Mull of Galloway

• About Mull of Galloway
• Star species
• Seasonal highlights
• Recent sightings
• Events
• Facilities
• Accessibility
• How to get here
• Our work here
• Visitor book
• Map

• Home >
• Reserves >
• Reserves by name >
• M >
• Mull of Galloway >
• Recent sightings

Recent sightings

• 12 October 2011

  Roe deer, whimbrel and whooper swans

  Yesterday afternoon I turned off my laptop after a couple of hours of report writing, and went outside to stretch my legs and see how the world was getting on. My sudden appearance outside the warden’s hut caused a great commotion in the grasses and then a shocked silence. Stock-still, intently focussed on this unexpected intruder, was a doe and fawn, both thin, pale, long eared, big-eyed. After a few moments of paralysed staring, the fawn decided I wasn’t much of a threat, and went back to its main business of butting  and suckling at its mother. The doe - still not quite at ease with my attention - side-stepped the nuzzling and led the fawn down the bank and into the safety of the undergrowth. What a sight. All season I’ve waited to see our new fawn, but its stayed hidden away in the bracken on the eastern banks of the Mull. Perhaps the deer are starting to reclaim their territory now that our summer visitors have gone.

  In other news, in and around the reserve this past couple of weeks we have seen:

  Many bedraggled hairy caterpillars, croaking crows, the lighthouse beacon flashing through fog, porpoises, whooper swans on the wing, a solitary whimbrel hanging out on the helipad, chittering goldfinch flocks and a short-eared owl.

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 27 September 2011

  Merlins, peregrines and giant waves

  Merlins and peregrines spotted today at the Mull. Also lots of woolly bears (otherwise know as garden tiger moth caterpillars). The heather is brown now and the sea is getting wilder by the day. There were spectacular waves forming as the Luce Bay tide went out today, and the gannets are still around, gliding past the foghorn in groups. The visitor centre roof keeps making disconcerting noises as the gusts blows in under the tiles.

  I'm away walking the West Highland Way for a few days, but don't despair, the visitor centre stays open and is in safe hands with Mr. Coulthard, Miss Lesley, and Ellie the half blind spaniel. We may not be running the guided walk on Thursday 29th though, so if you were planning on coming along for it, please phone in to check the situation in advance.

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 10 September 2011

  Spotted flycatchers and goldcrests

  The mass migration has begun, and Mull of Galloway is the place to see it. Especially this week, as our residential volunteer, James, is a superb birder. Yesterday he found spotted flycatchers and goldcrests hiding in the willow scrub, and tree pipits flying over. So now is your best chance of seeing some of these migrants as they take a break on their journeys. Come along and James will help you to identify them. It's a great time of year to spot cetaceans as well, with harbour porpoises and Risso's dolphin's being seen recently. There was also a group of about 200 manx shearwaters in the bay this week, easily visible from the visitor centre through our telescopes.

  It's blowing a gale outside today, and with various hurricane tails forecast to hit the west coast of Scotland, it is possible that some wierd and wonderful birds might be dropping in to the Mull over the next few days. 

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 5 September 2011

  First Risso's dolphin of the year

  I saw my first ever Risso's Dolphin out in the tidal race today - a large, hooked fin, then three vertical leaps, one after the other, each one almost clearing the sea. It was a big beast compared to the harbour porpoises swimming along with it.

  The horizon's have been really clear lately, with the shape of the Cumbrian fells clearly outlined beyond the Solway in the afternoon. There's been a bit of rain, but it's blowing over quickly, and is followed by more blue sky, then more clouds etc..

  The bells on the heather are turning yellowish brown (although there is still a lot of purple), and along with the yellow grass and fluffy thistle seedheads, there is a distinct late-summer look to the Mull. A group of juvenile goldfinches are making the most of the thistle puffs, and there seems to be loads of swallows around - munching up any unwelcome visitors (the midgies that is). Peregrines have been seen regularly too - one was spotted catching a rock dove in mid air yesterday.

   

   

   

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 5 July 2011

  Dissappearing kittiwakes, gannets galore, and the trouble with fishing line...

  A wet and windy day at the Mull... and sad news - the kittiwake chicks that we had such high hopes for (yes the same one as I blogged about 5 days ago, plus younger sibling), dissappeared half way through the day. The parent kittiwake seemed as baffled as us, all afternoon she/he kept looking around her empty nest for the missing ones. No sign of the mate either this afternoon. It's a bit of a mystery, and Eleanor and I feel a bit guilty for taking our eyes off the camera to do some essential painting of the visitor centre - although of course we couldn't really have done anything to prevent the dissappearance.

  On a happier note, the kittiwake directly to the right of the former family is now sitting on a chick! Hopefully this one will fare better than the others.

