Mull August 08

Gary Gorner · Status: Offline

RE: Mull August 08

Paul Cliff · Status: Offline

drive safe chic - see you soon!

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Well my holiday is over,and the weather over the last few days has been warm and sunny,seen several Whitetailed Eagles soaring and gliding over the tops of trees along the Sound of Mull,Peregrine in my garden,PLENTY of Ravens,Buzzards and Herons all through my time here.Wonderful,relaxing views of waders along all the coasts,and the resident Otter in Tobermory harbour was a treat on Wednesday.Today again at Grasspoint two sightings of the male Harrier over the moorland......delighted with all l've seen
gutted l'm going home in the morning

can't wait to do it all again next year

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Tuesday......
Just before Simon left Mull today we went to our fave' haunts,we saw two wonderful juv' Golden Eagles.At Loch Spelve we had a f/ Hen Harrier and a juv' male who was hunting and we again were lucky enough to see it catch eat its prey.
Really pleased Simon came up for a few days as l might've missed stuff and not id'd stuff correctly,he's got an incredible talent for setting up his scope and finding our target bird in seconds,usually before l'd even put the bins' up to my eyes,telling me.......'It's in the scope'.

....very impressive.
Mull is great place to see wildlife,wether it's Otters,Eagles or taking a trip out to sea,you can't fail to enjoy your time,be wow-ed by it's scenery and landscape and if you're lucky very,VERY lucky you'll escape the midges.......l didn't

one very sad sight along L/Spelve was a caged and tethered falcon (poss' Saker) a striking bird who has an incredible view of the world/loch from his small,baron home,every day watching the local chickens scratching for food and wandering in front of his prison........cruel irony

-- Edited by Melanie Beckford at 09:09, 2008-08-13

Paul Cliff · Status: Offline

raptor heaven by the sounds of it chic!

don't miss him too much, elton beckons, it's his calling! enjoy the rest of your week!

try and make it back for Les Puddings Noir, if you can! will save you a ticket.

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Monday....Brilliant weather then torrential rain,then brilliant weather and so on...

For Warfy's last day l suggested Croggan,Loch Spelve,but prior to that we popped in at Grasspoint and watched a wonderful F/ Hen Harrier hunting over the field and moorlands.
When we arrived at L/Spelve,McWarfy cried 'Large Raptor coming from the right' and a Whitetailed-Eagle was searching for a perch to eat his freshly caught sea-bird,delighted we settled down to watch him,we couldn't believe our luck.

Then he flew off towards the mountains on one wing beat and never flapped again for poss' 10 mins,was brilliant.In his place two Golden Eagles kept us happy,circling over the tops of the mountains,then dropping in front so we got fabulous views of their golden heads and wings then they were being mobbed by a F/ Hen Harrier,who flew over our heads,great views there too.On the Loch we also saw Black Guillemot,Gannet,Red Throated Diver and then to finish off the afternoon we found an otter also eating and diving just generally 'loving his life' finally he climbed up on the bank and disappeared.As we were going back to the car two rainbows appeared together,huge and unbelieveably bright........ wot a great,greatday.
Loch Spelve is a wonderful hidden jem.
luv Mull l do

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Well tried not to join in this link as always one for going for a tangent and I am sure we have all thought of a few,

but nice reporting the manchester crew making me jealous do like White-tailed eagles.

and if one turns up a Elton we will smell a rat!

so keep at it Mac warfy and Mac Mel stay away from the haggis plays havoc with the lycra

keep birding

Simon Warford · Status: Offline

We spent this morning birding at Loch Frisa and walked for a while without a single White Tailed Eagle and with only 4 Golden Eagles, Hen Harrier, Red Throated Diver & Whinchat to show for our effort. On leaving Loch Frisa we headed down to the lovely Loch na Keal when a White Tailed Eagle was found by Melanie flying in front of the car and after she did an emergency stop we watched it fly across the loch and it joined a second bird. The second bird, which was wing tagged landed in a dead tree and remained there for 30 mins or so until i suggested we drive around to the south shore to see if we could get better views hoping it would remain in the same small copse. After a brisk drive round by Melanie we were lucky enough to get great views of the bird as it remained sat in the same tree occasionally taking small flights over the loch, it certainly made our day

Mike Chorley · Status: Offline

The Warford has gone all Scottish and has donned a tartan kilt(L)

OOOHH! Not with those legs!

