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Written by Jeff Clarke
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Monday, 29 October 2012 20:42 |
Mistle Rush
In the past couple of weeks I've taken several opportunities to enjoy a few hours 'vis migging' at my favourite local migration hotspot of Hale Head, not very far from Liverpool Airport. As usual the migrant totals are being dominated by Wood Pigeons and currently the winter thrushes are piling through. A feature of this autumn has been the steady passage of the forgotten throstle in the shape of the garrulous Mistle Thrush. Each year small numbers pass through Hale Head, but this year there seemed to be a significantly more than usual. You can often be mislead by 'gut feelings' so I did a little research and low and behold at least 40% of UK migration watch sites on Trektellen have record numbers of Mistle Thrushes on passage this autumn. so it isn't just a local phenomena and I wasn't imagining it.
Trektellen is a site worth investigating if you are interested in the movement of regular migrants as opposed to rarity chasing.
I'll keep checking for those weather windows and hoping we get plenty more to enjoy this autumn. Just for the record, there is a marked increase in Coal Tit passage, and Lesser Redpolls are also being seen in higher than average numbers as well. |
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Written by Jeff Clarke
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Monday, 03 September 2012 07:42 |
North of the Border
As is my norm these days I've been spending several weeks of the summer running courses for the Field Studies Council in Scotland, based out of Kindrogan. I finished my most recent course on Invertebrate Survey Techniques on the 25th August and then continued my Scottish sojourn for a few more days with the Cheshire Mammal Group. There are three blogs on the Wild Kindrogan Blog site detailing the courses and events of these tours Cheshire Mammal Group at Kindrogan, Invertebrate Survey Techniques Course & Wildlife Explorers 2012.
After leaving Kindrogan we headed for Gairloch on the spectacular west coast of the highlands. Our priority was to get out on the Hebridean Whale Cruise boat to see some cetaceans. We arrived in a gale and hoped for better weather to come. Twelve hours later calm sees greeted the dawn and we set out into The Minch. We enjoyed a good variety of seabirds, including a breathless pursuit between a Kittiwake and a pale phase Arctic Skua, we were also checked out by a Great Skua (Bonxie). Cetaceans were notable by their absence, save for a few glimpses of Harbour Porpoise until on our return we intercepted a pod of Short Beaked Common Dolphin, which played around our boat and sped along in the bow wave for several minutes. Later that day we headed for Red Point and observed more porpoises and dolphins, two close inshore Otters and a few Atlantic Grey Seals
We had missed out on the Minke Whales so the following day we took the ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway, The trip out was quiet with just a few Short-beaked Common Dolphins in view. The return leg was entirely different with 15 Minke Whales showing, including several close individuals, which I managed not to photograph, so a good reason to go back and try again. In total we managed an impressive 24 species of mammal in just a five days.
I'm running a Small Mammals Course in Scotland later this autumn. Can't wait! |
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Written by Jeff Clarke
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Wednesday, 11 July 2012 07:34 |
Picos de Europa 2012
All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2012
My annual wildlife tour to the Picos de Europa in partnership with Teresa Farino of Iberian Wildlife Tours was as interesting and wildlife packed as ever. Combine that with the stunning scenery and you have a recipe for a contented group of 14 wildlife enthusiasts and paying customers. On this tour we also spent a few days in neighbouring Castile. The weather was mostly hot and sunny and something of a contrast with the UK.
The big highlight of the first full day was the magical setting of the high mountains accessed by the cable car at Fuente de and here we revelled in a full suite of mountain birds including amazing views of Wallcreeper, often with several birds in view at one time! This was just the start of another superb tour of one of Europes most beautiful and important areas of biodiversity
I'll be putting together a full review of the tour in due course but for now here is a taster of the wildlife we encountered during the 10 day tour. |
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Written by Jeff Clarke
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Wednesday, 11 July 2012 06:49 |
Uist
All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2012
In recent weeks I've been fortunate enough to visit some scenically spectacular places. None more so than the Islands of North and South Uist, Benbecula and Berneray. I spent a week there co-leading an FSC Holiday with my old friend Martyn Jamieson. We had a lovely group of 11 people with us and enjoyed showing them everything from leaping Common Dolphins to 'krecking' Corncrakes, rare bumblebees, orchid filled coastal grasslands.
What follows is not a poem but just few of the observations made in the bewitching Western Isles.
Ice crystals strewn across a vast wind-ripped sky,
silver dappled wavelets lapping on the pristine shore
The 'Heather-bleater' drums his rhythmic thrum as the sea-pie explodes in protest at the unseen intruder.
Lochans spill, like beadlets of water on an Otters pelt, across the peaty mires.
Endless shores arc away seeking a golden ratio, an obedient servant to the 'Rule of Thirds'
Peewits tumble across the gold spangled Machair
A ghostly grey spectre quarters with eyes sharp to the unwary movement
The distant keening calls of a thousand wading birds mark his passage
And there, out across the shimmering sea, float the peaks of St Kilda. |
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Written by Jeff Clarke
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Thursday, 31 May 2012 08:50 |
Rock Nightmares!
All images unless otherwise stated © Jeff Clarke 2012
One of the fun things about turning over rocks is the frisson of uncertainty you get from never being 100% sure if the creature that resides below is capable of expressing its annoyance at having the roof lifted of its abode by indulging in a bout of physical retaliation. Even veterans of the pastime sometimes get a little jumpy when you uncover something with a potent bite, or sting.
Whilst Co-leading a wildife tour in Grazalema with Teresa Farino we managed to reveal some fearsome invertebrates capable of getting your instant respect and a degree of circumspection in your approach due to their impressive weaponry. Anyone who has ever turned over rocks in southern Spain will at some point uncover a Scorpion, in our case it was the notably venomous Buthus occitanus, often referred to as the Common Yellow Scorpion.
Rather more unnerving was the fast wriggling multi-legged Scolopendra cingulatus, or Megarian Banded Centipede. It's bite is powerful and potentially dangerous and you would certainly know about it, definitely something to get your spine tingling as it whips about in indignation.
However the star attraction was probably a mighty arachnid, Europe's largest spider as it happens, a black silky beauty with fangs to die for! The Gibraltar Funnel Web Macrothele calpeiana. The stuff of nightmares for arachnophobes. Confined to the southern reaches of Spain this is an absolute beast of a spider and this trip provided me with my first encounter with this seriously impressive invertebrate. A real highlight of the trip and worth turning over dozens of rocks to secure such a prize! Luckily these things stay hidden during the day and don't enter buildings, so you can sleep easily.
We will be announcing our 2013 tours in September 2012. |
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