08/07/2023 The Isle of Mull, Argyll and Bute

Golden Eagle: The Isle of Mull is the third largest of the Hebridean islands, and one of the most beautiful. Situated off the west coast of Scotland has varied habitats including mountains, moorland, sea lochs, hill lochans, damp boggy marshes, sandy beaches and open seas. 

On Mull the population of white-tailed sea eagles is as dense as anywhere else in Scotland, and the island also boasts having more pairs of the majestic golden eagle than anywhere else in Scotland.

Many other birds of prey inhabit the island, including good numbers of breeding hen harriers and short-eared owls. Red-throated divers can be seen on both freshwater and sea lochs, where great northern divers also regularly linger into the summer in their splendid breeding plumage. The same sea lochs are the home of otters, and indeed Mull must be one of the best places in Britain to observe these captivating mammals. 

I hadn't been back to Mull since my first visit with Dawn way back in May 2015. And with Gary Edwards celebrating his 40th birthday this month I conspired wit his wife Elise and organised a bit of a surprise weekend away so he could tick off golden eagle and corncrake which we saw on Iona.

After arriving on the inland we invested most of our time in search of golden eagles, concentrating our efforts on the 'Three Lochs' viewpoint in Glen More and the long winding roads around the south shore of Loch Na Keal stopping and scanning the mountain ridges.

Common Sandpiper: It wasn't until the Saturday that we connected with an adult golden eagle on the south road of Craig. We spotted the bird from the moving car and before we pulled over and jumped out the eagle had landed and we watched it take flight soaring over our heads before gaining hight and drifting high over the stunning valley and across the mountains. Magical. 

We spent hours driving and waiting at these hot spots with not even a sniff of a goldie, although we were joined by Kristian Wade and his family who were spending their last reminding days of their holiday also looking for golden eagles. 

Otter: Another highlight of our trip was picking up this dog otter foraging in Loch Na Keal on our first day, we watch dit fishing for a short while before it left the water and crossed the road presumably into a nearby halt. 

Short-eared Owl: Here is another one of our target birds that we were hoping to see during our short trip on Mull. 

Short-eared owls breed on the moors throughout the UK, though finding them usually involves a longer trip than watching during the winter. 

We struck luck on Sunday evening as driving early evening we saw a birder stood in a lay-by just past Ardachoil Farm north of Loch Spelve. We pulled over and could see that he was watching a single SEO quartering over the marshy field.

Short-eared owls mainly hunt during the daytime, flying low over moorland, grassland and saltmarshes where they feed on field voles and small birds. About the same size as the barn owl, but with long wings

One of my all time favourite birds Gary and I couldn't pull ourselves away from observing the bird floating over the grassy wet field and periodically turning mid air and punching on its prey, often without success. 

White-tailed Sea Eagle: Unfortunately we were unable to book onto the Mull Charters boat trips but still had some great views of white-tailed eagles and I even had one close to our hotel one morning while I was up real;y looking for otters along then cracky shoreline of the Sound of Mull.

Another good spot for them was along Loch Na Keal and the southern road near Tiroran Community Forest close to Balevulin. A little further south along this road we Loch Beg Bridge we had some nice views of both female and male hen harriers hunting. 

I would like to offer my thanks and appreciation to Rhys Richards who gave me a ton of gen and was a big help in my thinking process and planning of the trip. With a really short amount of time we had his advice and interest was very much appreciated. Cheers again mate. 

Hen Harrier: We had a quality time up here and despite the long arduous wait in the high winds for a brief sighting of a corncrake on Iona and the flat tyre just south of Glasgow on the way home It was brilliant, great birds, great food and some really great beers. 

02/01/2022 Denhall Quay, Neston

Short-eared Owl: One of the premier places for SEO's in the North West can be found towards the old sandstone quay below the Harp Inn where a vast saltmarsh dominated by marram grass. 

Here's lies the RSPB's Dee Estuary nature reserve a huge complex area of habitats covering over 6000 hectares including varying wetland habitats making it the fifth largest RSPB reserve and the largest protected coastal wetland in the UK.

It's important to note that the Dee Estuary as a whole is a designated Special Protection Area for its bird populations, and the saltmarsh itself is a Special Area of Conservation for its plant diversity.

So, it's no wonder that the area holed large numbers of SEO's, hen and marsh harriers, all of which make their winter and some even their summer home on this marsh. 

Today was a shortie bonanza with at least 5, possibly 7 SEO's hunting and quartering from the Denhall Quay.  

This area of marsh is well watched and well known to birders and photographers, it runs parallel to a very popular walking route which draws countless dozens of dog walkers and locals all of whom venture out over the well worn track across the marsh.  

