29 May 24 - Spring Birding On The Mullet

This was day two of the Yellow-crowned Night Heron twitch. After successfully seeing the Yellow-crowned Night Heron, Pete Aley & I ended up at The Mullet by the end of the first day. I dropped Pete at his hotel & headed to Cross Lough to kip in the car. I was up early the following morning to have a look around the Lough in the hope of seeing the Black Duck. Unfortunately, I couldn't find it. But there was a distant over-summering Whooper Swan, several Wheatears & some Northern Marsh Orchids.

Meadow Pipit

Northern Marsh Orchid: There were a few near the edge of the Lough, but I didn't stop to photograph any this time (8 Jun 22)

Looking at the Southern end of Cross Lough from the road

There are a few interesting small roads around Cross Lough

There are also some interesting fields

One of many patches of Yellow Flag Iris

After picking Pete up from his hotel, we went & had another look for the Elegant Tern in the Tern colony on Inis Doire Island, which was close to Pete's hotel. We gave up looking after a half hour without any success. Next we headed off to Annagh Marsh on The Mullet. This turned out to be a very large field about a quarter of a mile long with a predator proof electric fence around it. We had been told by some of the Irish Birders on the previous afternoon, it was worth a look, when we said we were thinking of visiting The Mullet. It was an impressive site, with damp meadows and plenty of Sedge-fringed pools. It was clearly a good place for breeding Waders with Lapwing, Snipe and Redshank all present and breeding there. It was a good example of what can be achieved if breeding Waders can be protected from Mammalian predators.

Annagh Marsh: The field is surrounded by this predator proof fence with electric strands

Annagh Marsh: Looking over the predator proof fence

Lapwing: We saw a few youngsters, but they were too far away for photos

Snipe: This Snipe perched on the post next to the road and gave lovely views

There are Corncrakes on The Mullet: But we didn't see or hear any. But it's another similarity with the Outer Hebrides

We did also see some nice Irish Hares on The Mullet, but I will cover them in the next Blog Post.

14 Mar 22 - A Perfect Level Morning

I had spent the three previous days in Ireland catching up with the Egyptian Vulture and Northern Harrier for my UK & Irish List. It was time to return to the UK. I prefer to catch the daytime ferries back from Ireland, so I can seawatch on the way back. In the Summer & Autumn, there will usually be a few Short-beaked Common Dolphins and maybe a Harbour Porpoise or a Grey Seal, as well as, a few Seabirds. However, I figured it wouldn't be that exciting in mid-March and therefore I might as well I had catch the evening Irish Ferry sailing from Rosslare to Pembroke Dock.

I managed to get a bit of sleep on the ferry, before we were called to prepare to disembark at 00:45. Arriving at this time, leaves a long drive out of Wales in the early hours of the morning. I could have found somewhere to pull the car over for the rest of the night in South Wales, but I had plans for the following morning. So, I carried on until I reached Gordano Services, in the Bristol area. I managed to get an hour & a half of sleep here, until it was starting to get light. After another forty minutes of driving, I pulled into the car park at the Greylake reserve on the Somerset Levels.

It was my first visit to Greylake, but it was a couple of months overdue. On 3 Jan 22, a photographer had published a photo of an odd Duck which was quickly identified as a gorgeous male Baikal Teal. It later turned out it had been there for at least a week before anybody bothered to ask what it was. This is the problem with many Bird photographers, who don't bother to learn about how to identify their subjects. This is a contrast to the Birders, who might still be learning how to get the most out of their cameras, but they generally have good identification skills. In January, I was fully into the start of my 2022 Historic Isle of Purbeck Year List and I never made the journey up to the Levels.

It was a lovely still, crisp and sunny morning, which was perfect weather to visit. I headed straight for the main hide, where there were over five hundred Ducks on a bank running away from the hide or in the water. This included at least one hundred and sixty Teal, four hundred Wigeon, as well as, some Shovelers, Gadwall and Mallards, with more Ducks poorly visible to the left. I asked the two local photographers in the hide about the Baikal Teal, but they weren't looking beyond the first twenty metres from the hide and didn't have any idea if the Baikal Teal was present.

Teal: Males. There were a lot of sleeping Duck in the edges of the reeds

Teal: Male

Wigeon: Male

Shoveler: Male

After five minutes of scanning, one of the Ducks moved to reveal the sleeping make Baikal Teal on the bank. It looking stunning and was closer than normal, according to one of the photographers.

Where's Wally?: This was just some of the mainly Wigeon on the raised bank

Baikal Teal: Wally wasn't that hard to find, once the Wigeon that had been obscuring him had moved out of the way

Eventually, the Baikal Teal woke up and flew a couple of times when the patrolling Marsh Harriers got too close and disturbed all the Ducks. On the second time, the Baikal Teal landed in the water, before heading back to the raised area.

Marsh Harrier: They only passed close to the hide twice, but when they did they flush most of the Ducks

Wigeon: Flushed by one of the flying over Marsh Harriers

Baikal Teal: The Baikal Teal woke up & flushed with the Wigeon, but it quickly came back down onto the water

Baikal Teal: Note, how variable the green colouration in the face is, as the Baikal Teal moves its head

Baikal Teal: It has an interesting head shape when head on

Baikal Teal

Baikal Teal: Finally, it walked back onto the raised bank

It is a great reserve which I will definitely visit again when I'm passing the Levels.

