Category Archives: General

Prior to digital photography it was almost impossible to capture on film the moment that the female Hen Harrier is fed in mid-air by the male. It is the ultimate challenge for anyone licenced to film breeding Hen Harriers and I have already spent many fruitless hours trying to capture the ultimate picture.
This year on Islay conditions were perfect to pursue the challenge. Strong sunlight is essential to stop the action and late evening light would light up the underside of both Harriers. Next, and most important, is the wind direction – the male always flies into the wind when he approaches the nest so a north wind was essential. It all came together perfectly but on two nights there were no feeds during the crucial time (6-9pm). On the third night I spotted him approaching at 8-10pm carrying the remains of a Rabbit. The female left the nest to receive the prey and in one second the food-pass was completed. At 8 frames per second I had the pictures I had always dreamt of. click here to view the series.

After Tiree, Islay is the second best place in Scotland to see Corncrakes. By visiting Islay in May you have two big advantages, one being the male Corncrakes have just arrived and are keen to find a mate and the second being the vegetation is only just growing so they can be seen more easily, especially after the late spring. With this years exceptional weather conditions were perfect for good photos and on one morning alone I filmed three different birds. However, the first island count has indicated that numbers may well be down so all may not be well with Islay’s Corncrakes – lets hope the next counts prove otherwise.

Click here

What a phenomenal week we have just had on Islay with more than one hundred hours of unbroken sunshine and little winds.
It always amazes me how you can go out early in the morning with one thing on your mind and then unexpectedly capture photos of something else. That’s exactly what happened last week when, as I searched for early morning Corncrake, I came across a telegraph pole with an Osprey stood on top. Plenty of photos were taken in the two hours that it was there but the big surprise was that it was on the same pole the next day and the day after that! What I had in fact found was the pole that the Osprey roosts on every night and unbeknown to any other birder on Islay! As I have mentioned before your results are directly proportionate to the time that you put in but what a totally unexpected bonus the Osprey was. Click here

Most visitors to Islay in May would not expect to see Hares boxing. However, it is not unusual for Islay’s Hares to box up to June and this activity was a bonus during our visit. Up to a dozen came together in the corner of a Barley field and although some distance away it was a great spectacle to see.
May on Islay is a wonderful time for any birdwatcher with birds like Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Willow Warbler singing in every roadside bush. The whole island is yellow with gorse and male Hen Harriers hunt for any unguarded songster. Click here

To you and I this weeks photo might look like a rotting tree in the middle of a wood. For a Goosander it is just what she has been looking for as a nest site and a place to lay her eggs.
There have been very few photos taken of the female Goosander coming and going to her nest. As she has to feed at least once a day my challenge was to capture a photograph of her as she left the hollow tree. Many hours were spent waiting for it to happen but with no luck. When she did appear she was carrying a piece of dead wood which she threw into the air before going off to feed! Click here

When you go out to film wildlife you never know what the final outcome will be. During the week whilst driving down a country lane in Bowland I noticed a sheep in a field with two lambs stood on its back. I reversed back down the lane, placed my camera and big lens on the passenger seat and drove back until I was level with the sheep. Unfortunately as I picked up my camera a vehicle appeared from the opposite direction and of course I was blocking the road. I reversed back down the road to allow the vehicle to pass and then rushed back to the sheep – the lambs were now on the ground and the photo opportunity was gone. As I was regaining my composure I noticed a flock of waders rising from beyond the sheep and realised that these were in fact Whimbrel. It was a rare moment to see a flock of twenty five Whimbrel migrating North through the Pennines. Click here
This week has also seen a passage of waders locally. On one afternoon I was able to film two new birds for me being Little Stint and Kentish Plover.