May

20th: up to 8 House Martins over Treshnish wood for over an hour (hopefully these are new arrivals some of which could breed), 1 Wood Pigeon and 1 Sparrowhawk over Treshnish wood.

The Black-headed Gull was seen again flying to the lochan. It is a first summer bird so is unlikely to be breed.
19th: 1 Spotted Flycatcher by Ensay Burn cattle-grid (my first of the year and last of the common migrants).
It just needs to open its mouth to feed.


Heath Spotted-orchid flowering by our house (my first of the year).

18th: Exciting news today. There is a new breeding species in Treshnish wood, Sparrowhawk. I went looking to see if any Bird's-nest Orchids were emerging. As I left the site I heard the alarm calls of a Sparrowhawk. It moved from tree to tree and I got a brief view of the tail. Then finally it circled over the wood and I was sure it wasn't a Kestrel.
It is good to be proved wrong. Last month I saw a Sparrowhawk enter the wood with prey but soon after one flew towards Calgary with a full crop. I presumed that it was breeding elsewhere. About 6 weeks ago a Sparrowhawk was found dead at Treshnish House. My last sighting at Treshnish was on the 11th of May but in the last week I have heard alarm calls in front of our house and I thought could have been caused by a Tawny Owl as no cat was seen. Now I am thinking it could have been a Sparrowhawk. Sparrowhawks can be incredibly secretive when breeding and it was only because I must have been close to the nest that it was so alarmed today.
Also Wood Pigeon calling in Treshnish wood and Bullfinches are still around.
Still no luck with the Bird's-nest Orchids so it looks like it will be another year. A nearby Narrow-leaved Helleborine is flowering

and on 11th a nearby Broad-leaved Helleborine plant was emerging (note to self - cage by runnel by fallen conifer at cliff).
Coming home I saw a Mountain Hare next to the nibbled Narrow-leaved Helleborine by our house,

notice the cage on the right to protect the plant (too soon to see how the damage is doing). Perhaps the hare is the culprit although it could just as likely have been another animal e.g. vole.
Carolyne saw 4 Mountain Hares near Treshnish House.
17th: 4 Mountain Hares eating peacefully on our lawn at dusk (a garden record). Now I am getting worried about our emerging potatoes. In previous years, at this time of year, there has often been a Red Deer in the wood but last year for the first time one took a fancy to our potato leaves which they had shown no interest in before. I had made the false assumption that the leaves were inedible or at least badly tasting. I am hoping the potatoes will survive the night but we don't feel like scaring the hares away.
16th: 2 Mountain Hares in our garden in the early morning and 3 there at 6pm and Carolyne saw 5 below Treshnish House!
13th: 1 Arctic Tern at sandbank at corner of Craignure golf-course, House Martins at Craignure, Sedge Warbler heard at Dervaig reed-beds (all firsts of the year).
At least 2 Porpoises on Craignure - Oban ferry (between the Lismore lighthouses and Oban).
12th: 1 Black-headed Gull flying to Treshnish lochan. Maybe there is a pair. Breeding would be a first for Treshnish.

Willow Warbler collecting nesting material at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.


Guests in Shian had an amazing 2 hour encounter with Otter and cub near whisky cave (not sure of date). The mother was catching fish and putting them in a rock pool (live) for the youngster to catch!
9th: 1 Whitethroat heard at Treshnish Old schoolhouse (my first of the year).
8th: an advantage of lazy gardening.
Bullfinches.





Leena saw both Mountain Hares in the garden in the morning.
There was just the one in the evening.

7th: 1 White-tailed Eagle flew west over Treshnish wood.
3rd: A Song Thrush was taking food to it's nest beside east cottage.
2nd: We just heard that Liz Summers, a guest at East cottage, Haunn saw a Chough on the 27th at 7.30pm just a few hundred yards beyond the cottages. This is a rare bird on Mull although there was one present from at least 20 Nov 2012 to 16 Jan 2013 along the cliffs on the southern Treshnish boundary.
This is the previous bird.

1 Collared Dove and 1 Black-headed Gull at Treshnish wood (both uncommon at Treshnish).
Our daily visitor to our lawn, a Mountain Hare.

1st: 1 White-tailed Eagle over Dervaig and 2 adults over Langamull car park (couldn't see any tags).
All 3 divers in calgary bay, Black-throated, Red-throated and Great Northern. This is the first time I've seen all 3 in one day and this was all at the same site. Black-throated Diver is uncommon on Mull.
1 male Blackcap in Treshnish wood (my first of the year), and 3 Lapwings and 2-3 Whinchats by road at north end of Loch Frisa near Loch an Torr (my first of the year).

