Wish You Were Here
For more than thirty years we have had a week on Islay in Autumn to film the Swans and Geese as they arrive from the Arctic – but not this year. Why not this year you might ask and the answer is the stormy weather that prevails in Autumn resulting in closed roads, cancelled ferries […]
The Delight Of Jays
As soon as the crop of Acorns has gone in the Countryside the Jays will descend on our gardens. Peanuts are the attraction and this last week we have had at least three competing for the spoils. The light has been quite poor but some photos are in this weeks gallery. www.facebook.com/gordon
Redwings At Last
The true heralds of our Autumn are the arrival of Redwings from Scandinavia. Decades ago you could always predict an arrival by 30th September/1st October. In recent times it has been considerably later with last years date being the 13th October and this years the 16th October. I wonder how much of this delay is […]
A Textbook Gem
In 1975 I filmed my first pair of Sparrowhawks at the nest. It was a wonderful experience and I have watched dozens more since then but none have compared to the male that visited our garden last week. To quote a phrase he was an absolute textbook gem – in other words he was feather […]
Deeside Interlude
Where else would you wish to watch Kingfishers and Kites than from a Hot-tub on the River Dee in Wales. A break at Rivercatcher has this to offer and does it really matter that it rained during most of our recent week-end stay!! photos taken earlier see: www.facebook.com/gordon
A Mega Twitch
I have never classed myself as a twitcher but I was recently drawn to Yorkshire to see a bird called a White Tailed Lapwing – and yes I had never heard of it either!! It breeds in the Middle East and normally migrates further east for Winter. It was only the tenth ever recorded in […]
A Berry Feast
This is now the time of year when there is an abundance of Autumn fruits. This weeks blog photo is of a Whitethroat feeding on Raspberries. That bird has now moved on and in its place we have Wood Pigeons devouring Elderberries – both adults and juveniles. www.facebook.com/gordonyateswildlife for gallery photos
A Glorious Twelfth
There are days in the hills when all you see are a couple of Meadow Pipits. Then there are other days when it all comes good and the 12th September was one such day. I had been checking the purple heather for Red Grouse when all of a sudden a male Hen Harrier came into […]
Sparrows Beware
This weeks blog photo is of the many House Sparrows that have fledged around the garden this year. In fact we had one count of more than thirty in August. However, gone are the glory days of mid-summer and from now on they cannot relax for at any moment a Sparrowhawk might strike. One such […]
Harvest Time
In all our 112 visits to Islay we have never previously been on the island when Barley was harvested. All that was to change last week when every available machine was working almost day and night to harvest Islay’s precious crop – its Barley. The weather all week was exceptional with no rain or wind […]