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Redshank (Tringa totanus) Clachan Sands, North Uist
 | Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) - Clachan Sands, North Uist | | Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - Clachan Sands, North Uist |
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My prime objective for the day (although not Lindsay's, but she has infinite patience!) was to have another go at photographing Red-necked Phalarope at Griminis on the isle of Benbecula, so this is where we headed. We did well, in that a pair of birds appeared and came to a reasonably close distance. However, I had a focus malfuntion for the second bird and missed the best shots. Red-necked Phalarope are unusual in that the males take on what might usually considered as 'maternal' duties in the avian world. They are also a little less colourful, although the state of plumage of this pair left me a little uncertain as to which was which. I'm fairly sure that the first was a female and the second was a male, but I'm happy to be corrected.
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Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) (female) - Griminis, Benbecula
 | | Red-necked Phalarope (Phalaropus lobatus) (male) - Griminis, Benbecula |
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Whilst there, a kind eagle-eyed gentleman pointed out to me a distant Snipe on a post. I had difficulty in spotting it with binoculars, but he was seeing it with his naked eye! This is a heavily cropped image with the lens at 500mm. Unusually, it was the only Snipe I saw on the Uists this stay.
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Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) - Griminis, Benbecula
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And, of course, there was the inevitable Meadow Pipit.
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Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - Griminis, Benbecula
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Having stopped off at The Wee Cottage Kitchen for lunch, we called back at base to freshen up and look around. On the nettles at the edge of the garden I found a good number of Garden Tiger larvae. Although not rare, this is a species of moth that I have never seen as an adult, and I was tempted to take a few to bring home and rear. However, I hadn't the wherewithal to transport them safely during the two long days that it would take us to get home. I will be better prepared the next time!
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Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) (larva) - Clachan Sands, North Uist
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Also on these nettles there was a single caterpillar of a different species that I have not been able to identify - there are so many relatively plain green caterpillars! Any help would be appreciated.
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unidentified larva on nettles - Clachan Sands, North Uist
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There was also something strange (to me, anyway) going on with the underside of the nettle leaves. I have absolutely no idea what this was, and it looks a little sinister, but the pattern it makes is quite attractive.
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I have no idea! - Clachan Sands, North Uist
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We'd been based here for five days, and still not visited the local beach, so off we went. The beach was fabulous, and deserted by birds as well as humans, so we didn't stay long.
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Clachan Sands beach - North Uist
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Berneray was calling to us again so that was next on the itinerary. On the machair by Borgh there is a memorial to a giant of a man. The script on the memorial is just about legible as nature is taking its toll - I suspect that it will be cleaned up soon, but I'd prefer to see it left.
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Macaskill Memorial - near Borgh, Berneray
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The machair attracts numerous birds and they are relatively confiding if you stay on the road and momentarily use your car as a hide.
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| Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) - near Borgh, Berneray |
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| Skylark (Alauda arvensis) - near Borgh, Berneray |
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Rock Dove (Columba livia) - near Borgh, Berneray
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When on Berneray, we like to stop by John's Bunkhouse to look over the water for birds. On this occasion the tide was well out and there were distant Godwits - too far away for me to determine whether they were Black-tailed or Bar-tailed, but I suspect the former. However, a couple of passerines joined us beside the car.
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| Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) (female) - by John's Bunkhouse, Berneray |
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Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) (male) - near John's Bunkhouse, Berneray
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Shortly after arriving on North Uist from Berneray we spotted an owl ahead of us and managed to find a place where we could stop briefly and grab a photo before the owl departed.
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Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - North Uist near Berneray
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Back at base, I went out for a short stroll up the lane before our evening meal, and was well-entertained by two Short-eared Owls. Sorry folks - here they come again!
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Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - Clachan Sands, North Uist
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After dinner, I was out again. It was rather poor light but I did see another owl and managed to get a passable shot.
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| Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - Clachan Sands, North Uist |
Thus ended an eight-owl day - my first eight-owl day for too many years!
Friday, 28th May North Uist, Baleshare, Berneray
Breezy, but warmer, with sunny spells
A tour of the garden before breakfast revealed that the Garden Tigers were still visible, with one presenting itself slightly more favourably for photography.
