Wednesday 14 August 2013

A Day's Wildlife


Many thanks to Kilchoan Early Bird for this picture of dolphins swimming off Mingary Castle this morning.  The builders working at the castle reported seeing the same pod.

This lion's mane jellyfish, its bell about 18" across, was washed up below the castle.  One of the builders said he had been out fishing yesterday and had encountered the biggest one he'd ever seen - as he put it, "the size of a car bonnet".

The builders also had a good view of two sea eagles.  This one, which was mobbed by half a dozen seagulls, spent some time soaring over the CalMac pier before finally being driven off.  Gulls must be tremendous irritants to these magnificent birds, as irritating as midges are to us.

It's a adult sea eagle with its characteristic white tail, and it has a blue tag.  The other eagle was a juvenile sea eagle which passed right over the castle, much to the delight of a group of wildlife watchers.

 Back at home, we had an unusual visitor to our peanut feeder - a field mouse.

The small bird population was thoroughly put out by this cheeky competition, but seemed unwilling to challenge his position.  We didn't see him arrive, but he must have climbed the six foot bamboo pole and then crossed to the feeder along a thin piece of wire.  His way of getting down was much more simple: he jumped off, landing in a small shrub.

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