Steve Docker is a Resource Development Officer with Field Studies Council Publications. Here he describes a two-centre summer holiday in search of Scottish island wildlife in the Firth of Clyde.
An extended weekend
My wife and I enjoy exploring Scottish islands in search of wildlife. This summer we booked onto ‘Scottish Island Birds’ at Field Studies Council Millport. The centre is located on the small island of Great Cumbrae. We joined four likeminded folks on this weekend course led by Jack Lucas, an excellent tutor and wildlife guide. The first day was spent investigating Great Cumbrae, and on the second day we travelled by ferry to sample the wildlife of the Isle of Arran. The ferry journeys gave us ample opportunity to look for seabirds and marine mammals.
After the course, we met with friends on the Isle of Arran and took the opportunity for a closer look at the island and its wildlife. Our travels involved a total of eight ferry journeys, and over a period of five days we saw 53 bird and 5 mammal species. I also submitted over 100 biological records. Here are some of the highlights…
Isle of Arran
On our first full day on the Isle of Arran my wife and I, with two friends, set out in our mobile hide (our electric car) to explore the east coast from the ferry town of Brodick heading north to Sannox. This coast road hugs the rocky shoreline with views out over the Firth of Clyde towards the mainland. We then headed inland along the North Sannox Glen to Lochranza at the northwest tip of the island and returned along the same route.
I drove as slowly as I could and all of us kept a good lookout for wildlife. We made frequent stops to take in the scenery and undertake pro-active scanning using a combination of four sets of eyes, binoculars and a telescope. It was my job to set up the telescope so that everyone could get good views.
Wader challenge
We pulled off the road at a scenic parking spot and began scanning the rocky shoreline with our binoculars.
I noted an adult Common Gull standing on a boulder and then I also noticed a small pale object below amongst the stones. After locating the object with the telescope, it turned out to be a Common Gull chick, the black dots on its head clearly visible. Further scanning with the telescope located three more chicks.
As I swept the telescope looking for more chicks, I noticed a small wader a little distance beyond the gulls, perhaps 50 metres away. Unfortunately it was partially obscured by a large rock, so all I could see was a straight, dark bill, about the same length as the head. It moved slightly and I could see that the shoulder area (the area between breast and wing) was pale and ‘hook’ shaped, like the bird was wearing ‘braces’.
This was a great opportunity to consult our bird guides and to test WildID Waders of Britain and Ireland, released last year. After a short while the bird moved again. This confirmed that it was indeed small because although I had to make allowance for the extra distance, I could compare its size against the nearby gull chicks. It also had relatively short legs and made rapid movements. The slightly crouched posture and habitual bobbing motion at the rear confirmed it as a Common Sandpiper.
Raptor challenge
As we retraced our route heading southeast along North Glen Sannox there was a cry of ‘Raptor’ from the back of the car. A large, low flying, raptor had been spotted heading in the opposite direction back up the Glen. I managed to snatch a brief glimpse. The bird was flying at about the same level as us with relatively deep, slow wingbeats and I could make out a creamy-buff colouration.
The bird landed in a tree at the edge of a plantation next to a patch of pale Larch trees. After stopping the car and scanning with binoculars I thought that I could see it. I managed to locate the bird with the telescope, the bird perching with its back to us.
There was no size comparator available, and distance can be deceptive. Later, I worked out that it was about 500 metres from us. However, its deep, slow wingbeats suggested that it was a large bird. Using the telescope, I could see that it was large bodied, and when it turned its head to one side its head looked small in relation to its body, another sign that it was indeed a large raptor. The bill was hooked with some yellow. The tail was sparsely barred, appearing darker at the trailing edge. With a wingspan up to 220cm, this was the majestic Golden Eagle.
The one that got away!
It was late afternoon, and the tide was at its lowest level exposing the rocky foreshore. We slowly eased our way south towards Brodick and as we approached Leucheram Burn, about 70 metres from the road, was a large Otter. Sat on a half-submerged bolder, it had its back to us but we could see that it was devouring a crab supper. The male otter finished its prey and slid back into the water. Soon it returned with another large crab, claws snapping away at the otter’s snout. The otter placed the crab on the protruding rock but looked away for a spit second. The crab took its chance and made a sharp exit sideways, disappearing back into the sea. The Otter swam off, seemingly unconcerned.
Our final day
It was our final day on the Isle of Arran, and we decided to revisit the east coast between Brodick and Sannox. This time my wife drove the car so I could keep a look out for wildlife. As we approached Corrieburn Bridge I noticed two birds swimming on the surface of relatively calm water close to the shoreline. At first, I thought they were ducks or maybe sawbills, but something was different. They looked quite long bodied, and their straight, pointed bill was held tilted upwards. The car was still moving but I managed to get a shaky view of them in my binoculars. To my amazement they were two Red-throated Divers in their breeding plumage.
We stopped the car and I set up the telescope as quickly as I could in case they decided to leave. However, we need not have worried because they stayed in the shallows, and we were able to get brilliant views of their uniform grey head, finely striped black and white neck sides and brick-red throat patch. So much so that I managed to take some photographs. This was a real treat because I had only ever seen this species in its subdued white and mottled grey, non-breeding plumage.
Not quite over
One week later, back home in Derbyshire, we were treated to an on-line zoom presentation on ‘Seabird Ecology’ by our Millport tutor, Jack Lucas. This closed off our amazing wildlife adventure.
Want to learn more?
Field Studies Council have a range of courses. This includes the three-week online course ‘Discovering Seabirds’ with Jack Lucas.
To help us all appreciate and enjoy biodiversity and better understand the changing state of nature the Field Studies Council has produced a wide range of high-quality identification resources such as the WildID fold-out guides and Aids to Identification in Difficult Groups of Animals & Plants (AIDGAP). The guides are available from the Field Studies Council online shop.