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| Garden Tiger (Arctia caja) (larva) - Clachan Sands, North Uist |
My usual post-breakfast short stroll didn't result in much, other than a Hooded Crow.
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| Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix) - Clachan Sands, North Uist |
Lindsay had requested a visit to the island of Baleshare for our last full day on the islands. I was happy to oblige. Baleshare is to the south west of North Uist and is linked by a short causeway to that island.
I made sure that our route to Baleshare took in the back road near Lochmaddy from which I'd previously found Red-throated Divers - albeit at some distance. This time I managed to get a shot on which you can actually detect the red throat!
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Red-throated Diver (Gavia stellata) - near Lochmaddy, North Uist
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I also managed a shot of a male Wheatear, and suddenly realised that I'd previously been seeing mainly females of that species on this visit.
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Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) (male) -near Lochmaddy, North Uist
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When we got to Baleshare we found
little in the way of bird activity on the beach, which is where Lindsay wanted to walk, but I found the sands fascinating and reminiscent of the sands around the East Friesian Islands off the north coast of Germany.
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| The sands - Baleshare |
There were a few gulls flying around. Gulls, especially sub-adult
gulls, are not my strong point. I cannot go further than to say that I
think that this is an immature Herring Gull.
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Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) - Baleshare
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During our travels, we had been told of the ruins of an ancient dwelling in a lochan in the far north of North Uist beside the road to Berneray. We have passed this lochan (Loch an Sticir) many times and never noticed the ruins as ruins. We decided to investigate. Searches on the internet came up with the following information:-
Dun an Sticir (fort of the skulker), is probably 16th century remains of a small tower or hall raised on the foundations of an Iron Age
broch. It stands on an island in Loch an Sticir, reached by a causeway via two
other islets. Here lurked the riever Hugh Macdonald (Uisdean Macghilleasbuig
Chleirich), factor to North Uist in the 1580s. In 1586 he hatched a treacherous
plot to murder his cousin, Donald Gorm, 8th Chief of the Macdonalds of Sleat,
but was captured and perished in the dungeon of Duntulm Castle on Skye.
Sometime between 2,000 and 2,500 years ago, a great circular
drystone tower house was built, which functioned as a well-defended family
residence, and as a conspicuous demonstration of power. The walls were 3.5
metres thick walls, within which were chambers and galleries, but the only
opening to the outside world was a single small doorway. The causeways were
narrower than they are today, and may have included a "rocking
stone", which could alert the occupants of the broch to the approach of
unwelcome visitors.
This site has never been archaeologically investigated: many details of the above reconstruction
of the hall and other buildings, such as roofing material, are therefore
conjectural.
The causeway did not appear to be in good condition, as can be seen in the second image below, and I did not fancy getting my feet wet, so I was not able to get to the islands to investigate.
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first island and its causeway - Loch an Sticir, North Uist
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In the image below of Dun an Sticir, you may just be able to see, on the left, the small entrance to the 'fortification'.
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Dun an Sticir - North Uist
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It was only after we returned home that I read that this lochan was tidal, so it looks as if I might have been able to visit with dry feet at another time!
Making my way back to the car, I stopped for an obliging Linnet on a gorse bush.
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Linnet (Linaria cannabina) (male) - Loch an Sticir, North Uist
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I also found my first (vaguely) photographable moth of the holiday in the form of a Common Heath. My puting out of the portable moth trap, that I'd had early for my 75th birthday, on the first night on North Uist resulted in a totally empty trap the next morning!
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Common Heath (Ematurga atomaria) - Loch an Sticir, North Uist
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As we were near to Berneray, we made a brief visit. The spot near John's Bunkhouse produced the obligatory Meadow Pipit with a meal.
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Meadow Pipit (Anthus pratensis) - by John's Bunkhouse, Berneray
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Being our last evening before setting off homeward early next morning, a last wander along the lane from the property was essential. I'm delighted to say that I was able to bid a fond farewell to the Short-eared Owls. These images are far from my best from the holiday, but are rather important to me.
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Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus) - Clachan Sands, North Uist
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Saturday, 29th May North Uist to Stirling via Skye
raining and cold start to morning, warm with sunny spells in afternoon
An early start had us at the ferry terminal at Lochmaddy before the prescribed time of 06h45 for a 07h30 departure. In spite of the rain, I stayed outside on the open, but covered, deck looking for anything of interest. I missed getting a shot of the very brief and extremely close porpoise, but did manage a few other items.
