Sunday May 6
No WiFi to-night. It was excellent last night, what’s happened ? Shall have to copy and paste this when it comes back on.
No WiFi to-night. It was excellent last night, what’s happened ? Shall have to copy and paste this when it comes back on.
(Monday morning. All is well again. I spent some time last night with Windows Troubleshooter, maybe that's what did it)
Sheer decadence to start the day. Sitting up in bed, cup of tea on the bedside table, waching all the birds on our sunflower hearts feeder hung on the telegraph pole to the side of our sloping garden. There is a nearby Willow, and a conifer, which make a handy perch for incoming birds . They also use the Cordyline below, which catches the thrown out food. That too is a favourite, especially with ground feeders. Up to a dozen Siskin, Goldfinch, Blue and Great Tits, Robin, Blackbird and a Chaffinch. A procession of Common, Greater Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls flew east along the river running through the reed bed below. This is the largest reed bed on Mull - a fraction of the size of Cley e.g. Hooded Crows waited longingly in a nearby Sycamore. Five Red Deer made their way up the mountain the other side of the reeds, lovely.
Having forced myself to get dressed, we drove to the head of Loch Cuin, where we usually see waders. The ubiquitous Common Sandpiper, a newly established Common Gull breeding colony, Greylags scattered about and some Oystercatchers.
Up the hill to view our local White-tailed Eagle nest. Pam Brown was walking their new Sheltie pup, Lucy, training her to sit when cars pass by rewarding her with pieces of sausage. Pam and Arthur run the excellent Discover Mull tours, with the best home cooked soup, sandwiches and cake. They both run the tours but it’s mostly Arthur with Pam as relief.
Having re- located the nest, my scope allowed me to see one adult bird sitting, only the head showing. Pam B knows that one at least of the three eggs laid has hatched.
Caliach Point to the north of Calgary Bay is a favourite of ours. Only one gate with a dodgy catch - haven’t they all - for me to open and close before reaching a grassy verge littered with animal dung where we can park and seawatch the bay, stretching across to a misty Ardnamurchan. We added Gannet, Guillemot, Razorbill, many Fulmar, Kittiwakes, two Great Northern Divers, Shags and a Great Skua. The latter was a good spot by Pam.
Sheer decadence to start the day. Sitting up in bed, cup of tea on the bedside table, waching all the birds on our sunflower hearts feeder hung on the telegraph pole to the side of our sloping garden. There is a nearby Willow, and a conifer, which make a handy perch for incoming birds . They also use the Cordyline below, which catches the thrown out food. That too is a favourite, especially with ground feeders. Up to a dozen Siskin, Goldfinch, Blue and Great Tits, Robin, Blackbird and a Chaffinch. A procession of Common, Greater Black-backed, Lesser Black-backed and Herring Gulls flew east along the river running through the reed bed below. This is the largest reed bed on Mull - a fraction of the size of Cley e.g. Hooded Crows waited longingly in a nearby Sycamore. Five Red Deer made their way up the mountain the other side of the reeds, lovely.
Having forced myself to get dressed, we drove to the head of Loch Cuin, where we usually see waders. The ubiquitous Common Sandpiper, a newly established Common Gull breeding colony, Greylags scattered about and some Oystercatchers.
Up the hill to view our local White-tailed Eagle nest. Pam Brown was walking their new Sheltie pup, Lucy, training her to sit when cars pass by rewarding her with pieces of sausage. Pam and Arthur run the excellent Discover Mull tours, with the best home cooked soup, sandwiches and cake. They both run the tours but it’s mostly Arthur with Pam as relief.
Having re- located the nest, my scope allowed me to see one adult bird sitting, only the head showing. Pam B knows that one at least of the three eggs laid has hatched.
Caliach Point to the north of Calgary Bay is a favourite of ours. Only one gate with a dodgy catch - haven’t they all - for me to open and close before reaching a grassy verge littered with animal dung where we can park and seawatch the bay, stretching across to a misty Ardnamurchan. We added Gannet, Guillemot, Razorbill, many Fulmar, Kittiwakes, two Great Northern Divers, Shags and a Great Skua. The latter was a good spot by Pam.
Below us wandered a scattered herd of Highland cattle cows , several had calves of differing ages in attendance. The calves were either calling for their errant mothers or hassling her to stop so that they could feed.
All very entertaining if noisy. The cows were black, all the calves a variable shade of brown. Who's the daddy?
The small piles of dung everywhere is what attracted two Twite which came in to feed on the insects around them. At no time were they in clear view for me to photograph although tantalisingly close. Through the windscreen, yes. Between the wing mirror and the windscreen, yes. I've never been able to photograph them to my satisfaction. To-day was no exception.
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| Please stop |
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| At last |
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| One of these? |
Driving back to the main track, we visited the tourist highlight of Calgary Bay. Its white shell sand, Caribbean blue sea backed by Machair, is picture postcard material - and there are many to be bought.
The Gaelic word ‘machair’ means an extensive, low-lying fertile plain.
Found along the coast of north and west Scotland and western Ireland,
machair is a type of grassland associated with calcareous sand (mainly
made of shell) which has been blown inland from beaches and mobile dunes.
The small car park was full, we only wanted to turn round anyway.
We took a high moorland track, seeing a White-tailed Eagle in the distance, before returning to Dervaig. A quick check of Loch Cuin... two Goosanders and a small flock of Stock Doves to add to the Mull list. Pam thought that she’d heard a Sedge Warbler in the reed bed but I didn’t. Try again to-morrow.
We took a high moorland track, seeing a White-tailed Eagle in the distance, before returning to Dervaig. A quick check of Loch Cuin... two Goosanders and a small flock of Stock Doves to add to the Mull list. Pam thought that she’d heard a Sedge Warbler in the reed bed but I didn’t. Try again to-morrow.
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