Sunday 31 October 2010

Back to reality!!!

Red Kites at Argaty Farm - Doune

Over 200 Waxwings at Doune

Sparrowhawk at Doune
In for the Kill, poor goose! (Terrible photo!)
White Tailed Sea Eagle

Common Buzzard
Otter
Slavonian Grebe in Winter plumage
Old boat at Pennyghael, a good spot to birdwatch. We had excellent views through scope of a female merlin here. watched with Brian Raines who runs wildlife trips from here.
Great Northern Diver - Loch Na Keal
Fallow Deer at Knock.

Buzzard at Pennyghael - just a common?
Hen HarrierLarge flock of Bullfinch on the track to Loch Frisa, never seen so many together in one place.
Hen Harrier on the road to Tobermory.
Large flock of Crossbills near Loch Frisa hide.
Buzzard gets attacked by crow.
A few views from our cottage garden of the airstrip and sound of Mull


Herons everywhere
Ring Billed Gull in Oban.

The ferry crossing was lovely.
The journey up through the mountains was stunning.
Duart Castle - Isle of Mull
Just come back from a week on Mull and We wish we could have stayed there forever. To get up on a morning and look out of the kitchen window and see the mountains and water with otters swimming in the sea and Sea Eagles flying trying to pick up a goose or two for their breakfast is so much better than looking out onto a close full of cars!! Even the people there relate to you as though they have known you forever and are so kind and helpful and make you feel wanted whereas some people here rush around and haven't even got the time to say hello. Anyway enough of the moaning. We had an excellent week with mixed weather but we really had a brilliant time and very relaxing. We had two otters by the cottage each morning and a pair of Sea Eagles there most days, the best view was the day we were coming home when one of the eagles tried to take a Greylag Goose right outside on the shoreline, it failed but we had excellent views (apart from Mick who was in the shower at the time and couldn't get out quick enough) the cameras were packed up in the car so by the time we managed to get them the shots we got were not so brilliant. There were Waxwings on the island and we had a group fly by one day but we failed to locate them after that however on the way home we visited the Red Kite Centre at Argaty again and found a flock of over 200 feeding in Doune and had excellent views. Can't wait to go back to Mull again as soon as possible.

3 comments:

  1. Some cracking shots as always! Love the perched buzzard.

    ReplyDelete
  2. A great selection of species, fantastic to look at. Looked like a spanking trip.
    I remember having 10 Bullfinches in the trees at the car park at Far Pastures including 7 males and 3 females.
    John

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent shots. How get some of thoose Rough-legged Buzzards at Sleddale ;)

    Your buzzard pics are of Common :)

    ReplyDelete