Carolyne has blogged an announcement of the publication of the Blurb book, Birds of Treshnish and North Mull. The book was compiled by myself from my personal records from 2006 onwards as well as all published records and public records on mullbirds website. Carolyne explains why the hardback (Large Landscape 33x28cm) is so expensive but that there will be an e-book version available shortly. We are also looking at the possibility of the same in magazine format. You can look at 15 of the pages on the link above.
The book would have been incomplete without the records submitted by Mull birders, either to the Argyll Bird Club or to Alan Spellman at mullbirds website. To all those I give my thanks.
The book is 72 pages including photos of 60 species. It is basically a list of records by species up until December 2012, arranged so the most detail is given to the most scarce. Records of uncommon species are often arranged by season and site. Species status is given for both Treshnish and (where different) north Mull and, where relevant, labelled by rarity within Mull, Argyll and Scotland.
The annotated list takes up 58 pages within which there are 15 pages of photographs. An appendix gives lists of the species which the newcomer might be surprised to learn are rarities on Mull and Argyll, some of which need detailed description to gain acceptance. Mull birders are still looking for a Lesser Whitethroat!
18th: 1 Little Gull, 1 Peregrine, c15 Arctic Terns, at least 20 Fulmars, Gannets, hundreds of Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters and auks, at Caliach Point. Little Gull is rare in north Mull and this is my first here. 1 Whimbrel by Ensay farmhouse.
At least 1 Whinchat in Black park field and 1 Fulmar on the nesting cliffs on north-east side of Treshnish Point.
Cuckoos are very hard to get close to.
Red Deer at Bennan.
17th: 3 Twite at Duill cottage were within 6ft of the window. Unfortunately I had no camera. Someone must have been putting out seed. My first Linnet at Treshnish House although I have heard them in last couple of days.
16th: 1 Peregrine and Greenfinch at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse. I think the Greenfinch might be a first for our garden.
15th: Heard my first Chiffchaff of the year, my first Wood Warbler (which appears to be the first of the year for Mull) near Quinish pier and my first Whinchat, 2 Whimbrel and 3 adult White-tailed Eagles at Quinish Point.
The book would have been incomplete without the records submitted by Mull birders, either to the Argyll Bird Club or to Alan Spellman at mullbirds website. To all those I give my thanks.
The book is 72 pages including photos of 60 species. It is basically a list of records by species up until December 2012, arranged so the most detail is given to the most scarce. Records of uncommon species are often arranged by season and site. Species status is given for both Treshnish and (where different) north Mull and, where relevant, labelled by rarity within Mull, Argyll and Scotland.
The annotated list takes up 58 pages within which there are 15 pages of photographs. An appendix gives lists of the species which the newcomer might be surprised to learn are rarities on Mull and Argyll, some of which need detailed description to gain acceptance. Mull birders are still looking for a Lesser Whitethroat!
18th: 1 Little Gull, 1 Peregrine, c15 Arctic Terns, at least 20 Fulmars, Gannets, hundreds of Kittiwakes, Manx Shearwaters and auks, at Caliach Point. Little Gull is rare in north Mull and this is my first here. 1 Whimbrel by Ensay farmhouse.
At least 1 Whinchat in Black park field and 1 Fulmar on the nesting cliffs on north-east side of Treshnish Point.
Cuckoos are very hard to get close to.
Red Deer at Bennan.
17th: 3 Twite at Duill cottage were within 6ft of the window. Unfortunately I had no camera. Someone must have been putting out seed. My first Linnet at Treshnish House although I have heard them in last couple of days.
16th: 1 Peregrine and Greenfinch at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse. I think the Greenfinch might be a first for our garden.
15th: Heard my first Chiffchaff of the year, my first Wood Warbler (which appears to be the first of the year for Mull) near Quinish pier and my first Whinchat, 2 Whimbrel and 3 adult White-tailed Eagles at Quinish Point.