Dabchick

Great White Egret: There were three Great White Egrets further back in the marsh

I stayed for about an hour and a half and left the hide just in time. As I walked back to the car, there was a number of toggers descending on the hide. I was only just starting to use bird hides again after the C19 lockdowns and I didn't want to be in busy hides.

Snipe: This Snipe has just found a worm

Snipe: Sucking up the worm. I love it when I get to photograph a bit of behaviour like this

I later found out that I managed to see the Baikal Teal on its final morning, as it was seen flying off North East in the late afternoon. It wasn't seen again. I was out on the Birds of Poole Harbour bird boats later in March and also at Studland and saw parties of Duck, lift off the water, fly high & leave Poole Harbour on similar clear evenings. So, it looks like they regularly start a migration flight in the hour before dusk.

17 Oct 15 - Berneray & North Uist

The only sign of life at the ferry terminal on Berneray were a couple of Rock Pipits.

Rock Pipit

When you come out of the terminal road, you are meant to turn left & onto the causeway to cross onto North Uist. But there wasn't a sign & so I ended up turning right to the small village of Borve. But it is a very scenic village & was well worth the time spent looking around it.

Borve

Borve: Picture postcard photos on a day like today

Borve: A more traditional looking house (shame about the car spoiling the photo)

Borve: A great looking garden

Common Seals: Fitting in with the sleepy look of Borve

As I drove in, I flushed a Snipe from the road side. It didn't go far, but was well camouflaged. 

Snipe: Skulking in a small gap in the vegetation

I saw a lot more Black Sheep on the islands than I do in Dorset

All the roads in Borve end in dead ends & so after a look around, I ended up taking the causeway over to North Uist.

The rugged fields of Port Nan Long, North Uist

Some of the locals were confused when I stopped at some trees to try some pishing

The first stop on North Uist was Lochmaddy to book the ferry off. I had wanted to come off on Sunday 18, but was told that both the ferries from North Uist & South Uist were full. I guess there were people over for the weekend & heading home. In the end I had to compromise & make a booking for the late afternoon. Not ideal, but it would give me enough time to have a quick, but not too hurried, look around the excellent Balranald area.

Scolpaig Tower: These days the government keeps the same building project going, with schemes like the O2 in Greenwich & the new Hinkley power station

The road to Balranald passes the Scolpaig Tower. This well known local landmark was built around 1830 as a Georgian folly to provide employment for the locals during a period of local famine. The road to Balranald isn't a quick road as it is nearly all a single track road with plenty of passing points. There isn't a lot of traffic, but having to regularly give way, means it does take a while getting around the island. But there is plenty to keep looking out for on the road & it is very scenic, so not having to hurry isn't too much of a problem. After about thirty minutes driving from Lochmaddy, I reached the turn off for Balranald.

Panoramic view of two of the lochs along the approach road

Any Birders who have never been to North Uist & Balranald in particular, have really missed out on a stunning RSPB reserve. The side road to Balranald has lakes on either side of the road with excellent looking meadows & fields, which are the Summer home to the reserve's best known visitor, Corncrake. The whole area is farmed for the wildlife & as a result, is a very good example of how great the Western Isles can be for Corncrakes & breeding Waders. But in Winter, the reserve is also popular with Geese & Wildfowl. My only Winter visit was in Feb 13, after a Harlequin Duck had been found. I was in Scotland for a few days, on the way back from the Shetland Pine Grosbeak trip & decided to have a couple of days on North Uist. As well as the Harlequin Duck & a Glaucous Gull on the sea, there was a Richardson's Canada Goose (Cackling Goose) in a flock of about 400 Barnacles and a Ring-necked Duck on the reserve. With two presumably wild Snow Geese a few miles further South, it was a great couple of days. Unfortunately, it wasn't quite as good on this visit as the main Geese numbers hadn't arrived yet (or if they had they were feeding elsewhere on North Uist). But there were a few skeins of Whooper Swans, as well as, a couple of family parties of Barnacle Geese, plus Wigeon and Teal.

Whooper Swan party

Whooper Swan: Adult

House Sparrow: Male. One of a flock of about fifteen House Sparrows looking for food on these hay bales

Corn Bunting: Always a good sign of a well managed habitat when you see Corn Buntings

Panoramic view of the bay at Balranald This is a stunning bay to look at

On the drive back to Lochmaddy, there was time for a quick stop at Grenitote. There is a small side road that leads down to another stunning bay. Had there been more time, I would have left the car & taken the track out towards the dunes & ultimately the sea. But this was only a fifteen minute stop for a hot drink & a quick scan of the bay. The highlight was a party of four Pale-bellied Brent Geese.

The Grenitote pcinic site: This must be one of the best views from a picnic site & even better I've yet to find it in use despite several visits in June

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

Pale-bellied Brent Geese

Other short roadside stops were made for a flock of Golden Plover & a Buzzard.

Golden Plover

Buzzard: A real shame this wasn't something more interesting

A final roadside stop was needed for this view of the bay just outside of Lochmaddy. The house with this view is very lucky.

View of the bay just outside Lochmaddy: On the road to Solas & Grenitote

 All too quickly it was time to join the queue waiting for the ferry to dock to take me to Uig, Skye. It had been a great extension to the Wilson's Warbler twitch & excellent weather. Several locals said the weather was better than during the summer.