Tonight i go to bed a happy man Waxwings at Last!

Until this morning one of my birding goals was to see a Waxwing alive in the flesh. After 41 years i had never managed to catch up with one today things were about to change!

The last few days i have heard reports of Waxwings coming in and think lucky people who spotted them.

Today i managed to see some up close and personal and was just blown away with just how beautiful these birds are.

They seemed to like Rowan Berries in preference to Hawthorn which are second best the pallette of a Waxwing.

During the days a total of x24 Waxwings were spotted. The Birds this afternoon had very full crops and you could visually see a big bulge!.

Also they seemed to be passing the berries very fast as well. Just like a production line.

Waxwing Copyright Michael Leigh-Mallory 2010.

This Waxwing briefly came into a garden and around 8-9 Birds cleared the remaining berries in a matter of minutes.

They continued in the local area in their quest for food.

The Colours are just simply stunning from the vivid red, Yellow markings to the delicate pastel shades of the main plumage colouration.

So a brilliant day really and a first for me.



Tuesday 25th October 2010 In search of Waxwings!

Well today broke with a hard frost and a bit of defrosting required abut this gave way to another lovely day although a bit on the cold side!

The Stags are beginning to settle down with the majority of the work done after a long hard Rut!

They really do look mean but also extremely lean rutting takes it out of them, sex is the only thing on their minds and sleeping and eating take second place during October.

Curlew, redshank, greenshank, wigeon, teal, mallard, red-breasted
merganser, great northern diver, little grebe, greylag, grey heron. all species making an appearance of late.

Adult White tailed overhead this afternoon with a lone Adult Golden eagle in Glen More.

This afternoon i went in search of Waxwings a few flocks have been sighted on the island. Not in luck today but never give up trying the best sightings come when you least expect it in the world of wildlife watching.

Brilliant sighting this morning after observing a large number of gulls on the water in Loch Scridain the scope came out and there amongst the action were x2 Minke whales. They put on a magnificant display for around an hour. Always check out large numbers of Gulls they are there for a reason.

Well you never know what might turn up next so stay posted.

Mike & John.

Friday 15th October Our New Logo!

As mentioned in our last blog Mull In Focus has been awarded a 4 star rating by the Visit Scotland Quality Assurance scheme,

We can now proudly show our new logo we are legally entitled to use for promotion and advertising our business.

A 4 star rating Wildlife experience considers our business to offer an Excellent service.

So if your travelling to Mull In 2011 we are looking forward to welcoming you to a magnificant island its scenery and fantastic wildlife.

Mike.

Stars in their eyes! October 12th 2010

Mull In Focus subscribes to the visit Scotland Quality assurance scheme. We have just recieved some fantastic news our business has gained 4 stars which ranks us as (Excellent).

We are very proud of our ranking and fully committed to giving our customers a quality wildlife viewing experience.

I recommend customers to look for the Visit Scotland Quality Assurance logo when visiting websites etc.

Well the rut is now in full swing and mornings and both evenings provide a great atmosphere in the glens and moorland.

It really is very special and we love listening and enjoying the atmosphere.

John had a nice outing today with great views of a Bitch Otter and two cubs in the water fishing, playing and well dozing on the rocks close to shore.

Weather great here on Mull Heatwave! Only joking but very nice.

A while later a couple of adults White-Tailed Eagles soared over the horizon and gave us a great display.

One of our local sea lochs produced a few Great Northern Divers. Red Breasted Merganser, Shags and Comorant.

Loads of species of fungi around at the moment and quite a few Dragonflies still around.

A trip to a favourite spot just a few days back produced a mixed flock of around 20 Rooks, Hooded Crows and Ravens in aerial jousting. Some of the birds seemed to be carrying stones pieces of wood in their beaks.

So is the nice weather the calm before the storm? Only time will tell but Mull is great whatever the weather.

John & Mike.