One of the eagles looked like the same bird we saw over the 'caliach' standing stone (white tags just visible) and the other two were a pair (one of which had a pale blue tag). The bird from the standing stone flew with fast wing beats at the pair but that was all apart from a lot of quiet calling (quiet compared to a goldie). The single bird soared around Quinish Point whilst the pair soared a little inland. After more than 5 minutes the single bird made a couple of attacking dives at shorebirds (I only saw Oystercatchers from a distance). No kill was made and then all eagles flew off.
14th: 4 Turnstones,
(male)
(and presumed female)
2 Whimbrels, 1 Great Northern Diver at Croig. These are my latest dates for Turnstone although Treshnish guest, Dianne & Phil Marsh saw 1 at Langamull on 23 May 2010. It is a real treat to see them in breeding plumage.
1 Black-headed Gull, 1 White Wagtail and 2 Great Northern Divers at Calgary beach.
The Common Gull nest found at Croig on the 9th has been predated. This spot is very vulnerable to mink and dogs.
At Treshnish lochan I found a nest with one cold egg (I think that they might wait until the clutch is laid before incubation).
This nest had warm eggs.
An adult Heron flew into Treshnish wood to the area near the nest from last year so they must be going for a second breeding attempt.
2 Mountain Hares at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse (morning and evening).
Whilst watching the Turnstones at the Croig oyster beds an Otter swam towards me. After this shot it completely disappeared.
13th: 1 adult White-tailed Eagle flew west, low over Treshnish wood, 1 male Hen Harrier at Haunn, several Lesser Redpoll in Treshnish wood (my first of the year), pretty sure I heard Linnets yesterday and on 11th at Haunn, 6 Whimbrel at Dùn Haunn - Port Haunn.
This female Pheasant is on eggs (I have made a dark ring around the visible egg).
Wheatear
Ringed Plover
Typical Manx Shearwater view
Gannet
Guests at Middle cottage, Haunn saw a Swift at Mishnish lochs (first of the year for Mull).
2 Mountain Hares at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.
12th: At least 5 Whimbrel at Port Haunn.
Lots of sea bird activity with Hundreds of Kittiwakes and Manx Shearwaters off shore.
Fulmar
Gannet
Great Skua
Twite
11th: 1 Spotted Flycatcher by Ensay Burn mouth (my first of the year and possibly the first for Mull),
1 Black-headed Gull at Haunn (scarce in north-west Mull although common at Knock), a pair of Greylag Geese tried to land in the conifer by the Ensay Burn mouth owl box so presumably they are getting ready to breed.
10th: Mountain Hare
Ruth Fleming and Stuart Gibson have done it again. They were at Haunn on the 8th and saw 1 Bar-tailed Godwit again (mullbirds.com). They saw also 3 at Haunn on 20th August 2011. I have never seen this species at Treshnish! They also saw some Lesser Redpoll which I haven't seen yet this year.
9th: A juvenile White-tailed Eagle flew low over Treshnish Old Schoolhouse but it was fast for a photograph.
1 drake Tufted Duck (rare in north Mull) opp oyster beds, 10-16 Dunlin,
4-6 Whimbrel, 2 White Wagtails, 3 Common Terns, 1 Great Northern Diver at Croig.
2 Dunlin & 1 White Wagtail at Calgary beach.
Common Gulls mating near Ensay farmhouse
and Common Gull nest at Croig.
8th: I thought I heard a House Martin whilst passing Treshnish House and later saw 2 at Treshnish Point. They didn't stay to breed last year so we have our fingers crossed.
1 Sedge Warbler at the reedbed below Toechtamhor, Haunn (my first of the year).
Walks along the coast near Treshnish Point and Haunn have resulted in at least 1 Fulmar but today there were none. This may not mean anything because they often disappear and come back later to breed.
I forgot to post this yesterday. I am pretty sure it is a Scandinavian Rock Pipit at Croig.