April

30th: Tawny Owl heard hooting again during the daytime at 3.30pm near the owl box in Treshnish wood, 1 or 2 Black-throated Divers in Calgary bay (1 at the beach and 1 at Lainne Sgeir)
On the 14th of this month our neighbours sent me a photo of an insect which had crawled onto their camera bag at Ardalanish. They wanted to know if I had any idea what it was. I hadn't a clue but the next day had a look through my general insect book to see if that would point me in the right direction. After about half an hour I couldn't even see a likely candidate family but in the back of my mind I had an idea it could be a female flightless moth. There are very few of this kind of moth and the ones I was aware of were all very drab but even so it took no time at all to find a flightless moth which fitted, Belted Beauty. I still wasn't 100% sure because the illustration in my moth book didn't show the colours bright enough but after a search of the internet and a read through the species habitat, I knew it was definitely this species. But this is only half the story. Reading through the species account I realised this is no ordinary moth but a Red Data species, a rare moth. I contacted Alan Skeates our vice-county recorder and he confirmed the identification and informed me of known sites and sent me some excellent photos. Unfortunately it was not a new site (although only discovered at Ardalanish in 2010). The only other site on Mull is at Ardmeanach and also on Iona. but maybe someone reading this will find a new colony at Calgary or Langamull as the habitat where it is found in west Scotland is on machair.
This is one of Alan Skeates photos of the flightless female.

male

and pair together.

The White-ramping Fumitories which over-wintered at our house are doing extremely well, so much so that their flowering stems have outgrown their protective cages. I watered them yesterday as the leaves looked faded. Today I realised what is happening. All the plant's energy is going into flowering and the leaves look as though they are starting to die back. Last week 2 of the unprotected plants at Treshnish House had one floret almost in full flower and so unless they have been eaten they should be doing well by now. A third plant at Treshnish house overwintered as little more than a seedling so I imagine that will flower later. I can't take decent photographs because of the cages

and I can't remove the cages without damaging the plants. Next year there should be a decent seed bank and they will have to manage without protection. The transplanting experiment has been a success as one flowering plant in 2012 has expanded to 6-7 flowering plants, 4 of which are flowering profusely.
Went to see if the Bird's-nest Orchid in Treshnish wood is emerging yet but still no sign. The nearby Narrow-leaved Helleborine is about 4" of leafy sheath. This plant was later that the one beside our house which has hardly grown since the tip was eaten which shows how badly the latter plant has been affected. 
29th: 3 White Wagtails,

2 Whimbrels, 3 Dunlin at Langamull.

Rock Pipit with some features of Scandinavian Rock Pipit at stony beach at mouth of stream to west of Langamull.

1 Black-throated Diver off Calgary pier.
We saw a pair of Herons flying to the nest site so I must have been wrong about them sitting on eggs (unless the have had a people like last year when the first clutch were found by regular guest Craig, on the ground). I won't disturb them to check.
Early-purple Orchid flowering at Langamull (my first of the year).

28th: Heard a Tawny Owl hooting during the day, once at 16.15 and again at 18.30. Both (at this time of year) in broad daylight. Both times there was a short hoo which is hard to recognise followed a couple of seconds later by one typical full wavering hoot.
I have heard them before calling in the daytime but at first I couldn't quite believe myself particularly as it doesn't appear to repeat and as the short hoo is not easily recognisable.
A paper is being written on this subject in British Birds magazine so it will be interesting to see, from the records sent in by people like myself, if there is a seasonal or regional pattern.
These are my previous records when I have made a note of the date. [Not including daytime calling of young birds or adults with young birds]:
Date Time
08/06/2013 daytime
19/05/2012 16.00
28/03/2012 daytime
21/06/2011 Mid-day
20/04/2011 Mid-day
14/05/2010 early afternoon

Also today 2 adult White-tailed Eagles on hill behind Ensay farmhouse (1 was yellow tagged C and the other was untagged). These eagles are from different pairs and I have just heard that the yellow tagged pair are now on eggs at a new relatively close by site from the nest that fell down in the winter storm. This pair from 2006 have only tried to breed once, last year, but failed.
Sparrowhawk again over Treshnish wood and Bullfinches heard.
27th: At Loch Frisa: at least 1 Common Sandpiper at fish-farm (and another at Dervaig - my first of the year), 1 Tree Pipit and 2 Chiffchaffs (my first of the year), 1 Lapwing beside main road at north end, 1 male Hen Harrier at usual spot.
At Treshnish, a pair of Bullfinches in Treshnish wood (I have heard them for over a week and saw them yesterday but today was the first day I was 100% sure).
This Sparowhawk flew from the Sitheans behind our house into Treshnish wood.

