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Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands

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Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands Naturetrek Tour Report 1 - 8 August 2016 Report and images by Marcus John Naturetrek Mingledown Barn Wolf's Lane Chawton Alton Hampshire GU34 3HJ UK T: +44 (0)1962 733051 E: [email protected] W: www.naturetrek.co.uk Tour Report Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands Tour participants: Marcus John (leader) with 11 Naturetrek clients Summary We enjoyed a successful week in Ardnamurchan with sightings of several iconic species, often close to our comfortable base in the Glenborrodale Centre. Pine Martens came to visit us on six separate occasions and we had several close encounters with White-tailed Eagles. On an early morning drive, we saw three Otters together in a nearby bay, feeding close to shore. We spent a memorable day on board the “Laurenca” as we sailed across to Mull and the Cairns of Coll, before visiting the Isle of Muck. We appreciated the unspoilt beauty of the Isle of Carna, where wildlife can thrive in the absence of any permanent human inhabitants. Throughout the tour, we visited a variety of sites across the entire peninsular, often pausing to scan for wildlife and when the rain came down, stopping at some excellent cafes! One of the features of our time in Ardnamurchan were close encounters with family groups of Harbour Porpoise, a beautiful little cetacean that is resident in Loch Sunart, Day 1 Monday 1st August Glasgow - Glen Coe - Corran Ferry - Glenborrodale We met in Glasgow and set off on the long drive to Ardnamurchan. After enjoying views of Loch Lomond and refreshments at the Green Welly Boot in Tyndrum, we drove the length of Glen Coe, considered one of the most spectacular and beautiful places in Scotland. Soon after, we crossed Loch Linnhe at Corran Ferry (where Black Guillemots breed) and continued through Strontian, along Loch Sunart to Glenborrodale. Several people stayed up late to watch for Pine Martens from the living room window and were rewarded when one adult came to feed on the peanuts for several minutes. Day 2 Tuesday 2nd August Ardnamurchan Point - Kilchoan - Ockle Most of us met before breakfast to walk down to Glenborrodale Bay in the warm sunshine. We saw several Grey Herons and were able to pick out the greyish juveniles from the smart adults. A solitary Greenshank was the only wader present, though several Common Terns were feeding in the deeper water. We continued down the track to Aperitif Point, where we enjoyed views across one of the most beautiful bays in Scotland. After an excellent breakfast, we drove all the way out to Ardnamurchan Point, stopping to look for Otters at Port Na Croisg and Camas Fearna but to no avail. The mountainous bulk of Ben Hiant looked superb in the morning sunshine but only Common Buzzards and Ravens were on the wing. We walked out past the Victorian lighthouse to spend half an hour looking out to sea. We found several groups of Common Guillemot sitting on the sea, lots of adult Gannets flew past, their plumage gleaming in the sunlight. We also saw our first Kittiwake and Arctic Tern. We enjoyed a coffee break at the lighthouse coffee shop before returning to Kilchoan to eat lunch. In the afternoon, we drove out past the hay meadows around Swordle Farm to the little settlement of Ockle. Next to the road was a big herd of Red Deer, mostly females with lots of fawns, some small enough to retain the © Naturetrek September 16 1 Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands Tour Report pale spotting on their flanks. We found a mixed finch flock and later saw a Twite perched on a roadside wire - a typical bird of the West Highlands. On the way back to the centre, we stopped to photograph some impressive Highland Cows, then visited the Ardnamurchan Visitor Centre, where a large flock of waders included Oystercatcher, Curlew and Golden Plover. After a delicious three course dinner, everyone stayed up to wait for the Pine Martens. At precisely 10:30pm, an adult broke cover, grabbed a sandwich and ran straight off again. Thankfully, it soon reappeared and made a series of visits over the next thirty minutes, providing excellent views. Day 3 Wednesday 3rd August Ardtoe - Castle Tioram - Acharacle - Garbh Eilean It was a wet morning as we headed east towards the little villages Salen and Acharacle, towards our ultimate destination of Castle Tioram. We had not driven very far before we stopped to admire pair of Red-throated Divers swimming on Loch Sunart, still in their smart breeding plumage. We drove