  Mixed news too from the Scare Rocks (our seabird island, 6 miles offshore) - Andrew, our Galloway Reserves Manager, sailed out there yesterday, and came back reporting a healthy chock-a-block gannet population, with hundreds of chicks ranging from egg-stage to giant-fluffy-monster-stage. Hooray! But he also reported fishing nets and lines covering the island, trailing in long loops off ledges, and clogging up nests. The gannets bring in beakfuls to build their nests, and then gannet and guillemot chicks get caught up and tangled in them. Andrew had to cut chicks out of the mess, some dead, some alive, some missing limbs. Fishers take note, and please do all you can to prevent your nets and lines ending up in the sea.

  Hannah

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 25 June 2011

  Little arctic monks

  NEWS FLASH!

  We now have 14 puffins at the Mull! They were seen yesterday from Lagvag point, flying to and from the cliffs. But of course I STILL haven't seen them...

  Here's a general knowledge titbit for you: the latin name for puffin is actually Fratercula arctica, which means arctic monk (or friar or priest or something) - I assume because of their fetching black capes. Manx Shearwaters on the other hand are called Puffinus puffinus - just to be confusing (Thanks volunteer Rob for that).

  Speaking of Manx Shearwaters, an astounding 300 or so were spotted from Drummore on Tuesday 'shearing' past from the Isle of Man! They sometimes get blown into the bay on their way south on migration. It does seem strangely early for this however, which makes me wonder if they've had a bad breeding season, and have given up and headed off early. They go all the way  to South America, so have a 10,000 km flight ahead of them.

  I've only ever seen a Manx Shearwater once, and that was from the Mull, looking out to sea - but it's a bird I would absolutely LOVE to see in it's colony. A trip to the Isle of Man at night might be in order...

  That's all for now,

  Hannah

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 22 June 2011

  All Purple and Pink

  There’s a lot of pink and purple things around at the moment – it’s that time of year. I love purple, so I’m happy. As mentioned before we have bell heather, orchids and wild  thyme out, but also cross-leaved heath, bloody cranesbill, purple milk-vetch and sea pinks amongst others.

  Then there are the bright six spot burnet moths  and cinnabar moths – proof to anyone that moths don’t have to be dull. The striking magenta of the burnets signal to predators to steer clear, as they carry lethal cyanide. Cinnabars too are poisonous – in their case the poison is from the common ragwort that their caterpillars feed on (the same ragwort that’s really dodgy for horses).

  To add to all this pinkness is me – I keep going out to take guided walks without suncream on and ending up slightly strawberry tinged – but at least I fit in with my surroundings. Why not come along and see the royal purples and shocking pinks for yourself? Guided walks are every Tuesday and Thursday at 1pm, and leave from the visitor centre. But make sure you’ve got your factor 30 on (if you are anything like me anyway) – and whatever you do, don’t eat the moths...

  Posted by Hannah Doyle

• 16 June 2011

  Life on the edge...

  Hello! Welcome to the new Mull of Galloway blog. This is my first full season as Community Liaison Officer at the Mull. I've been here for two whole months already, but what with keeping tabs on seabirds, swotting up on wild flowers, and the general fun of getting into the swing of a new job, I haven't had the chance to set up a blog page - until now.

  So what's been going on on the reserve? Well, everything really! Now is the most dynamic and exciting time in a seabird colony. Kittiwakes are building their nests. Big green and white guillemot eggs keep turning up in unlikey places all over the reserve (those pesky herring gulls keep stealing them and dropping them on the reserve paths before lapping up spilt egg gloop). Gannets are putting on a spectacular show as usual, soaring past the cliffs. Fulmars (my favourites) are gorgeous to watch both on and off the cliffs - such fantastic flyers! Did you know that fulmars are petrels, and are more closely related to albatrosses than to gulls? A family of shags are providing hours of entertainment in the visitor centre via our live cameras - it's amazing to watch an adult sized chick stuff his head right down his mum's neck to gobble up half-digested fish goo - yummy. Puffins are being spotted most days - there aren't many (only about 7 we think!) - but enough to put a smile on lots of faces. I still haven't seen them yet... where are they hiding?

  The wild flowers are also putting on a great display at the moment - the cliffs are a patchwork of purple, blue, white and yellow. The bell heather is just coming into bloom, and sea-campion, english stonecrop, wild thyme and sheep's bit are all out at the moment. Another highlight is the deep pink orchids growing along the path opposite the visitor centre. We are not entirely decided about which type of orchid it is yet, but Rob - our new local volunteer - has suggested Northern Marsh Orchid. He might just be right...

  

  That's all for now, plenty more to come soon.

  Hannah

  Posted by Hannah Doyle