Window to Wildlife

 Departing from Mallaig, we positioned ourselves strategically for some onboard seawatching, aiming  to be sheltered from the wind and on the right side of the boat, where the light conditions would be most helpful. We had several hours on the boat, and had a steady enough trickle of species to keep us interested. Guillemots were scattered randomly across the sea, with a few Razorbills about too. A few Kittiwakes flew past, then as we approached Rum, a few Arctic Terns came into view. We pulled into the harbour for others to board or disembark, and here found a Common Sandpiper on the rocks, together with a noisy pair of Oystercatchers. Two Grey Herons were on the shoreline, and in the harbour a group of Eiders, moulting out of breeding plumage, loafed offshore and a pair of Red-breasted Mergansers drifted lazily,  before taking off and heading out to sea. But the star attraction was a summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver which Tim managed to get in the scope. Continuing on...

 It was a damp morning when we woke, so we abandoned the idea of a pre-breakfast walk, but enjoyed watching screaming Swifts and House Martins disappearing into the eaves of our hotel. Our first stop of the day was at Broomhill Bridge, where a large colony of Sand Martins filled the skies, skimming over the river chasing insects, and busily back and forth to nest holes in the sandy bank. A Dipper with a mouthful of food sat bobbing on a small boulder, and a Common Sandpiper peeped across and settled on a large rock. A pair of Curlew called then flew overhead and a couple of Oystercatchers were in the field.  We continued on to Garbole in the Findhorn Valley, stopping beside a stand of larches overlooking a shallow, rocky brook, with green fields and hills fading to the distance. We were now acclimatising to the sightings of Oystercatchers away from the coast, and Curlew were again found here. Around twenty Lapwings wheeled above a field of sheep and a Redshank posed atop a pos...

 We arrived at Nethy Bridge around 4PM, dumped our bags at the hotel and set off for a local walk. At the bridge, I spotted the back of a Dipper as it disappeared upstream. Siskins were everywhere, constantly calling, crossing the river and dropping down to the water to drink. Overhead and around the village plenty of House Martins and Swallows swooped and dived. We wandered into the woods, where a Spotted Flycatcher looping from the trees was a pleasing find, and we spent some time enjoying its antics. A good number of Song Thrushes were seen, some carrying food, and baby Robins seemed to be everywhere.  Spotted Flycatcher On the playing fields a pair of Pied Wagtails were feeding, and we were surprised to find an Oystercatcher foraging on the field, with another found peeping loudly from our hotel roof as we returned. A single scything Swift flew around at roof height. As we headed up to the Mountview Hotel for dinner, a Red Kite drifted across the field, and we finally mana...

 Today we took the boat trip out to the Farne Isles, the highlight of the week, and Emilie dressed in her special Puffin dress for the occasion. The weather conditions were unfortunately a bit blowy, making it hard to observe birds on the sea, although a few Guillemots, Terns and Puffins were seen as we approached the Farnes. At the back of the islands we observed plenty of Gannets diving into the water, and a few elegant Fulmars drifted past. Moving close to the cliffs we enjoyed our first views of a colony of nesting Guillemots, Kittiwakes and Puffins, plus a few Razorbills. As we approached the Inner Farnes, a raft of Kittiwakes and some terns were feeding on the water. But of course, once we arrived on the islands, we were able to get up close to all these species and study their plumage features and behaviour more fully.  The first birds we encountered were the Arctic Terns noisy, but mostly calm and unbothered by passing humans. It was only when people lingered and raise...

We headed inland today to the beautiful Harthope Valley. Our main target bird was the Dipper, so we parked close to a bridge crossing the river, enjoying a pair of a Mistle Thrushes in a nearby bush, and a bobbing Grey Wagtail which flew onto a rock below us. Taking a short walk along a riverside path, we quickly stumbled across our target bird, standing on a rock with a mouthful of insects. We spent several minutes watching, noting the nictating membrane resembling a blinking white eyelid.  Dipper Continuing on into the valley, we heard the distinctive call of Curlew, and noted a couple of birds fly overhead. Elsewhere, we encountered a pair of Oystercatcher. It always seems a surprise to encounter these wading birds so far from the estuary on their upland breeding territories.  We parked up and took a walk along the track. Highlights seen were a Spotted Flycatcher, a frequently heard but only briefly seen Cuckoo, and a similarly fleeting view of a Siskin.  Spotted Flyca...

 We had a day off from birding today, visiting Alnwick Castle to chase dragons and take broomstick flying lessons at the place where scenes from  a Harry Potter film were made. However, as we got out of the car, I heard a typically high pitched young tweet in the tree above me. Looking up I saw we had stumbled on a family of Nuthatches busily feeding in the trees around the car park. A very useful and unexpected  addition to our holiday birding list! Nuthatch

 We arrived at Long Nanny late morning, and after depositing Kayte, Michael and a bucket and spade at the beach, we set off with Emilie to walk through the sand dunes to visit the colony of Arctic Terns. We spotted a few birds on the way, including a Kestrel, our first and only Northumberland raptor to date, Stonechats and great views of a Skylark and Meadow Pipit.  Skylark Arriving at the viewpoint, there were plenty of nesting terns on the grassy bank right in front of us, giving superb views. Even better, amongst them was the legendary American Black Tern, returning again, paired up with another bird. It is not yet known if it is the same bird she paired with last year. Three eggs were lain, but they were sterile, so no chicks produced.  American Black Tern Arctic. terns Skirting down through the dunes to the beach, we walked along the edge of the fenced off area, finding several Ringed Plovers running around, but sadly no fluffy chicks seen today. Our other target her...