Northern Holiday, 2017 (1): Puffins

Those who have followed my blog over the years will know that Puffins are my favourite bird. We almost missed these seasonal visitors this year; but, as you can see, there were still a few left at RSPB Bempton Cliffs on the Yorkshire coast when we were there in early July. I'm running very behind, but never mind!

Above: I am intrigued by the feathers on the nape of the neck...

Most remaining Puffins were still taking care of Pufflings.

The cliff-face photo above, taken with my zoom lens fully extended,
shows a few of the adult birds. 

There are also a couple of Razorbills.

Every so often we got a really good view of a Puffin. 

This photo shows the cliff, with Gannets, Razorbills, a Herring gull and a Puffin. I think I can also make our Kittiwakes and Guillemots.

We got the impression that this Puffin was about to fly, but it may have been waiting for its mate to return with sand eels.

We broke our journey south in Yorkshire, so the photos above are actually from our last lap. We had spent the first part of our holiday near, and frequently on, Lindisfarne in Northumbria. I wish I had taken a better photo, but I love this stained glass window, created by Borderdale Stained Glass, in the Anglican church on the island. Not only does it show a handsome Puffin but also an Eider (affectionately known as a 'Cuddy' duck after St Cuthbert) and the haul-out of Grey Seals who sang most beguilingly each evening at sunset.

I shall end this post back at Bempton Cliffs. Do take a look at the Gannet's feet! I have always been so intrigued by their eyes that I don't think I have ever noticed these before. There were plenty of Guillemots on this rock. These are all wonderful seabirds, but the Puffin will always be the show-stealer for me.

Holiday 3: A Day on Walney Island

I had read that there was a Cumbrian Wildlife Trust nature reserve at South Walney, so after we had visited the ruins of Furness Abbey, we drove through Barrow and over the bridge in the photo above to Walney Island (which is the near side in the picture). It was a rather chilly day in June, and my photos testify to the fact that the sun was not much in evidence.

The island is not very large and we were soon on the reserve. I was thrilled to find Eider ducks in good numbers, including the pair in the photo above.

I gather that Walney Island pretty much marks the southern limit of Eider colonies on the west coast. Eiders are amber listed in terms of conservation, so the island is lucky to be able to boast 700 breeding pairs. The duck in the photo above is the female ...

... and this one is the male.

There are long expanses of shingle which provides a nesting area for various gulls, terns and other species such as the Ringed Plover. The Horned Poppy added a splash of sunshine to the scene.

Can you spot the Eider ducks nestling on the grass of the remains of the Walney Salt Works, which closed in 1909?

The lighthouse dominates the skyline.

Piel Castle lies across the water, and can be reached by boat. In 1487 Lambert Simnel landed on Piel Island. The castle dates from the 14th century.

The photo above shows the Eider colony on Walney Island.

In addition to long shingle beaches, there are large areas of saltmarsh.

The photo below helps to give a sense of scale and also a sense of 'the remote', which is something that strikes the visitor after the hustle and bustle of Barrow.

In a landscape that was predominantly grey, it was not only the Horned Poppy but also the tall spikes of Viper's Bugloss that added colour to the scene. We thoroughly enjoyed our visit, but all too soon we were crossing the bridge back to the mainland for a drive through the Lakes to our rented holiday property near Cockermouth.

2015 Scottish Odyssey (3) Birds

Goosander on Loch Lomond (2015) ... time for a ride

It is time I composed my bird list from my 2015 holiday diary!

The weather (with a couple of exceptions) was not ideal for bird photography on our holiday this year, so I have taken the liberty of re-posting the Eider and Bullfinch pictures I took in 2014.

Those of you who visit my monthly Tree Following posts will know that I love lists. So here goes ... and, incidentally, the location mentioned is the place where I saw a species on this holiday for the first time. It may not be the only place. Birds are posted in the order in which they were spotted. You can find pictures and information about them all on the RSPB site here.

1. Swallow (Loch Lomond)
2. Swift (Loch Lomond)
3. Goldfinch (Loch Lomond)
4. Greenfinch (Loch Lomond)
5. Oystercatcher (Loch Lomond)
6. Goosander (Loch Lomond)
7. House Sparrow (Loch Lomond)
8. Lesser Black-back Gull (Loch Lomond)
9. Skylark (Rannoch Moor)
10. Buzzard (Glengarry)
11. Grey Heron (Eilean Donan)
12. Rock Pipit (Eilean Donan)
13. Pied Wagtail (Broadford, Skye)
14. Blackbird (Broadford, Skye)
15. Hooded Crow (Broadford, Skye)
16. Starling (Broadford, Skye)
17. Robin (Broadford, Skye)
18. Bullfinch (Dunvegan)
19. Cuckoo (Dunvegan - no sighting but David heard it calling)
20. Arctic Tern (Loch Dunvegan)
21. Dunlin (Braes, Skye)
22. Eider Duck (Applecross)
23. Curlew (Applecross)
24. Mallard (Applecross)
25. Wheatear (Waternish, Skye) 
26. Gannet (Waternish, Skye)
27. Golden Eagle (Cuillin, Skye)
28. Lapwing (Staffin, Skye)
29. Stonechat (Quairaing, Skye) 
30. Chiffchaff (Kylerhea, Skye)
31. Ringed Plover (Sleat, Skye)
32. White-tailed Eagle, with salmon! (Skye) Red status conservation
33. Tystie/Black Guillemot (Elgol, Skye)
34. Corncrake (Skye - only the call this year, no sighting) Red status conservation
35. Reed Bunting (South Shian, near Oban)
36. Mute Swan (near Tayvallich)
37. Garganey (near Tayvallich)
38. Moorhen (Lochgilphead)
39. Barn Owl (Kilmartin)
40. Little Owl (Kilmartin)
41. Sand Martin (between Kilmartin and Loch Awe)
42. Razorbill (from Arran ferry)
43. Pheasant (Arran)
44. Treecreeper (Brodick Castle, Arran)
45. Kestrel (Arran)
46. Chaffinch (Dunadd)
47. Herring gull (Oban) Red status conservation

Plus an assortment of geese and gulls, which would probably bring the total up to around 50. I need to brush up on my ID skills for these. Oh, and we also saw a peacock on Skye!

I was surprised to find that while the Herring Gull is still afforded Red Status, the Golden Eagle is listed as Amber. Have you found any unusual birds this summer?

Eider (male)

Eider (female)

Bullfinch (female)

Bullfinch (male)