Beinn Bheigier

For a very brief moment I was the tallest person on Islay on Thursday - and then my son stood next to me on the summit of Beinn Bheigier. What a joy it was to have him there with us. Lorna usually accompanies me, but James' presence made it even more special. It was James that spotted the White-tailed Eagle rising up from just in front of us with wings that seemed to go on forever and James who managed to get closest to the Red Deer. I was thrilled when Lorna exclaimed, "Marsh Fritillary caterpillars!" and we watched these tiny, but growing creatures emerging from hibernation to bask in the afternoon sun. What a wonderful day! I shall remember it always.
Becky (text) Lorna (photos)

Buzzard 

White-tailed Eagle

Marsh Fritillary caterpillars 

Raven 

James and the Red Deer

Spider

Signs of spring

Everything is shivering in the strong and cold easterly wind of the last few days, but at least the sun was out today.

Malcolm

Daffodils

Hazel catkins

Hazel tree - plus spot the Buzzard!

Sornasairidh - possibly the marshiest ground on Islay!

Those of you who know me know I've crossed some pretty dodgy ground before in my traverses of Islay's lesser known terrain! Well, to reintroduce my daughter to the joys of Islay walking, we did a walk on Monday to surpass them all! Normally we count potential obstacles en route - rivers, fences, bogs - anything that poses a potential problem to the facility of the walk. We gave up counting on this occasion - but I might just be telling you that to deter you from finding one of Islay's lesser known jewels - viz a viz the delightful little ruin at Sornasairidh, which nestles unassumingly beneath another of Islay's lesser known jewels - Beinn nam Fitheach (appropriately named Mountain of the Ravens).

We climbed a deer fence, marched through marsh, managed (just!) to negotiate the widest ditch on Islay AND find my fallen-out-of-pocket GPS in the bracken. Was it worth it! Anyone else who was out on Monday will know it was!
Becky

BIRDS: Fieldfare, Raven, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Twite, Dunnock, Robin, Wren, Starling, Great Black-backed Gull, Herring Gull, Grey Heron, Meadow Pipit, Oystercatcher, Redshank, Curlew, Buzzard, Rock Dove, Song Thrush, Pied Wagtail

OTHER: Red Deer, Fox Moth caterpillar, Rhizocarpon geographicum, Fuscidea cyathoides (both lichens)

Loch a' Mhala and Beinn nam Fitheach

Sornasairidh and Beinn nam Fitheach

Buzzard

Fungi at Killinallan

Fuscidea cyathoides

Sheep and Robin at Killinallan

Starlings at Craigens

Flock of Twite at Killinallan

Buzzard at the end of a lovely day....

What a day that was...  I think we had almost forgotten what islay can be like.  This Buzzard was on wires at Carnain....
Carl

Glen Astle to Lenavore on The Oa

Mark, Lorna and I had a looooooooong day out on The Oa yesterday, in glorious weather. We walked down Glen Astle, turned left and walked back to the road via Giol and Fang Dhu. Prepared for the worst, we ended up carrying far too much excess clothing and not enough sun cream! We had a fantastic day (excluding the clegs and the grand-daddy tick I acquired) and saw over 30 species of birds including Hen Harrier, Golden Eagle and Redpoll; 9 species of butterfly and moth; 19 toads (Lorna was counting!); 2 adders (sadly only I saw them); a pregnant lizard; a few unidentified beetles and a tiny cricket. It was encouraging to see several families of Stonechat, Reed Bunting and Meadow Pipit. My favourites were the Redpoll -a brilliant pink and the Grayling butterfly; Lorna's favourite was the toad and Mark's was the juvenile Buzzard we saw driving to our starting point. Thanks to Mark for the great photos.
Becky

Common Blue Damselflies mating - Mark Nelson

Juvenile Buzzard - Mark Nelson

Juvenile Buzzard - Mark Nelson

Grayling

Lorna with toad

Buzzard on Jura - James Deane

Another lovely raptor shot from James...

A Common Buzzard (Buteo buteo) leaves its perch next to the road near Cattadale last week, showing some quite worn and damaged feathers.

How to (mildly) irritate a Buzzard

A rather blurry picture of eight Choughs and a Raven mobbing a Buzzard up at Ardnave.  All parties gave the impression of having a good time and at no time during, before or after the (lengthy) engagement did any of the birds involved move more than about 400 yards from the initial point of contact.  The buzzard eventually sat on a fence post, the Raven got bored and went to ground and the Choughs decided that it was more fun doing communal aerobatics in the updraughts created by the large silage shed roof.

The RSPB explanation of 'Mobbing' is:-

'Mobbing' is a noisy, obvious form of behaviour that birds engage in to defend themselves or their offspring from predators.
When a predator is discovered, the birds start to emit alarm calls and fly at the predator, diverting its attention and harassing it. Sometimes they make physical contact. Mobbing usually starts with just one or two birds, but may attract a large number of birds, often of many species. For example, a chorus of different alarm calls coming from the same tree is often a good sign of a roosting owl or a cat.
Mobbing behaviour has been recorded in a wide range of species, but it is particularly well developed in gulls and terns, while crows are amongst the most frequent mobbers.
In addition to flying at the predator and emitting alarm calls, some birds, such as fieldfares and gulls, add to the effectiveness by defaecating or even vomiting on the predator with amazing accuracy. There are reports of predators being grounded by the volume of droppings over their body after a concentrated mobbing attack by a colony of fieldfares.
Mobbing behaviour has many functions. Predators often rely on surprise to succeed. As a predator has been discovered, birds will blow its cover by the loud alarm calls. This will alert other birds to the presence of a predator, and reduce its chances of success.
This noisy mobbing will also serve to impress the appearance of the predator on inexperienced individuals. The constant harassment by the mobbing birds will also drive the predator to a safe distance. The mobbing birds are seldom at risk, provided they keep the predator in sight and do not take too many chances.
A predator may be mobbed regardless of whether it is in flight, on ground or in vegetation. Birds attacking a perched or ground predator always give loud alarm calls and may make physical contact. Flying birds of prey are attacked by swooping down at a steep angle from above and behind, and emitting alarm calls. Sometimes contact is made with bill or feet.
Such attacks are rarely pressed home against really dangerous species, such as goshawks for crows. Mobbing attacks are strongest when the birds have most at stake, such as during the breeding season when young birds are at risk from a wide range of predators.
Birds may mob anything that they consider to be a danger. The cuckoo, owls and day-flying raptors are the birds most commonly mobbed, but cats, foxes, snakes, even humans, are regularly on the receiving end. The cuckoo is of course a danger species in a different way from predators, though the resemblance to a bird of prey, especially when flying, is probably a coincidence.
Since there is a learnt component to the behaviour, birds can start to mob anything they see other birds mob. Therefore, theoretically even inanimate objects such as statues or paint cans may end up being mobbed.
Mobbing is not restricted to danger species or indeed to birds of prey or mammalian predators. In this country, adult crows are likely to be taken only by the rare goshawk, but they often mob buzzards and kestrels among others.
They also mob non-predators such as grey herons, whose large size and flight silhouette they mistake for a bird of prey. In some species like crows and gulls the harassing behaviour characteristic to mobbing is also seen in other behaviours including food robbing.

A Power Buzzard

Taken at Aoradh earlier today.  There were two buzzards on the pole when I first saw them - but I missed the shot....  Pah!!
Carl

Wildlife Photography Competition - Vanessa Fuery

Many thanks to Vanessa for this picture of a Buzzard out hunting near Black Rock.