Paul Cliff · Status: Offline

lol. quality mel, great reporting, but these petrels, were they leaches?

wish i was there!

don't be too lonely when the warfmiester heads back south, take solace in knowing elton needs him!

x

-- Edited by Paul Cliff at 21:14, 2008-08-09

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Mark Rigby wrote:

Melanie,what plumage was the 'Never- Been-To-Mull-Before'-Warford. The last time I saw one of these it was in that horrible bright red plumage at Elton. Gaudy red with pale legs and a black'rayban' eyestripe!!!!

The Warford has gone all Scottish and has donned a tartan kilt(L) (all the rage on a Saturday in Bolton....apparently) and is regularly seen marching along the highlands with his scope over his shoulder and quoting from the film Braveheart,and l NEVER watched a sleeping otter fer two hours!!

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Friday.....Glorious weather all day.
Thanks for the info' regarding the Rosy Starling but we'd already started the 2 hour journey towards Bunnesan as we were going to Iona.The day was beautiful and we found a white sandy beach after looking for Corncrakes that were heard but not seen but we were lucky enough to see two Basking Sharks very close to the shore,delighted with that little jem we got the earlier ferry back so we could catch the last of the sun on the stunning Loch Na Keal and Loch Beg.On the short ferry back over to Mull we saw some arial dramatics from a couple of Artic Skuas (L).
Once at L/Beg we were stunned to find FIVE Short Eared Owls all together,wot a treat and on the other side another lifer for me approx' 30 Golden Plover.

Saturday.....Manchester weather all day.
We booked on a Whalewatching Trip and saw no Cetaceans at all but in their place,the grim weather threw up several Great Skuas,Manx Shearwaters,Black Guillemot and a couple of Storm Petrels (L) although l had a little sea sickness was soaked and felt freezing l was delighted with my sightings..(the Manchester Crew did good).As the weather is still dreadful we're off to the pub!!

ps thanks for all your good wishes but Warfy and l are NOT on honeymoon LOL....we're BIRRRDING

Dean Macdonald · Status: Offline

Have a great time you two. I'm off to Galloway tomorrow for a week

Hope the Rumworth invasion waits a week

Cheers Dean.

Mark Rigby · Status: Offline

There seems to have been an infux of birds since you arrived Mr Warfy!!!! They must have been missing in the early part of the week.

Melanie,what plumage was the 'Never- Been-To-Mull-Before'-Warford. The last time I saw one of these it was in that horrible bright red plumage at Elton. Gaudy red with pale legs and a black'rayban' eyestripe!!!!

Rob Smallwood · Status: Offline

There's a photo of an adult Rose-coloured Starling at Bunnesan on BirdGuides today - taken today apparently......

If anyone has a mobile number they might want to alert the Manchester crew?

Paul Cliff · Status: Offline

hello you two!

glad you are having a good time!

keep us updated!

Simon Warford · Status: Offline

Its not bad this Mull birding todays sightings included 4 White Tailed Eagles at Grasspoint, 2 close to the water perched in dead trees and 2 more circling over the forests, this was quickly followed by 5 Golden Eagles, Merlin, both Red and Black throated divers in summer plumage in Loch Beg, 16 greenshanks and a green sand then an Otter asleep for 2 hours on the seaweed which only moved to scratch or shuffle up the shoreline to escape the rising tide! The ever so confiding BT diver never got a look in once Melanie had settled down with the otter for 2 hours, the peregrine still sits at the end of the garden and 1 more seen on cliffs but not as many as in Bolton

finally never seen so many Ravens in my life there must be 40 just behind the cottage!

keep birding

-- Edited by Simon Warford at 22:08, 2008-08-08

Melanie Beckford · Status: Offline

Up here in Mull

for two weeks (long awaited annual visit),staying in Tobermory,the weather has been very changeable as anyone who has visited will know.
Already seen 'the barn door' aka The White-tailed Eagle and two Golden Eagles which were at Ben More.l went along with a wildlife guide who l've been with before and these guys are well worth their money as they know all the hot-spots for the local 'must see's'.Also whilst l've been here (not quite a week yet),had a female Merlin,Raven and a stunning male Hen Harrier by Grasspoint.The treat though by far,is a Peregrine who sits regularly at the top of a conifer at the end of my garden,hard to believe it's SO close.....but it's true.
On the water l've been lucky enough to see Porpoise and a three Minke Whale (also at G/point).
Today's highlight is a Juv 'Never- Been-To-Mull-Before'-Warford who looks to be settling in for a few days...eek!!