The RSPB have put serval signs regarding ground nesting birds during the breeding season, and from Denhall Quay you can't walk out over the far reaches of the marsh but this doesn't seem to phase the owls as I had three individuals come within a few yards of the Harp Inn, the car park and the area of reedbed close to the Quay.

There was so much action that there were several small groups of birders and photographers spread out watching different birds, so there really wasn't a scramble or rush to see any. 

I love it here, there's a real wildness to the expense of saltmarsh although I know it's pretty well managed. But looking out over an area teaming with birds is always special.  

15/12/2020 Bickershaw Rucks

Short-eared Owl: After dropping Autumn at the childminders I spent the morning on some rough ground at the back of Brecon Drive where a shotie had been reported. 

This rough ground is just north of Bickershaw Rucks which was only 10 minutes away from my front door. Rucks is a local word that seems to indicate old pit workings. These go wild and are reclaimed by nature and present good wildlife habitat.

Almost as soon as I arrived the owl did a 'fly by' right in front of the back gardens to Brecon Drive before perching in some trees opposite the school. 

Shorties have distinctive mottled brown plumage with pale under-wings and striking yellow eyes that betray this as a daytime hunter. Increasingly, this species seems to be overwintering in Britain, when before most either migrated to the north English moors or to continental Europe – as an amber listed species, this is good news.

If anyone intends on going please note - wellies are essential.  

23/02/2019 Parkgate, Cheshire

Short-eared Owl: With Dawn having plans and myself being at a loos end I dropped Damion a text and arranged a day out at the 10m high tide at Parkgate.

Upon arrival we walked the length of the promenade and got our best views of a hunting male hen harrier opposite the Old Quay Stonehouse pub.








As the incoming tide flooded the marsh, the voles were flushed from their homes and move ever closer to the promenade, resulting in a feeding frenzy amongst the owls, harriers and resident kestrels.

The extent of the spectacle is dependent on the weather conditions on the day - low pressure and a strong northwesterly wind are the best to drive the tide in fully, but at this time of year and in these weather conditions we didn't expect the high tide to come right up to the wall.

Still we watched as the water ooze over the marsh and the hunting raptors feeding along he waters edge.

Heading back up to the Old Baths car park we counted six great white egrets, two marsh harrier and had our first glimpse of a male hen harrier that ghosted past us in the distance.

After an hour or so at the Old Baths car park we headed off the get some food and the famous Parkgate chippy and when we returned the ow;ls appeared.

We counted five owls then another two came in making seven in total, several of which came right close in to the car park wall.

We had some better views of ring-tailed hen harriers as the evening drawn in, but the short-eared owls stole the show. 

If you're patient and you know where to look, you can usually see the birds of prey flying over the marsh, but a high tide pushes everything closer, giving even better views and more chance of exciting action.

Marsh Harrier: High tide on the spectacular Dee Estuary is not to be missed.

26/12/2018 Lunt Meadows Nature Reserve

Tree Sparrow: Dawn and I blew away the cobwebs and burned off the mince pies and Christmas pudding on a Boxing Day birding walk.

Lunt meadows was our destiantion a smart little reserve were thousands of wintering ducks, geese, swans and waders use the flooded reedbeds. 

Short-eared Owl: We plenty of wigeon, teal, pintail, shoveler, mallards, lapwings, ruff, snipe and a handfull of whooper swans.

Besides the tree sparrows that gave us pretty good views we also had two short-eared owls that put on a good show.

Lunt is a tranquil wildlife oasis and a perfect getaway for a festive day out.

04/12/2015 Lunt Meadows

Short-eared Owl: This was my first trip to Lunt and it most certainly won't be my last!

From woodland to meadows, wetland to farmland this little reserve comprises of some great habitats and great wildlife.

Lunt Meadows is fast becoming famous for it's owls and currently boasts up to 4 SEO and a couple of Barn Owl.

Although I didn't see any Barn Owl I had a cracking afternoon watching 3 SEO with one individual quartering close in the field behind the main screen.

Encouraged, I moved on and explored the rest of the reserve including a small coppice of woods, then returned to the area where I had previously seen the SEO hunting. The sun was a bit more prevalent and the wind a bit more fierce at this point and after another intensive search I couldn't find any more SEO.

But the local Kestrel put on a good show hovering in near perfect light and I also got distracted by a Peregrine as it disturbed the gaggles of geese and folks of Lapwing.

Overall I thought this was a fantastic small nature reserve, however I have to say that Lunt Meadows is busy with plenty of dog walkers, birders and in almost every bush and along the field margins you will find a long lens poking through.




Still, I would highly recommend a visit to see the owls and take a very pleasant walk and if like me you need to find the directions or want to know a little bit more about this fantastic site then please check out the links below.
http://www.lancswt.org.uk/news/2015/03/16/information-re-lunt-meadows

http://www.visitsouthport.com/things-to-do/sefton-village-and-the-meadows-walk-p240071