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headland near Uig, Skye
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As we passed through the island of Skye, the traffic in the opposite direction started building up steadily and, by the time we reached the mainland via the Skye Bridge, the traffic was at a crazy level and nose-to-tail all the way back until we left the Scottish Highlands. It seemed that every layby and car park on the route was full. It was the bank holiday weekend and every man and his dog were making for Scotland. Fortunately, we found a hotel that looked closed (and probably was!) and stopped in their car park to investigate. A gentleman from the cottage next door asked if we had stopped for food. He turned out to be the proprietor and opened up for us so that we could have a most enjoyable lunch - our thanks to the Onich Hotel.
We found ourselves at the Scottish Antiques and Art Centre in Doune just before closing time and stopped for coffee and cake. We'd stopped here on the outward too and I'd been surprised by the presence of two Oystercatchers on the roof. However, this time I was even more surprised to find that these birds had nested on the ground in the car park and there was a newly-hatched Oystercatcher chick in an area that had been roped off just outside the regularly used entrance to one of the buildings. There was still one egg left to hatch and so one adult bird was in close attendance although not always sitting.
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Oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) -The Scottish Antiques and Art Centre, Doune
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Our accommodation that night was again at the Travelodge near Stirling with our evening meal purchased from the M&S Food store at the service area.
Sunday, 30th May Stirling to Ashby de la Zouch
warm and sunny
Our journey south to home was uneventful. A stop at a motorway services soon after entering England, to pick up sandwiches for lunch was disappointing as, unlike in Scotland, the majority of people were ignoring social distancing rules and many were not wearing masks.
We were home again in time for tea!
Although the weather had been unseasonably cold, and it had been windy for much of the time, resulting in poorer bird numbers and more difficult photography, we had had a good time, living on a diet which largely consisted of seafood. My photographic efforts were not helped by a misbehaving camera. To compensate, I was taking many more photos than usual in the hope of getting a good one. We look forward to returning next year.
My next blog post will be back to local matters and may even include a dragon or two. In the meantime, take good care - it's still out there! Best wishes - - - Richard
Nice account of your vacation, Richard. I can't think of anyone for whom that level of encounters with Short-eared Owls wouldn't be a great highlight. An eight owl day is impressive by any measure, and I can only think of two such days in my life. But I once had a single day with six different species of owl, and that seems pretty good to me! The Oystercatchers nesting in the parking lot is quite remarkable, and I am delighted that the area was cordoned off so they had a degree of protection. How lucky you were to catch the chick so newly emerged from the egg. I suppose that we really should not be surprised that birds are compelled to breed ever closer to humans as they lose more and more habitat. Welcome home again. I hope that dragobfly hunting is productive. Miriam and I have even been doing a little of that! What is the world coming to!!
ReplyDeleteJust found your comment, David, when I was investigating why I wasn't getting comments. I know I don't get many comments but was surprised at only getting one after three days. Blogger is playing silly devils again and seems to have stopped notifying me of when I have comments for moderation. Have you had a similar problem? For some reason, Frank's comment came through immediately!
DeleteSix different species of owl is some achievement. My best ever was four:- Barn, Short-eared, Long-eared, Little. Couldn't find a Tawny that day, and was never going to find a Snowy!
Dragonfly hunting at home is at a standstill at the moment but was rather good in the New Forest last week for the second half (wet and windy for the first half). I'm impressed that you are venturing into the world of dragons - beware! it can become obsessive!
As far as I can tell, Richard, my comments are coming through okay.
DeleteWasn't notified of this one either - was just sitting in my 'awaiting moderation' folder!
DeleteHello Richard
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing that owls just fly around with you, here you don't see one or in other words they are so well hidden in the dense forest that you cannot find them, these birds are always fascinating, nice summary of your trip has me very much liked
Greetings Frank
These are owls which favour moorland habitats, Frank, and are well-known for being out in the daylight. However, the place where I was staying is known as being one of the best places in UK to see Short-eared Owls. That is the reason that I first wen there a few years ago, and hope to be returning for a few more years!
