Sandwich Terns
One of the bonuses of visiting the Farne Isles for Puffins is that there are good opportunities for filming Sandwich Terns and other sea-birds. Each year on Inner Farne there is a very accessible colony of Sandwich Terns that you can film from the footpath. Arctic Terns are everywhere and will readily attack so a […]
Farne Isles
It is more than twenty years since I last visited a major seabird colony and I had almost forgotten how spectacular they can be. During that brief spell of hot weather in late June I decided that it was time to visit the Farne Isles to capture flight shots of Puffins carrying fish. Something that […]
Otter and Conger Eel
Having spent nearly fifty years filming wildlife there are bound to be occasions when something happens whilst you are filming that you are quite sure can never be surpassed. One such event occurred on Jura some years ago when an Otter brought an Octopus out of the sea in full view of my camera. As […]
Mull Re-Visited
After last years visit to Mull especially to film Sea Eagles we decided to return this year for a less intense filming week. Along with other Hebridean islands this year the cold spring has had an adverse effect on the breeding Eagles with the Golden Eagles having almost failed completely. Fortunately the Sea Eagles have […]
Whitethroats and Summer Flowers
With the extremely warm weather of last week flowers have produced rapid growth enabling Whitethroats to finally get down to nesting. Most of my local Whitethroats build their nests around the stalks of such plants as Rosebay Willow Herb and various umbellicas and only now are they able to do this. In the last few […]
Filming Satisfaction
At long last after years and years sat out on the Pennine moors at dusk I finally have some acceptable photos of a male Long Eared Owl hunting. There are so many variables that come into play before success is achieved. Firstly it has to be a good year for voles so that the Owls […]
Shorties Do Well
One species to have benefitted from the dry and sunny spring has been the Short Eared Owl. I have now found broods of three young and two young and have heard of another pair that have fledged seven young which is exceptional. The abundance of voles has also been productive for Kestrels and Long Eared […]
Summer At Last
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 […]
Hen Harrier Magic
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 […]
Waiting For Summer
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 […]