September.....Another great season coming to a close

We are in to September now and the season is coming to a close with the trips quietening down, but the wildlife is still showing well. We have had some nasty spells of weather during the month but on the days when we could get further out we have had some good Minke whale encounters feeding hard. Also the Eagles and other raptors putting on great shows during clear spells. At the end of the breeding season a lot of migrant birds start moving to different parts of the planet and this is when rare birds can crop up along the British Isles. The landscapes are turning in to all sorts of glorious colours and the freshness in the air it really is a great time of the year.

Minke whale surfacing surrounded by fantastic Scottish landscape

The largest predator on the planet, the Sperm whale was spotted in the sound or Raasay near Skye on the 17th. Sperm whale sightings are rare off the west coast of Scotland but not unheard of with the last sighting being off the Isle of Canna in 2008. The majority of these sightings come from the Minch and off Skye where the sea bed reaches depths of over 100 meters. Sperm Whales are the largest toothed animals on earth and feed on mainly cephalopods like Cuttlefish and Squid. Fishermen in the area have reported catching more and larger sized Squid in recent years so it is no surprise that there are more Sperm whale sightings in the area.

The whale was reported to have being feeding rather than just travelling through which is a positive sign. Sperm whales can be under the surface for up to 90 minutes and go to depths of up to 1000 meters.

Two Mountain Hares, Photo G storey

Manx shearwater, photo G storey

The annual RSPB nature of farming award has gone to the Isle of Mull's very own Treshnish Farm ran by Somerset and Carolyne Charrington. The land is managed to cater for a huge array of wildlife including the very scarce summer migrant the Corncrake. Also other farm birds including the Curlew and Lapwing. They have over 300 species of Butterflies and Moths on their land and 10 species and Dragonfly and Damselfly.

Minke surfacing close to Yacht, photo G Storey

Harbour seals at the Carins of Coll, photo G Storey

We have two species of Seal's in the UK, Common / Harbour Seal and Atlantic Grey Seal. The Harbour Seal is the smaller of the two species and have a big variation in colour. It is very difficult to distinguish the sexes of Harbour Seal's.

Grey Seals are larger with the Bulls growing to a possible 2.6 meters in length. The British coastlines hold over half of the world breeding population. The Grey seals will be starting to give birth to pups at this time of the year as the breeding Harbour Seals move out allowing the cow Grey Seals to move in to pup. The young Grey Seal pups have a waterproof white coat which is a flaw within the species in this period of time on the planet as we are still in the retreating stages of the ice age and going back 8000 years on the British Isles the country would of being covered in ice and snow which would of provided good camouflage for the Grey Seal pups, but as the climate got warmer the ice melted and the Seal pups have become more exposed to their surroundings. Seal Pup milk is up to 50% fat and grey Seal mothers feed their pups with milk for 16-21 days, during which time the pup gains an average of 30 kg.

Common Dolphin approaching Sula Beag, photography by G Storey

Another great Common Dolphin experience at the very start of the month as a group of 20 approached the boat and associated with us for nearly half an hour. Their behaviour and intelligence amazes me more every time I see them. Their brain is more complex than ours and their language is more sophisticated. Their society is dedicated to peace and love and they are very talkative even though they don't have any vocal cords they produce clicks, whistles, groans, squeals and barks coming from sacks in their nasal passage. They can produce 1200 sounds per second.

Their intelligence is incredible as some populations of Dolphins around the world are known to use tools as when hunting along sharp coral they attach sponge to their snouts as safety masks. They are also known to help certain small fishing communities as they heard shoals of fish into nets in return for a few thrown back.

The river in flood near Knock

Slow shutter speed photo with Jayne

A disturbing wildlife crime made the headlines this month as millionaire Michael Barclay and a former magistrate John Metcalf were convicted as criminals as they have being involved in the trade of protected wild animals and bird eggs for many years. Guy Shorrock was the leading RSPB investigation officer who worked with the police in a coordinated raid on Michael Barclays mansion. Inside the mansion the police located hundreds of rare eggs and stuffed birds and animal skins including Tigers, many illegally obtained.