Female Reed Bunting at Haunn.
Raven
Bitter Vetch and Cuckooflower flowering at Treshnish Point.
7th: At least 3 of 6 terns at Croig were Common Terns (my first of the year),
there were also at least 3 White Wagtails, at least 2 Whimbrels, at least 14 Turnstones, (I have never seen them in breeding plumage before but too far off for decent photos), 25 Dunlin, 1 House Martin, 1 Great Northern Diver all at Croig.
1 Whitethroat at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse (my first of the year), male and female Blackcap in Treshnish wood, 1 Lapwing at Ensay Burn mouth.
The Herons appear to have abandoned the nest Craig found. The nest is virtually non existent and there is a broken egg below the nest, the old nest from last year looks in good shape and there are some dropping below but there was no sign of the birds unless one was sitting tight.
Several unid. orange butterflies from Treshnish Old Schoolhouse to Calgary (Small Tortoiseshell?)
A lamb determined not to lose mum.
6th: Very drizzly, misty day so photography extremely limited.
c250 Golden Plovers
and 11 Dunlin at Haunn, flocks of 30, 43 & c25 Dunlin migrating north at Treshnish Point. I have only had 2 counts of over 100 Golden Plovers here (100 & 116) and both of those were in the autumn. I have also only seen Dunlin 3 times at Treshnish (6 birds in total) and only once inland (1 at Treshnish lochan).
Also 4 Whimbrel and 1 Great Northern Diver at Port Haunn.
5th: 1 Mountain Hare in our garden again (I won't mention it any more here unless there are more than one).
The bluebells are starting to flower alongside the road in Treshnish wood (they have been flowering for a while to west of Ensay Burn mouth) so I went to check the Spring Squill along the coast. I couldn't find any.
In 2012 Bluebells flowered on 10th April at least (and probably at few days earlier). That was the earliest ever date. This year they first flowered on the 21st which is about average except now I know where to look for the first flowers whereas it was all pot luck until about 3 years ago.
I did find a few Early-purple Orchids flowering beyond Haunn cottages.
My earliest date for a flowering Early-purple is on 20th April but again now I know where to look for the first flowers.
The Narrow-leaved Helleborine near our house is probably about an inch high so about the same stage as it was last year on 23rd of April i.e. about 2 weeks later than last year. In 2011 on 2nd May one the plants here had emerged enough for me to see it had a flower bud, in 2010 one was in flower on 17 May, in 2009 one was in flower on 14 May, in 2007 2 were flowering on 27th May (but probably much earlier). The one emerging now is unlikely to flower (if it has a flower within the next 10 days) and any other nearby plants have not emerged at all (if they do at all).
4th: 1 Mountain Hare in our garden again. This is not the same one that was visiting about a week ago. That one had a more reddish brown coat.
Late at night about 2pm on the 5th a flock of waders flew low over Treshnish Old Schoolhouse. I am not good at wader calls but I think they may have been Redshanks. I grabbed my camera (the film mode has a microphone) but I was too late. The call was a continuous loud trilling, tititititititututututut.
3rd: 1 male Hen Harrier at Haunn, 1 possible Sedge Warbler heard at Haunn but it seemed not raucous enough.
I was told of about 13 Golden Plovers above the upper cliffs at Port Haunn.
2 eco-friendly lawn-mower Mountain Hares at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse in the morning and evening.
2nd: I was told of 13 Golden Plovers in Skoma field.
1st: 1 White Wagtail beside road behind machair at Calgary and 2 at Langamull. 2 male Reed Buntings at Haunn, one in reed-bed below Toechtamhor and another in reed-bed below the black-houses. The latter had a mate.
1 male Hen Harrier and adult White-tailed Eagle at Langamull.
Great Northern Diver
Ringed Plover
Greylag Goose
Guests at Toechtamhor saw a pod of Bottle-nosed Dolphins breaching in Calgary bay.
