October offerings.

October was a decent month with, mostly, warm and dry weather. The down side to the good weather was that the migrating birds seemed to pass us by.
Adders were on show for most of the month.

 The winter thrushes arrived at the end of the month but the best I could capture was a Blackbird.

 It was nice to get a few Common Buzzard shots on natural perches for a change.

 Lookinng good at the top of a conifer.

 Coal tits have been hoarding food.

 Field Gentian was visible for the whole month.

 Grey Heron having a walk around.

 Another Grey Heron on a grey day.

 Great Northern Diver stretching it's wings.

 This Great Spotted Woodpecker was a nice bird to see.

 A nice male Hen Harrier.

 This Little Egret was my first on Mull.

 There have been quite a few Merlin sightings in October.

 The Otters are always a big draw - one eating it's lunch.

 This one decided to have a close look at me!

 Mum and cub.

 Two cubs together.

 I managed to get a couple of shots of this Sparrowhawk just outside the shop.

 Stonechat - a showy bird.

 A panoramic shot outside the shop showing the passing shower complete with double rainbow.

 A couple of White-tailed Eagle passing the time.

 Young White-tailed Eagle flying past.

2015

A steady start to the year with a bit of birding from the garden. White-tailed Eagle was the highlight but it was distant while in the garden there were plenty of Goldfinch...

...and a few Blackbirds too.

It was a bit dull today but as I was sent on an errand I took the birding equipment with me too. A cracking Golden Eagle was seen hunting by the road.

It's not too often that you see them perched on a post but it does happen...

...and if you are going to get yourself noticed you will get some unwanted attention!

No sign of the WF geese today but there was a 200 strong flock of Barnacle Geese.

Plenty of Rock Doves on show...

...plus lots of Rooks and a few Jackdaws.

I had driven past these Common Seals in the morning but I gave them a closer look on my way back.

Newcastle

A trip down to Newcastle to see the family saw us heading out into the countryside on the windiest day of our trip. The weather was nice enough and the fish and chips were a real treat! Cresswell Pond was a bit exposed so a few photos of the Common Teal...

...and the Snipe were worth the effort.

A Blackbird that just watched us wandering back to the car got the camera treatment too.

A quick trip into Amble for some sustenance and then down to the beach to watch the waders. Quite a few Turnstone and Sanderling to watch...

...and the occasional Redshank dropping in too.

End of October

It all comes around too quick! The year list stands at 142 but the Patchwork Challenge is suffering now, only two new birds in October - Long-tailed Tit and Whooper swan - which leaves the totals at 105 species and 131 points.
In an effort to increase the PC list I spent a bit of time looking for Brambling but the searching was put on hold while I took a few snaps of these WT Eagle sitting in a tree.

Next up was to check some garden feeders. What looks like a Bank Vole filled in some time...

...a distant Hen Harrier flew past...

...while the feeders produced plenty of sightings of Robin...

...Blue Tit...

...Blackbird...

...and Collared Dove.

Naturally, there were Chaffinch, Great Tit, Coal Tit and Greenfinch around too but there was no sign of any Brambling to boost the score! A Grey Heron was blending in well in it's normal winter fishing spot.

You can't win them all.

Another trip to Iona, with guests, for Corncrake. The trip over was uneventful with Kittiwake...

...and Gannet seen.

There were a few Linnets that came to have a look at what we were doing...

...and plenty of Song Thrush and this charming Blackbird sunbathing!

We spent some time on the island and it was exceptionally quiet so the best we got was a couple of calling birds - you can't win them all. Back on to Mull the highlights were Mountain Hare, Adder, WT Eagle, Golden Eagle and this splendid Stonechat.

Falls into place.

The main request for the day was Otters so we had a look for the furry beast first thing - no luck. A small group of Red Deer and a couple of Stonechat were the best we could manage.

Next up were the Golden Eagles, two birds, one on the nest and the other perched nearby until it flew off.

A couple of Otters were picked up when we got back to the loch side. They were difficult to see in choppy water but eventually one of them came to shore with a fish. About ten minutes later they were both ashore and they were chasing each other about. Sometimes it all just falls into place! Eiders up close...

...two WT Eagle were seen with one flying over, Hooded Crow mobbing, a good size comparison.

Four Golden Plover were seen at the roadside...

...before I saw my first Wood Warbler, Spotted Flycatcher and Common Whitethroat. It was a bit difficult to get everyone onto the Wood Warbler but it was worth the effort. There was plenty more as the day went on...Blackbird...

...Turnstone, Hen Harrier, Sedge Warbler, Adder, Whinchat and Common Tern to name a few.

The first of the Lapwing eggs had hatched so it will be nice to see them grow and we finished the day with a search for Mountain Hare.