Category Archives: General

Our last week on Islay brought days of glorious sunshine if still a little cold. It did mean that we were able to do some of the annual walks that until now had been held in abeyance.

Golden Eagles were seen regularly including one on a sheep carcass. The sight of hunting male Hen Harriers continued and must be one of Islay’s summer spectacles. In one remote glen a Sparrowhawks nest was found in the ivy growing on a Hazel tree. The four eggs could be seen from above and I have included this photo in this weeks gallery of Islay photos. Also included is a Roe Deer that swam across an estuary and seemed perfectly happy with its saltwater excursion. It has certainly been one of the coldest springs ever seen on Islay and may well result in migrants such as Corncrake, Whitethroat and Swallow only having one brood this year. On the raptor front some Golden Eagles have already failed and many of the Hen Harrier clutches contain infertile eggs which is normal in a cold spring. Click here

In the garden the male Sparrowhawk has been capturing juvenile Starlings to feed his growing young in a nest nearby. It was good to see that there are still Reed Buntings coming to feed as well as up to half a dozen Redpolls.

While people flock to Mull to see its Eagles how long will it be before the Hen harriers of Islay attract hordes of birdwatchers? Their plight in England is now quite desperate with illegal persecution rife on our grouse moors. On Islay that has never been a problem and where else can you go in Britain and see seven hunting male Hen Harriers in a single morning? Five different pairs were observed in a single day without ever stepping out of the car.

Harrier tourism looks ready to take off on Islay in the near future. This weeks gallery shows some of the photos I have taken under licence during this last weeks fabulous weather. Next week I intend to show in the gallery other wildlife and views taken on Islay over the last three weeks or should I say mainly during the last week! Click here

A second week on Islay and a maximum temperature of only 15 °C on one day! Whilst we have been waiting for warmer weather so have Islay’s Corncrakes. The benefits from our point of view is that the lack of summer vegetation makes filming Corncrake easier. The photos in this weeks gallery are all different birds(Although they may all look the same!).
During our  two weeks on Islay we have had two gales that produced some wild seas. I was able to take some distant photos of Gannets and Eider as they struggled to fly along Islay’s western seaboard and these are also in this weeks gallery.Click here

When you have a week on Islay in late May most of the high Arctic waders have already left on their long journey north. This week, with cool northerly winds, there have been small numbers of Sanderling waiting for more favourable conditions before heading north. Amongst these birds was one that had already moulted into its spectacular breeding plumage that is normally only seen on its breeding grounds. I make no apologies for including in this weeks gallery several photos of this immaculate bird that has now left to head north. Click here

On our daily travels around Islay it is pleasing to encounter hunting male Hen Harriers. On one day we watched five different males as they searched for prey for their partners and offspring. The low temperatures and heavy showers have not made hunting easy and it remains to be seen what effect this extreme weather for May will have on overall breeding success.

The big bonus with the cool conditions is that for the first time in living memory there have been no midges in May. How long will this last?

The cold and wet weather this month has benefitted all the wading birds on the Pennine moors. The increased number of peaty pools has produced the best feeding conditions for birds like Dunlin. It has been a pleasure to see and hear Dunlin displaying and pairing off in places where they have not been seen for years. If conditions remain the same for the next month then we should see good numbers of fledged Curlew, Golden Plover,Lapwing and Dunlin.

The glorious weather of April has also produced some of the best carpets of bluebells ever seen in the Pennines. This weeks gallery shows my favourite Pennine bluebell wood at its best last week. My only regret is that it is in Yorkshire not Lancashire! Click here

After last years spectacular success Barn Owls this season are having a much quieter time. In contrast Long Eared Owls are having their best season for years with most pairs now busy feeding young, both in the nest and some already fledged. This weeks photo is from a nest I filmed nearly twenty years ago and is the last time I spent eight hours through the night waiting for the male to provide the female with prey. In more than fifty years of wildlife photography to film a pair of Long Eared Owls at the nest, through the night, is the most challenging and exciting photography you could contemplate in the Pennines. Firstly you have to have a good head for heights as you may be thirty feet off the ground sat in your confined hide in the pitch black of a remote Pennine forest. With all the other Owls there is no indication as to when the male will arrive with prey for the female but with Long Eared Owls it is different. When he nears the nest the male gives deep booming calls that echo through the forest. The female springs into life and awaits his arrival on the nest edge with his catch. Your adrenalin flow doubles when you hear his booms and you also await his imminent arrival. It is unquestionably the most exciting wildlife photography you could ever contemplate in the Pennines and one that many top wildlife photographers have never experienced.

In addition to Long Eared Owls this season has also brought a pair of Short Eared Owls to breed in the hills. At present I am still trying to find their nest and have included in this weeks gallery photos, mainly of the male, from one that I filmed a few years ago. Click here