Exclusive wildlife tours on the Isle of Tiree
wild tiree
simon@isleofcoll.org
Tuesday 26 June 2012
Monday 25 June 2012
GREAT DAY TOUR 24TH JUNE 2012
Having collected my two guests from the Millhouse Hostel, from where several Corncrakes could be heard, we headed to the fields near Loch Bhasapol to look at orchids. Common Spotted and Early Marsh were seen along with the ubiquitous Oystercatchers, Lapwing and Redshank and we were treated to several 'drumming' Snipe over the marsh and a multitude of Sylarks singing over the meadows. We had no luck seeing Otter on the loch, often a very good location for them, but a superb Snipe landed just in front of the hide there whilst a Grasshopper Warbler and dozens of Sedge Warblers were in song.
The dunes at Balephetrish were yellow with Lady's Bedstraw, Kidney Vetch and Bird's-foot Trefoil in sharp contrast to the dazzling azure of dozens of Common Blue Butterflies. We also found an active colony of Northern Colletes here, this tiny mining bee being abundant on the dunes and machair of Tiree. Further along we stopped at an area of heath where hundreds of Heath Spotted Orchids and a variety of Heath x Common Spotted hybrids were in flower, along with Mountain Everlasting, Lousewort, Zigzag Clover, Slender St John's-wort and Butterwort. We added Moss Carder, Red-shanked Carder and Heath Bumblebee to the list here too.
Next stop was the spectacular broch at Vaul and the 13th century chapel at Kirkapol before heading over to Hynish where we had great views of Corncrake calling from the top of a wall and then flying into the adjacent field. We had lunch overlookig the beach at Hynish where offshore Arctic Terns and a Great Northern Diver fished and on the shore a flock of 29 Bar-tailed Godwits (seemingly summering here) joined the usual Sanderlings, Redshanks, Oystercatchers and Common Sandpipers.
We then headed out across The Reef, a stunning area of flower-rich machair where there were many hundreds of Hebridean Spotted Orchids and Common Twayblades and 100+ Frog Orchids, as well as Early Marsh Orchids and an abundance of hybrids. Breeding Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Arctic Tern and Little Tern all gave wonderful views too. Balephul and East Hynish, as well as providing spectacular scenery, had more calling Corncrakes but they were not for showing! Several 'aunty' Eiders protected broods of small ducklings in the shallows and offshore a dozen or so Gannets were diving for prey.
At Moss we stopped at a wonderful stream filled with Round-leaved Sundew, Marsh Lousewort and the rare Pale Butterwort, whilst a little further along, beside bog pools filled with Bogbean, Marsh Cinquefoil and Marsh St John's-wort, four pairs of Dunlin serenaded us and gave exceptionally close views.
A wonderful day indeed, and I'm sure I've missed a few things from the list too.
The dunes at Balephetrish were yellow with Lady's Bedstraw, Kidney Vetch and Bird's-foot Trefoil in sharp contrast to the dazzling azure of dozens of Common Blue Butterflies. We also found an active colony of Northern Colletes here, this tiny mining bee being abundant on the dunes and machair of Tiree. Further along we stopped at an area of heath where hundreds of Heath Spotted Orchids and a variety of Heath x Common Spotted hybrids were in flower, along with Mountain Everlasting, Lousewort, Zigzag Clover, Slender St John's-wort and Butterwort. We added Moss Carder, Red-shanked Carder and Heath Bumblebee to the list here too.
Next stop was the spectacular broch at Vaul and the 13th century chapel at Kirkapol before heading over to Hynish where we had great views of Corncrake calling from the top of a wall and then flying into the adjacent field. We had lunch overlookig the beach at Hynish where offshore Arctic Terns and a Great Northern Diver fished and on the shore a flock of 29 Bar-tailed Godwits (seemingly summering here) joined the usual Sanderlings, Redshanks, Oystercatchers and Common Sandpipers.
We then headed out across The Reef, a stunning area of flower-rich machair where there were many hundreds of Hebridean Spotted Orchids and Common Twayblades and 100+ Frog Orchids, as well as Early Marsh Orchids and an abundance of hybrids. Breeding Dunlin, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Arctic Tern and Little Tern all gave wonderful views too. Balephul and East Hynish, as well as providing spectacular scenery, had more calling Corncrakes but they were not for showing! Several 'aunty' Eiders protected broods of small ducklings in the shallows and offshore a dozen or so Gannets were diving for prey.
At Moss we stopped at a wonderful stream filled with Round-leaved Sundew, Marsh Lousewort and the rare Pale Butterwort, whilst a little further along, beside bog pools filled with Bogbean, Marsh Cinquefoil and Marsh St John's-wort, four pairs of Dunlin serenaded us and gave exceptionally close views.
A wonderful day indeed, and I'm sure I've missed a few things from the list too.
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| Corncrake in flight |
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| Common Twayblade |
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| Frog Orchid |
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| Round-leaved Sundew |
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| Dunlin |
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| Dunlin |
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| Northern Colletes |
A FEW MORE IMAGES OF SPRING WILDLIFE ON TIREE
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Whimbrels |
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| Sanderling & Ringed Plover |
.JPG) |
| Dunlin & Ringed Plover |
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| Great Northern Diver |
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| Norhern Colletes (Colletes floralis) |
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| Bar-tailed Godwits |
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| Corncrake |
TIREE SPRING
It's been a glorious spring with some absolutely fantastic weather up here. Indeed, Tiree was recorded as having the most sunshine hours in the UK for both April and May.
I haven't been running any holidays and tours of late due to other commitments but there's certainly been no shortage of spectacular wildlife to view.
My wildlife tours have now started for the season on Tiree, charged at £10 per person per hour.
I haven't been running any holidays and tours of late due to other commitments but there's certainly been no shortage of spectacular wildlife to view.
My wildlife tours have now started for the season on Tiree, charged at £10 per person per hour.
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| Sanderlings |
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| Corncrake |
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| Great Northern Diver |
.JPG) |
| Brown Hares |
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| Basking Sharks |
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| Hynish sunset |
Thursday 19 April 2012
WINTER SUMMARY
A very long winter has finally drawn to an end, and now the air is filled with the song of Skylarks, the displays of Lapwing, Redshank & Snipe, and the first crex-crex of the Corncrake. Celandines, Marsh Marigolds, Daisies and Dandelions are attracting the first bumblebees emerging from hibernation, and a few butterflies are on the wing.
Late autumn brought two more surprises in the form of a Little Egret in early Nov then a Cattle Egret later in the month. It has been a horrendous winter for weather but a very interesting one ornithologically. Daily sightings of Merlin, Peregrine, Sparrowhawk & Hen Harrier are always welcomed, as are the Internationally Important numbers of Greenland White-fronted & Barnacle Geese. Other geese of note included a blue-phase Snow Goose and three vagrant Canada Geese (a hutchinsii and 2 medium-sized parvipes). A Green-winged Teal has given intermittant views at Loch a-Phuill throughout the winter months amongst the plethora of wildfowl there. Gulls have dominated the winter scene however, with peaks of 13 Iceland Gulls and 9 Glaucous Gulls as well as 2 Kumlien's Gulls (1st-winter & adult) and a 1st-winter Ring-billed. Thanks to John Bowler for providing some of these records.
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