These wealthy criminals help drive the illegal animal trades and can pay up to five figure sums for animal parts or skins. Both men have being imprisoned for the serious crime and well done to the RSPB and police wildlife crime unit for getting to the bottom of the case.

Egg collecting is still a problem to this day in the British isles with the hobby going back to the 1880s. It was a fashionable activity encouraging people to go in to the countryside and collect the different specimens. It got banned in 1954 and still continues as 'Eggers' can devote their lives to the pursuit for eggs and become obsessed with the practice. The rarer species of birds are often targeted. In the UK the problem seems to be declining but it could be on the increase abroad as collectors could be moving further afield.

Isle of Mull also have a strict operation in place called 'Operation Easter' which is a joint effort between the RSPB, Forestry Commission, Mull and Iona community trust, Strathclyde police, SNH and many locals and volunteers. It is a six week project during the breeding season where the people involved help to protect the eagles nests all around the island and report anything suspicious. The main threats to the nest sites are egg collectors and also the prospect of chicks getting stolen to be sold and raised as falconers birds. The eagles on Mull generate a huge interest to the island all year round and are valued at 5 million a year to the local economy.

Wildlife persecution is still a major problem in the UK and Great Britain has the worst record for illegal killing of Birds of prey in the world. The fantastic website Raptor Politics is a good insight into the problems we have and is well worth a look.......

Loch Na Keal looking to the west at sun set

Its approaching a great time of the year for photography with the autumn colours and changing landscapes. Isle of Mull is a hot spot for capturing the best landscape and wildlife images. here is 5 tips to help you get a better photo....

1. The rule of Thirds (below) - Don't always put the subject in the middle of the picture. cut your scene in to thirds and try to position the subjects on show in to an option of 9 imaginary boxes to get more interest in the composition. It is just a guideline and there is many circumstances where the rule is not preferred or needed.

2. Get to know your subject and surroundings - in terms of the wildlife you are capturing try and get to know their behaviour and different characteristics and it will give you a better chance of getting the photo you want and also one that relates to that species. For example if you are wanting to photograph Otters then you can discover that they will more likely be active at dawn and dusk and you can discover their preferred feeding areas to give you a better chance of photographing them.

3. No such thing as bad conditions - Use the weather to your advantage and try and capture the power of the weather like for example if it is raining you can potentially get some nice effects capturing the motion of the falling water with a slower shutter speed. The rain will also lead to strong running rivers and possible waterfalls to focus your attentions on. Also overcast conditions can produce a nice shade of light and also nice cloud formations to focus on. The wind if you are by the coast will create very impressive waves to capture with a camera. The snow and ice of course creates amazing photography opportunities all round.

4. Start simple - If your just getting in to photography then the best practice is to stay local and focus on the surroundings close to you. Garden Birds are great practice and garden landscape shots. The beauty of photography is that there always a better photo to capture even if it is on your local patch.

5. Patience and commitment - One of the most important aspects of wildlife photography is patience and commitment to getting the opportunities. If you can dedicate yourself then you will give yourself more chance and the rewards can be huge. There is always that element of luck involved as well of course!

Fishing on Loch Na Keal at dusk, everyone was 'hooked' with this picture

The home favourite the Minke!

Our trips for the month were challenging with conditions restricting the areas we could cover. When we had a good spell we did get further out to the whale grounds and had some good Minke sightings along with Porpoise and good birds. Unfortunately there was too many days where we had to stay in more sheltered waters which was frustrating because we like everyone else wanted to get further out and see what was going on, especially with the season coming to an end and we wouldn't get many more opportunities to do so.

Overall the season has being a very good one in terms of sightings and we have experienced a huge variety of wildlife on our trips including Minke whales, Bottlenose Dolphins, Common Dolphins, Basking Sharks, Sunfish, Porpoise, WT Eagles, Golden Eagles and a good number of superb sea birds. Unfortunately the sneaky Orcas evaded us every time with a number of reports but we never managed to bump into them. Rissos Dolphin were not sighted by our operators as we did have 3 encounters last season.

I will post season highlights to follow as well as the top photos of the 2011 season........Thanks for reading everyone. :-)

Ewan

Wildlife Guide