Oban to Insh

I broke the journey up to Scotland with an overnight stay near Carlisle but was keen to get going, so after an early breakfast I headed north for Oban. I wanted to see if there were any Tysties or Black Guillemots about as they frequent Oban harbour in good numbers. My trusty Satnav again did its favourite trick of taking me along highways and byways that I would never normally use. I could, of course, ignore her but some of the places I have visited have been "interesting". Today was no different, as when I reached Glasgow she diverted me along the Great Western Road, through exotic places like Anniesland and Clydebank. I haven't been to Clydebank since the sixties and it is pretty much as I remember. Enough said.

Soon I was making slow progress out to Crianlarich and finally Oban. What a disappointment, I remember years ago seeing a postcard from Oban and thinking what a delightful place. Today it is on a par with places like Blackpool, Margate and  Skegness where every other venue is a fish and chip shop. The only positive is that parking is free on Sundays.




Oban - not really picture post card material....



...but it does have a balanced view.

The birds? Well there were no Tysties but a rather good looking Hooded Crow posed for me, using the very smartly restored War Memorial as his lookout perch. I left, somewhat dejectedly, for Fort William, highlights on the way were several distant Razorbills, some flightless Eiders and at last a very distant Tystie in winter plumage.

The only Tystie that I saw

After Fort William I had my first treat of the day, high over Loch Laggan a late Osprey, unfortunately by the time I managed to get parked I was too far down the road to get another view. The sun was still making efforts to keep the gloom at bay and I took several shots of the Loch.

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As I passed Ruthven Barracks I knew I wasn't far from my next stop - the RSPB reserve at Insh Marshes, I had planned that I would be here for the last knockings of the day, Hen Harrier being the target.

As I was making my way to the viewpoint a local birder expressed his opinion that my search would be fruitless - never mind I was here and determined to give it a go. On the steps up to the viewpoint were two Black Darter dragonflies, at this point I realised that I hadn't brought a macro lens so stood back and used the 300mm.

At the viewpoint I found the usual wildfowl and waders out on the marsh, several Roe Deer were grazing but it was pretty quiet. Nice to catch up with Tim and Emily who shared the rather voracious midges with me. Finally two very active corvids alerted me to the presence  of a hunting ringtail. Following it with the camera in the fading light was  difficult but we managed to see it make a catch and fly to the distant Drumlin where the meal was devoured. After some time it resumed the hunt but was harried by the corvids yet again and finally disappeared down the marsh. A Peregrine chasing a Snipe gave another brief moment of excitement. Gordon Hamlett's book recommends staying until dark but the need to reach my final destination in Grantown and the attention of those pesky midges meant that I left early.



At least I saw one - better shots next time.

 

 

 

Great White Egret

Today's plan was simple - an hour at Arundel WWT to get the friendly Great White Egret that has been in front of the hides since Sunday and then on to Pagham for an Osprey or two. Well, as I parked at Arundel it became apparent that the kids had not gone back to school as Liz had said to me before I left. Anyway that didn't matter as I was almost the first birder in and I went straight to the Sand Martin hide. Sure enough the GWE was on one of the islands, alongside a Grey Heron and the early morning light was almost perfect. Of course such conditions cannot prevail - the stupid Heron took a dislike to the GWE and surprisingly, given the size difference, sent it packing. That started a continuous changing of hides as the bird moved freely about the site. I have to thank all the birders present, especially Ian and Sue Foster, who put up with the frenetic relocation antics of a photographer in search of a perfect shot.

 

One problem at Arundel is the hides face generally east and consequently the sun is in your face. This, coupled with a snow white bird, meant getting good shots was not easy. However, in the end I gave up switching between the Ramsar and Sand Martin hides and waited patiently with some very friendly and good natured birders. At one stage we were treated to the swim by of a rather large Grass Snake which was being hotly pursued by an annoyed Moorhen.

Finally, having got the shots I needed I headed off for the North Wall at Pagham. Dave Shepherd was in attendance and we waited, yet again, for an Osprey to turn up, failed again!. In fact it was generally quiet but I did manage a year tick in the form of a distant Curlew Sandpiper, courtesy of Dave's scope.

Nice to meet Dick and Sue who I haven't seen in some time. Dick sarcastically remarked if any Kingfishers had posed on the posts - and they usually do. All I can say Dick  - you have to have patience!

Not the best quality - but better than Dick's

 

If you have spent any time in the company of Dave Shepherd you will know that his knowledge and recognition of aircraft and their engines is encyclopaedic. So these last shots are for him - he was particularly pleased with the Ryan PT22.

Ryan PT-22   G-BYBY

 

 FW P-149D was developed by Piaggo in Italy

More Dragons

Friday was another half-hearted attempt at photographing the Cattle Egret at Marsh Farm. No distant views this time - the little beggar didn't even show. No matter, Liz and I spent the time gathering blackberries and sloes. The blackberries have already been turned into jelly, just the stuff to have on toast on a cold winter afternoon, along with a steaming mug of tea. The right stuff to evoke memories of a warm summer afternoon on the North Wall at Pagham. The sloes will be mixed with a litre of Gordon's finest and will become yet another elixir to banish the woes of winter.

We managed to see lots of Dragonflies, the rifes and ditches throughout the area providing excellent habitat for many species. Capturing them was a different matter as I had only taken my 300mmm lens and that meant photography in stand-off mode. Never mind - some decent record shots.

Back at Breech Pool we met up with Dave Shepherd and passed away the late afternoon waiting for something to turn up. Having turned every gull into an itinerant Osprey I finally managed a tick in the guise of a pale Yellow Wagtail, in a familiar place - the mud at the back of the pool, far too distant to photograph. We also managed a shot of a juvenile Little Grebe, a bird whose large beak was convincing other birders that they were on to something unusual.

With the temperature dropping we took our leave and headed for the World's End at Patching for some delicious "pub grub". As we entered I had another "tick" for the year - a fully decorated and lit Christmas Tree - before August Bank Holiday Monday - a definite earliest record. Am I losing the plot??

In the garden over the weekend we recorded a fine looking Migrant Hawker and another Volucella  species, this time I think V. inanis.

 

Early on Saturday morning a Staaken Z-21 Flitzer, registration G-FLIZ, flew adjacent to the garden. At first I thought it was vintage but later discovered its year of manufacture to be 1999.  Liz was very impressed and thought it would be cool to own a plane with a personalised registration.