year for me and I have decided to do 3 lists. One for all the species I
can see in the year, one for birds seen in Great Britain and one for Mull.
The one on Mull is the one readers of this blog might be interested in
and just to make this one more interesting I am competing in friendly rivalry?
with my pal Alan Mullbirds Spellman to see who gets the most on Mull this
year. I have seen 80 bird species on Mull in January and that is in only
19 days as we did not arrive back on Mull after our Christmas break until
the 12th due to the cold weather. If you wish to see my Mull list go to
the bottom of the blog page, I will update you with numbers and birds seen
at the end of each month.
Jan 30th
Weather sunny and cold
after overnight snow flurries, less windy - We had a great day out down
on the Ross Of Mull with Alan Spellman, we saw lots of birds and had a
lot of laughs, whoever said birding was boring and not fun. The highlights
of the day a brilliant Golden Eagle, a Peregrine Falcon chasing a Lapwing
for ages needs to hone its prey catching skills although this was one relieved
Lapwing. we spotted a Long Tailed Duck a long way away, got better views
on the way home. 4 Grey Plovers on Fidden beach a rare sight on Mull, perhaps
as well as they look as if they have the cares of the world on their shoulders,
particularly in winter plumage. 27 Greenland White fronted Geese in a field
near Bunnessan and finally one that got away, we missed a male Hen Harrier
at Uiskin by seconds, Ah Well you can't win them all, a great day anyway.
Jan 29th
Weather sunny, windy and
cold - I went out birding today after doing the chores, feeding the birds
and sheep, checking the water supply etc. The weather was beautiful and
so was Mull, it was a joy to be out and about this wonderful island in
such gorgeous weather. Birds of the day for me were 7 Fieldfares, a flock
of Redwings, my first Meadow Pipits of the year on Mull and a female Merlin,
I also saw 2 White-tailed Eagles, Slavonian Grebes and Great Northern Divers,
it was a good day to be out birding. Don't forget Big Garden Birdwatch
This Weekend.
Jan 28th
Weather cloudy, breezy
with rain in the late afternoon - I spent most of the day in the garden
still tidying up ready for spring, nothing unusual to report except a White-tailed
Eagle flew over the house in the late morning. We took the dogs for a walk
to Langamull in the afternoon and got caught in the rain, again not a lot
to report other than Hooded Crows, but we did see 7 Oystercatchers and
a flock of 15 Ringed Plovers on Langamull beach.
Jan 27th
Weather rain in morning
dry up throughout the day - I went out in the rain this morning before
it got light with the aim of looking for owls, in our experience they seem
to be more visible in the wet. I drove very slowly looking on all the fence
posts and trees near the road but all I saw was a very close Red Deer Stag.
I had just decided to turn round and head back home when 'low and behold'
a Barn Owl flew right in front of the car showing lots of white wings and
body, I was quite relieved not to have hit it. Heading home just before
I came out of the woodland I spotted a Tawny Owl sitting in a tree, sheltering
from the rain, so after a slow start I had achieved what I had set out
to do, I do love it when a plan comes to fruition.
Jan 26th
Weather low cloud and drizzle
for most of the day but warmer than of late, quite breezy - After feeding
the birds and sheep I went for a drive and a short walk hoping to see Common
Crossbills and I was not disappointed as I heard them flying over the wood
that I was walking through, on coming out of the wood I was able to climb
a small hill where I could see the tops of the Sitka Spruce trees and there,
to my delight, I saw 4 'brick red' male Crossbills.
 
Jan 25th
Weather cloudy and dry
with little wind - When I walked into the Kitchen at dawn this morning
I was greeted by the sight of 2 Red Deer calves in the garden, their mothers
were in the field with the sheep, the picture is not very good as it was
taken through the kitchen window. As I was working in the garden I noticed
the great amount of Siskins we have on our feeders at the moment, they
are particularly fond of the Nyger seed feeder as you can see from the
picture below.
Jan 24th
Weather fantastic, sunny
calm but cold - A great day to be out and about so we went to several of
our tour stops to see what was about and we were not disappointed, Golden
Eagles, White-tailed Eagles, 3 Otters in separate territories, a single
Barnacle Goose in with Greylags, there was also a single Canada Goose there
as well. Red Deer and Fallow Deer were seen on the trip and we had coffee
with Alan Spellman who was out and about like us. Below are some photos
taken on the trip.
Jan 23rd
Weather Fog all morning
but beautiful afternoon - I pruned our weeping pear tree this morning after
feeding the garden birds and our sheep and checking the water supply a
daily necessity now we are also responsible for our neighbours supply.
This afternoon we went on a tour reckee and found a female Otter with 2
new cubs at one of our regular sights so we were very pleased. We also
saw a juvenile Golden Eagle which we had seen shortly after it had fledged
in the summer, it was good to see it was still surviving after the very
harsh weather conditions. one of our Shellducks was back in situe as were
3 Lapwings so despite the hard winter we are seeing some signs that Spring
is not too far away.
  
