I was fortnate yesterday to join local Scottish Natural Heritage staff, Kevin and Max, on a trip to Mousa. SNH undertake an annual survey of grey seal pups in Shetland and usually find around 100 pups each year on Mousa.
The photos below can only provide a glimpse into what a beautiful morning it was.
Alan and Norman make the boat ready, whilst Kevin and Max look forwards to their first autumn/winter trip to Mousa.
Harbour seal (also known as common seals) leave Mousa for the winter, having had their pups and moulted their coat. These were hauled up in Aithsvoe (where the Mousa ferry was departing from this year)
Mousa silhouetted by the 10am sun. Unfortunately, my camera (and skills) didn't allow me to photograph the birds we saw on the way. In autumn/winter, Mousa Sound is home to black guillemots (in their dapper winter plumage), shags, fulmars and large rafts of eider ducks. In many years a visiting king eider might spend its winter with the local, less dramatic looking eiders. Unfortunately, the rafts of 50+ birds were too far away for me to check.
For those who have visited Mousa before, you may recognise this West Ham area, where the ferry arrives between April and September. I have visited Mousa often at this time of year, but I always get a deligthful surprise seeing the seal pups where, in summer, there are usually children and visitors. The mother seals may be on land next to their pup or can be found in the sea nearby. A large bull, or beach baron as I've heard them referred to, usually patrols the area. Whilst he waits to get his "moment" with a female, he's not afraid to take on another male in a scurmish.
Now for some extreme "aaaaah" moments.
Thanks hugely to Max for the last three photos.
Long-term monitoring is ever so important to get an idea on how various species are getting on. Seals, like seabirds, can serve as an indicator to the health of the marine environment. Visit SNH's website to find out more about grey seals in Scotland. To find out more about seals, studies, identification, conservation and more visit the Sea Mammal Research Unit's website
Whilst SNH undertook their seal survey, I used my time to look for lumps of brown candlewax along this rumbled down wall.
This may sound a bit bizarre, but back in spring I found myself melting candles and stirring into them... cocoa powder. Well, being a chocoholic, this was difficult enough in principal to do (a crime against chocolate!) let alone make sure the wax blocks were smooth sided and that I didn't wreck my kitchen utensils in the process. After a wee while, I mastered it (knackering my pan, lasagne dish and spoons). The tried, tested and successful idea has been devised to determine whether rodents are present in an area. Rodents have a habit of sampling potential food and have a taste for chocolate. Should they gnaw on the chocolate wax, their teeth mark would be left.
Should rats or mice be on the Mousa... well,I don't like to imagine the consequences. Mousa is a very important breeding site for storm petrels. Surprisingly, some chicks may still be on the island waiting to fledge. It is almost impossible to imagine that a seabird, smaller than a starling, is still raising its chick in November! You may have heard recently of the rat eradication work that RSPB are doing on Henderson Island (near Pitcairn Island), to help seabirds like petrels. Rat eradication uses a lot of resources, but the time, money and effort put in is well worth it. I wish everyone involved in that project the very best of luck.
Having located the wax (all were in pristine condition), I took a moment to walk around the north end of Mousa. We usually avoid the area in breeding season, to give the birds a bit of peace. I visited the Catti Geo area and was reminded of a visit made in spring with the Ness Under 14 football team.
Back in early spring, this area was a mess. It was covered in rubbish driven by the sea and wind, but we removed around twenty sacks (of mostly plastic), some wheels and large containers. The team and their parents did a great job. I wonder if the storm petrels which nest within the area appreciated it?
It was quite strange for me walking around the north end of the island at this time of year. In breeding season, the air is thick with the sound of skylarks, meadow pipits, terns, skuas, wrens, snipe and more. Yesterday, it was totally quiet except for the sea, the distant sound of seals, and the odd snipe or redshank that flew of alarming. As with a visit to so many RSPB reserves, Mousa always creates a lifelong memory.