Arriving on the Inner Hebridean Isle of Coll began as no easy feat. Ferry cancellation due to prospective high winds made for arrival a day later than anticipated. I have to admit to pondering the sea conditions whilst Oban remained bathed in sunshine with cloudless skies and not a breath of wind! As it happened the 2½ hour trip was a stunner, balmy no less. Perhaps the ‘Costa del Coll’ may turn out to be no word of exaggeration. I kept eyes peeled for any cetaceans on route, though low flying Gannets and a selection of wheeling Gull species were the mainstay of the birdlife. Imposing clouds punctuated by beautiful golden afternoon light made for a spectacular looking Mull. Fortunately it wasn’t until the ferry rounded the NW tip of Mull that the breeze picked up on route to low-lying Coll.
As the ferry docked I happened to be watching a 1st year juvenile Great Black Backed Gull when the very symbol and epitome of Western Isle RSPB conservation flew into my field of view. A majestically magnificent White-Tailed Eagle! I’d previously been involved with the White-Tailed Eagle project on Hoy, Orkney and ironically had not witnessed a bird at such close range. I was able to follow this sub-adult for a good minute as it gently flapped its way across the bay, its barn door wing silhouette absolutely unmistakable. It displayed an absence of adult features including the tan coloured head and white tail and I’d therefore estimate it to be within the first few years of its life. A wonderful welcome to Coll I thought, symbolising the success of initial re-introduction to Rum in 1975.
Following such a positive viewing, I wound my way through Coll’s one and only village, the quaint Arinagour before motoring on to Totronald and RSPB HQ. Though only about 7 miles, I couldn’t help but amble along, following twittering Stonechats, vocal Ravens, a pair of Buzzards and even a female Hen Harrier. Not a bad start for Raptors! Totronald was located close to the end of Coll’s sealed road system and there I was met by Site Manager Ben Jones and his adorable dog Ash. Ben kindly showed me round the accommodation, freshly renovated, in spanking condition and fully equipped. Not dissimilar to a hotel in fact! I took the opportunity to unpack my gear and settle in to island life. My home for the next 2 months.
My first morning on Coll was composed of striking morning sunshine and speaking diplomatically, a bit of a breeze! No doubt mild in comparison to what Winter may throw, it was sufficiently gusty to require layering up. I was introduced to self proclaimed ‘Warden of the North’ David Andrews and we set about running through a Coll induction. Both Ben and David took the time to show me round the site, the barns and the equipment, pointing out anything I may need to know, all the time ably assisted (or is that harassed) by Bens chickens! It was nice to note the prolific quantity of birds attracted to the area, mobs of House Sparrows, Rock Doves and Starlings resplendent in shimmering iridescent plumage. It was only a short time later that whilst checking over RSPB Coll’s fleet of vehicles (a Land Rover, a Polaris ATV and a Massey Ferguson Tractor) a family of Wrens took the opportunity to enter the ATV whilst the door was open and I was sat inside. A unique experience! David and I spent the majority of my first couple of days on Coll exploring the reserve, its boundaries and the magnificent views awarded by its location, particularly those looking towards Feall Bay, Crossapol Bay and Hogh Bay. Our aim was to locate and count livestock, making sure that both cattle and sheep were correctly located in respective grazing areas. This of course to maximise productivity for Coll’s resident birdife, in particular the red-listed Corncrake, with currently around 100 calling males on the island, numbers fluctuating year on year. During this exploratory time we witnessed dust-bathing Skylarks, a mixed flock of Twite and Linnet, flocks of Greylag Geese, hunting Hen Harriers, mobs of Ravens, Red-Throated Divers out at sea, soaring Buzzards and a multitude of Rabbits, with a few Hares thrown in for good measure.
My first week also gave an opportunity to explore Coll’s straight forward and scenic road network, following the solitary road first North to Arinagour and then to the Western side of Coll. Fantastic scenery on route, with many deserted and impressive beaches, it looking every inch the Hebridean Island expected. Returning to Totronald we followed a bumpy track through the sand dune system watching a fast flying Merlin on route.
Last task for my first working week was to gain some experience in fence repair. Ben, David and I headed to a substantial length of fence, significantly damaged by both Hebridean weather and the mass of some large cows making it their mission to get to improved grazing! Utilising the services of a device known colloquially as a ‘naked lady’ (otherwise known as a post-knocker!) we positioned numerous new posts to replace those that had already rotted out. It was then a case of bending the netting wire back into shape, stapling and un-stapling depending on wire condition and using ‘pigtails’ to hold the straight wire to the netting. David devised a useful method of twirling pigtails using a lengthy nail, which helpfully saved everybody’s fingers from consistent wire trapping!
I used my first weekend as a great opportunity to explore some of Coll’s magnificent scenery, walking extensively on the SW peninsular beaches of Feall and Crossapol. The weather had been fantastic since arrival, lengthy periods of sun, zero rain and at times hardly a breath of wind. It really couldn’t have been a nicer time to explore and I was regularly informed that the week had shown superior weather to some months in summer…not an unusually scenario for many areas in the UK! During time walking I counted large mobs of Lapwing, twittering Meadow and Rock Pipit, Linnet and Stonechat, Gannet, Shag and female Eider out at sea, and was curiously investigated by many a head-bobbing Grey Seal. Once back at RSPB HQ I heard and witnessed an unusual event, which was the sound of Rock Doves impacting the side of the building and windows…once I’d traced their whereabouts a Peregrine casually glided on by. That explains that. I was also fortunate enough to watch the Peregrine hunting Doves across the moor land on a couple of other occasions.