 
 
Jan 22nd
Weather the same cloud
but much less wind - I spent the morning trying to get water to our neighbour
but was not successful so we had to put her in a new water pipe from our
overflow and I am glad to report she has running water for the first time
since before christmas. We went to Calgary Bay this evening and saw a very
large Mink almost the size of a young Otter it dived off a rock and took
a fish almost as big as itself, an amazing sighting even though we are
not keen on Mink.
Jan 21st
Weather unchanged still
cloudy and windy - Our Great Spotted Woodpecker has now become a regular
visitor appearing at least 3 times a day. The Sparrowhawk also flies through
regularly dispersing our Chaffinches to all parts, although we have well
over 100 Chaffinches in the garden we have yet to see any Bramblings this
year but not through lack of trying. Our friend and mentor Alan Mullbirds
Spellman had a Water Rail in his garden today lucky devil.
Jan 20th
Weather the same as yesterday
- I went to Tobermory today and noticed that the Mishnish Lochs are still
frozen over at the Tobermory end. Apparently during the hardest frosts
on Mull at the new year over -10 degrees people were skating on the Lochs
and Quad bikes were pulling sleighs on the ice, this must have been similar
to the old pictures you get on Christmas cards and must have been great
fun , we are sorry to have missed it.
Jan 19th
Weather dry, cloudy and
breezy - We took the dogs for a walk to Cailiach today and although there
was not wildlife in abundance what we saw was very interesting and sometimes
quite close, re the Red Deer Stags in the photos below. We had a very good
sighting of a Sparrowhawk landing in a farmyard and later on the top of
a tree. We also had good Buzzard and Kestrel sightings and the highlight
for me over 100 Herring Gulls at roosting at the point. At Loch Cuin on
our way home there were some Wigeons which had arrived since yesterday
to join the Mallards and Teal already there.
 
Jan 18th
Weather dry and calm with
some sun in the morning becoming cloudier as the day went on - Out and
about north Mull this morning and saw 15 Ringed Plover, 19 Slavonian Grebes,
2 Greenshanks and a single Common Snipe. Red Throated and Great Northern
Divers were also seen on Loch Na Keal and a Black Guillemot in Salen Bay.
There were a lot of Red Breasted Mergansers seen some of them actually
displaying whether this was love or just to keep warm we could not tell.
2 White-tailed Eagles and 2 Otters as well as a Fallow Deer Stag and Red
Deer were seen and Common Seal at 2 different sites. In total 43 species
were seen in 2 hours not bad for a wintry morning
Jan 17th
Weather cloudy with showers
and windy - We took the dogs for a trip to Calgary today and they really
had a great time after being kept on our own grounds during the big freeze.
On a drive out with stops for dog walks today we saw Golden Eagles, Buzzards,
Kestrels and Hen Harriers. There were Teal in the loch at Dervaig and Ring
Plovers and Curlews at Calgary, it was great to be out and about on Mull
again today.
Jan 16th
Weather the thaw continues
as it is much warmer with showers - Going up to check the water supply
this morning I disturbed a Woodcock in our woodland a good start to the
day. The Great Spotted Woodpecker was on the feeders again today as were
lots of Siskins which seem very partial to the Nyjer seeds. Red Deer are
still appearing in our field and causing problems in our woodland and we
will probably have to Deer fence the whole property to protect the woodland.
Jan 15th
Weather warmer, it has
rained during the night and thawed much of the remaining snow and ice although
the drive is still icy - at last around mid morning our water has begun
to flow, the system seems to be a bit air blocked but at least it is working.
I checked the oil in the tank as our neighbour said that the delivery lorry
had called last week and could not get up the drive and we had about a
thimble full of oil left so I rang up the depot to ask them to call, unfortunately
when the delivery man arrived he still could not get up the drive so we
had to carry drums of oil up the drive and pour it into the tank to keep
us going until next week. There was a Siskin on the feeders today. With
the water now sorted and enough oil to last the weekend we hope to get
out and about and do some wildlife watching over the weekend.
Jan 14th
Weather thawing a little
but still cold and icy - we've decided to await the thaw which is supposed
to come tonight and manage another day with out water, we have switched
off the central heating to conserve oil for the Aga which is keeping us
warm and well fed. The Greater spotted Woodpecker has visited the garden
today along with lots of Chaffinches and blackbirds but a noticeable lack
of Tits.
Jan 13th
Weather dull, very cold
and icy - We arrived back from our journey's down south and found we could
not even get up our drive it was a complete sheet of ice from the cattle
grid to our back door. We had to leave our van in the neighbours drive
way and carry everything up the grass at the side of the drive, it took
us an hour to unload the van in the dark. When we got in the house we found
that all the water was completely frozen up so today we have been carrying
buckets of boiling water to try and thaw the pipes but it was still frozen
when we went to bed. The dogs, cats, sheep and birds had all been well
looked after by our trusty friend and I gave the birds plenty of food this
morning and judging by the numbers in the garden they were very grateful.
It is very important to feed the birds during very cold and frosty weather.
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This is the web site of Pam & Arthur
Brown, Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig, Isle of Mull. PA75 6QR
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