DeleteThank you for your visit - stay safe - - - - Richard
Awesome birds
ReplyDeleteI think so too!
DeleteFantastic birds images Richard, and the moths. Pure simple made are the people who put a surround the Oystercatcher, brilliant. I love the Short-eared Owl, and Guillemot, Red-necked Phalarope, Snipe and Wheatear. Brilliant Richard, thanks.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your visit, and your kind words, Bob. For me, Short-eared Owl was tops, closely followed by that Oystercatcher chick! Stay safe - - - Richard
DeleteWow so jealous of those owls, the Little Owls here are around, but are in a nesting area somewhere a bit further away. One was in a tree in our garden the other day but with so much foliage impossible to see, we could only hear. I think I am in love - that baby oystercatcher is so special 😊🧡
ReplyDeleteThat 'thing' under the nettle is very exotic with that flowery pattern, I wonder what it is.
As always, amazing photos and thanks for taking us on a virtual tour. Maybe nest visit we can do a virtual tour of the island with you. Keep safe and wear those masks. Diane
Hi, Diane. I'm so pleased to hear that your Little Owls are still around. They should have had young by now.
DeleteThat Oystercatcher chick was a wonderful experience, and I'm pleased that everyone seemed to be taking great care. I' not had any suggestions as to what that was under the nettle leaf, but suspect vthat it was some sort of 'blight'.
That's an interesting concept, and not an unatractive one, Diane - an accompanied virtual tour!
We're still wearing masks, using sanitising gell, and maintaing 2 mtres social distance where possible. Take good care - - - - Richard
Fantastic serie photos.You are very lucky to see such beautiful birds.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, Caroline, we have to travel a long way to see some of those birds. It is not possible to get much further from the sea in UK than the location of our home!
DeleteOh, Richard, what a fantastic trip!
ReplyDeleteThis third installment underscores what a fabulous location you chose to visit. Eating seafood and chasing birds. It doesn't get much better than that!
The Oystercatcher in the car park is pretty incredible. I noticed you opened the post with that Redshanks still yelling at you. You must have said something offensive. :)
If I had trevelled that distance and only seen those owls, it would have been time and money well spent! How thrilling to be able to watch such magnificent birds hunting! Superb photographs, despite camera issues!
Gini and I are happy you and Lindsay are home safely, but Gini wants more details about that "Antiques" sign. I tried to tell her it clearly had a huge arrow stating "Collectables" and was pointing to the Oystercatcher.
It's a new week here and our temperature and humidity continue their competition to see which can achieve the highest mark. So far, it's a tie.
Cheers, y'all!
Aside from the hazards of getting there, Wally, the outer Hebrides has to be one of our favourite locations on the planet.
DeleteIt doesn't take much to offend a Redshank. As far as they're concerned, they own the place.
Tell Gini that she could happily lose herself for an hour in that antiques centre, and then there's coffee and cake in the excellent cafe to recover with.
We've had some pretty hot weather too up until a week or so ago (although nothing like yours), but now it's somewhat cooler. However, it has triggered us to start proceedings to install whole-house air conditioning - something that is not that common in UK (yet!). It seems that it should also reduce our heating bills in winter too.
Best wishes to you both - - Richard
Hi Richard,
ReplyDeleteI also think it is solved with the header pictures :-)
Yours is a very nice one :-).
Wonderful series of photos and I think the Red-necked Phalarope is a really beautiful bird (I didn't know him).
That ruos in photo 11 is indeed a very strange one and I hope someone knows where it is from!!!!!
that memorial is very special to see. Nice of you to share this with osn :-) Then beautiful cogels in your blog and I'm really green again with those beautiful pictures of the short-eared owl 💚💚💚 What a beautiful beautiful owl this is!
Your birds are also all very sharply photographed, just like all the insects in this post. The landscapes and waters are also a feast for the eyes. I enjoyed a lot.
Regards, Helma
Hello, Helma.
DeleteNobody has offered any suggestions as to what that growth on the nettle leaves might be.
Short-eared Owls are fabulous birds and I could happily sit and watch them all day - if I ever got the chance!
My wife and I are looking forward to returning to this place next year - fingers are crossed.
Thank you for all your kind words. With my very best wishes - - - Richard