White-tailed Eagles (I)

At long last I managed to get a couple of days out on Mull Charter's Lady Jayne to get up close and personal with some White-tailed Eagles. I met up with Martin and Alex at Ulva ferry, along with 10 other souls who were making the three hour trip. There was hardly a cloud in a perfect blue sky and hardly a breath of wind,  conditions were just perfect, would we see an eagle?

Well just ten minutes out into Loch Tuath we were set upon by our first bird, total excitement as it circled the boat, eyeing up the fish that had been thrown as an offering. Now, before any birder says that this isn't real birding and to the photographers that, like me, thought that it was a doddle to capture these birds - think again sunshine. These birds are not performing to order, sure they recognise the boat and they get a free offering, albeit a small one, but they can totally ignore you as they did on my second trip. Martin has a very responsible attitude, after all it is in his interest, the birds get a feed once a day and that's it - they definitely have no dependency on the boat. The bird made two strikes - presumably a fish for itself and one for the youngster and it was all over.

We made our way up to the top of Loch na Keal, where a couple of days previous I and lots of other eagle watchers had found four birds perched in the trees. Two adults and two juveniles had been active but today - not a sign. In fact the only excitement during the journey up and down the loch was provided by a flyby Gannet.   It looked as though we had had our only visit but as we turned for Ulva we were "bounced" by two birds, an adult and what appeared to be a juvenile. It doesn't matter how prepared you and your camera are, the birds will always confuse the issue - choosing to dive out of the sun or whatever condition that will have you cursing your luck. I never managed to capture a fish pick-up in focus - I can assure you -  it ain't easy!

Anyway here are my offerings, most of them taken with a lot of luck and a bit of judgement.

Oops!  Just a little too close.

On the way in we were treated to a swim by of a small Otter, the perfect end to a perfect trip.

 

 

 

Gannets, Kittiwakes and Puffins

A bit of a poor start to our Scottish holiday, driving all the way to the north of Scotland is a bit much for us so we try to break the journey somewhere near to halfway. We decided to stay near Scarborough for a couple of nights giving us another go at the seabirds at RSPB Bempton. As we left the hotel at around 0900, the sky was blue, there was nary a breeze and the sun was bright. By the time we reached Bridlington an easterly breeze had sprung up and was generating a "fret" or "haar" of pea soup density. As we parked, birders were already returning from the cliffs, all seeking alternative venues, as whilst there were many birds to be heard and even smelled - the rank smell of rotting fish is strong at Bempton - there were none to be seen.

We persevered, and rather than photography we engaged in real bird watching, finding Linnets, Tree Sparrows and Corn Buntings in the gloom. Occasionally the mists lifted and we were treated to fine views of the residents. Kittiwakes, Gannets, Razorbills and Guillemots were plentiful. Just a few Puffins to be seen, none close.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I had intended to spend the morning at the reserve, have lunch in the fine new restaurant and then spend the afternoon sea watching at Flamborough Head. When we arrived at Flamborough the famous light was hardly visible and views of the spectacular offshore movement of seabirds was not on the cards. We did a tour of the cliffs and found all the usual suspects but in the end it was an overwhelming disappointment.

A bit murky!

So we drove into Scarborough and, after visiting the large Kittiwake colony on Marine Drive, we treated ourselves to a fish and chip supper. There was a large sign in the chippie requesting that the Herring Gulls should not be fed, which I obeyed but as I walked back to the car with two delicious suppers I was nearly mugged by Larus argentatus.

Marine Drive Kittiwakes - having to look up rather than down - makes a change!

 

 

 

 

Bempton Cliffs - Gannets Galore!

Bempton Cliffs are situated on the Yorkshire coast just north of Bridlington and are both a seabird and photographer's heaven. Approximately 200,000 birds use the cliffs in the breeding season between April and August; Puffins, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Guillemots, Razorbill and without doubt the stars of the show, for me, are those masters of the air - the Gannets. Since my birding companion Martin paid a visit last year it has been on the top of my list for a photographic opportunity.

RSPB Bempton provides five superb viewpoints, the southern two - New Roll-up and Staple Newk and the coastal path between providing the best views of Gannets.  Photographing white birds is always a nightmare, too much light and the plumage highlights are blown, too little results in noisy blurred shots. Luckily we had booked into a comfortable hotel near Scarborough for three nights, affording two whole days on the reserve. With that amount of time at hand I should have been able to get some results. As it happened, Monday our first day was heavily overcast but Tuesday was bright and sunny. Oddly enough the weather affects more than exposure - the wind strength and direction appears to determine how the birds fly along the cliff edges. Not enough breeze to give the required lift and the birds stay low and if they are flying predominantly north, then in some flight shots the wings cast a shadow over the head - complicated old game isn't it.

Up close and personal with a stunning bird, either on the ground.............

 

.....or in the air.

More control surfaces than a RAF Typhoon and probably more aerobatic!

Nesting material is hard to come by, the cliff top grass systematically denuded by a horde of desperate birds. Further inland the Kittiwakes were doing the same to a field of grass, any deterrent used by the farmer was totally ignored.

Uniform spacing between nests determined by the ability to deliver a well aimed stab of the beak without exposing the egg.

 

 Miles of perfect nesting habitat - looking south from Staple Newk