 
 

I am pretty sure it only flew to a safe place to eat it because there has never been any indication of breeding in the wood and 20 minutes later presumably the same flew towards Calgary.
Buzzard

It was very disappointing to see that something has nibbled to tip of the emerging sheath of Narrow-leaved Helleborine neatest our house. Stupid of me to think it could survive without protection. Now it has a cage an plastic collar and hopefully it is only the leaf tips that have been damaged and not the flower buds. Last year I protected it and it flowered and produced 3 fruits. It has flowered on its own in the first year we found it but it has been damaged enough to prevent flowering on at least 2 other years.
26th: I was politely asked to get off the lawn so dinner could be eaten.


25th: 4 Twite at Duill cottage.
24th: 1 White-tailed Eagle on Beinn Bhuidhe and presumably the same an hour later.
Heron returning to nest.

23rd: Heard my first Cuckoo today at Treshnish wood (Leena tells me she heard one in last few days).
21st: 1 juvenile Golden Eagle flew south over Treshnish wood, chased by a Raven. High up, it was being watched by another 2 Golden Eagles as it flew up Ensay Burn.
My first flowering Bluebell near Treshnish wood Nissen hut.
20thLinnet and Lesser Redpoll at Treshnish wood (my first of the year).
Buzzard

Meadow Pipit

Lesser Black-backed Gull

19th: 1 Twite just a few feet from the van near the cowbarn but I had no camera.
18th: 1 Twite calling on the Studio roof.
Carolyne told me a Cuckoo was heard at Crackaig today (the first of the year)
17th: 1 Mountain Hare in our garden.

I was happy yo see it eating the docks.

16th: Went quickly passed last years Heron nest site and they must be on eggs by now. Both birds were flushed. One came back very quickly as I kept on moving.
2 Willow Warblers in Treshnish wood (1 singing, 1 silent), my firsts of the year, 1 Canada Goose flying west passed Ensay Burn mouth (they are scarce in this part of the island).
Guests at Duill cottage saw a flock of 15+ Swallows flying by below the cottage.
A pod of at least 5 Bottle-nosed Dolphins swimming east passed Ensay Burn mouth into Calgary bay.



I had a look to see if the Bird's-nest Orchids had started to emerge yet. Not so far. I have only ever seen old stems in Treshnish wood (both of which are still standing plus another old 'bird's -nest' of roots). It didn't flower last year, so I'm looking forward to seeing it as it emerges.
Butterbur by Ensay Burn mouth is flowering.
15th: 2 Sand Martins at Dervaig (my first of the year), 1 Otter off Pennygowan (the one south of Salen).
2 Mountain Hares on our lawn in the early morning sun.

14th: Carolyne told me about seeing the first Swallow at Treshnish House so I went to have a look.


1 male Hen Harrier at Creag a' Chaisteil (above Ensay fort).
My first Twite of the year, a male calling below the cow-barn.
Pied Wagtail.


Hooded Crow.

1 Mountain Hare at our house

and presumably this is another unless it circled right around me and the house.


First sign of leaves emerging on the Narrow-leaved Helleborine nearest Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.
It was too small amongst the vegetation to get a photo but it is coming from exactly the same spot as the old growth from the last 2 years.
11th: Malcolm has been seeing the Peregrine since that first sighting on the 7th.
10th: 1 immature White-tailed Eagle flew west below Treshnish wood and 2 hours later 2 on Beinn Bhuidhe.
9th: Mountain Hare grooming by our back door.


7th: 1 immature White-tailed Eagle flew over Treshnish wood towards Treshnish House.


Malcolm Ward saw a female Peregrine and untagged White-tailed Eagle in Port Haunn area (possibly same eagle as my photos above?).
The Mountain Hare is on our garden every day.


This from near our house looks like flowering Ling! I will check tomorrow with a magnifying glass to check it isn't the dried flowers from last year but I don't think it is.

We have has some heathers flowering in our garden for a few weeks but I presumed they must be artificial varieties. Now I am not so sure. We have had a very warm winter.
5th: Guests at Haunn saw reported seeing a female Otter with 2 large cubs at Port Haunn this week, possibly on the 4th).
We are seeing 1 Mountain Hare in our garden every day (morning and evening today).
4th: 3 Redwings in Treshnish wood.