through Acharacle and out across Kentra Moss, a large area of raised peat bog. It was still drizzling so we continued on to Ardtoe and walked out on the old stone jetty. Frank was in front and had a split second view of Otter as it ran off around a rock, too quick for anyone else to see! On way back across Kentra Moss, we stopped to scan the intertidal mud where Oystercatcher, Curlew and Greenshank were feeding, while a flock of Greylag Geese flew over. When we arrived at Castle Tioram, the rain had stopped and we were able to walk across the tidal causeway to the castle itself. This was the ancestral home of the Clanranald and an important strategic base, which dominated coastal trade routes. We found four Common Seals feeding in the shallow water and three Goosander further out. We returned to the Blue Teapot Cafe in Acharacle Cafe for excellent coffee and cakes, before checking for birds on Loch Shiel. The rain had returned so we decided to head back to Glenborrodale to eat our lunch. It was a welcome surprise to find that our cook, Jane, had prepared homemade tomato soup to warm us up! In the afternoon we drove out to the wonderful hide at Garbh Eilean. Here we saw lots of Common Seals (and one large Grey Seal) loafing on the low rocks; they were very reluctant to move, even as the tide rose over them! We spent a memorable hour in the hide, quietly enjoying the comings and goings of the animals and birds. After dinner, we walked down to Aperitif Point, where a Common Tern sat on close buoy and Gannets flew over as the sun finally broke through the clouds. After half an hour, an Otter briefly surfaced but only a few of us saw it before it disappeared - rather frustrating! 2 © Naturetrek September 16 Scotland's Mammals & Highlights of the Highlands Tour Report Day 4 Thursday 4th August Sanna Bay - Achateny - Camas Nan Geall After an early morning walk and another cooked breakfast, our first stop of the day was the jetty at Glenmore Bay, where we learnt a little about the wave power project that is being developed in this area. We found several fresh Otter spraints on the jetty itself; Otters use prominent features as territory markers, including man-made structures, Next we stopped to scan Port na Croisg and Camas Fearna; after several minutes, we were delighted to find an Otter feeding on the far side of the bay. Although somewhat distant, everyone had decent views as the Otter periodically surfaced for a few seconds before making prolonged dives, which showed it was probably feeding on smaller prey like Butterfish. After a coffee break at Kilchoan community centre, we drove out to Sanna, across a strange landscape comprised of a volcanic ring formation of rocky ridges. Although hidden away in this remote corner of the highlands, the white sand beach at Sanna has often featured in lists of the best beaches in the UK. As we walked along the track to the dunes, two White-tailed Eagles flew out above the high ridge to our left, affording good views, though they soon flew behind the crags and out of sight. We ate our sandwiches on the beach, then enjoyed a lovely walk in brilliant sunshine. The turquoise sea lapped the white sand, contrasting with the smooth, black rocks. The pasture behind the sand dunes was covered with blue Harebells and white Grass of Parnassus. In the afternoon we down the road to Achateny, where we saw more Red Deer hinds with fawns. We stopped to look for butterflies but the strong breeze meant just one each of Dark Green Fritillary and Scotch Argus; the latter is a real highland speciality. We were running rather late when we stopped to check for raptors at Camas Nan Geall. Our perseverance was rewarded when two White-tailed Eagles flew right overhead in bright sunshine. We had amazing views as they twisted in mid-air to fend off the local Ravens and Buzzards. Watching the eagles being mobbed gave us a true idea of their immense size; it was a dramatic end to a memorable day! Day 5 Friday 5th August Loch Sunart - Mull - Cairns of Coll - Isle of Muck We arrived at Laga Bay at 9am to meet our skipper, Andy Jackson, for a day out on his boat, the “Laurenca”. The weather was dry with just a light breeze as we set off along Loch Sunart. We soon had very close views of dozens of Common Seals as they lay out on the rocky skerries in the middle of the loch. A group of Porpoises approached quite close to the boat, the first of several encounters with this enigmatic little cetacean. As we entered the Sound of Mull, we began to see our first seabirds; small groups of Common Guillemot were sitting on the sea, while Gannets and Fulmars flew overhead.
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