Well today has certainly brought a change in the weather! No longer the blue skies and warm sun of the last few weeks, but wind and rain that so far is not letting up! So I didn’t hold out much hope of seeing anything much this morning on my usual Monday morning check of the trails, thinking most wildlife would be hunkered down rather than springing around my ankles as it usually is. But as I turned onto the road between the Moorland and Woodland trails, I was amazed to see around 30 Swallows swooping really low, all the way up and down the road in front of me! In amongst them was a Housemartin too, its white rump flashing as it twisted and turned, and I was spellbound watching them all for a few minutes before I started to walk slowly up the road, the birds swooping all around me, unconcerned and totally focussed on what they were doing – hunting insects. It was only yesterday that I was reading in Richard E. Elliott's book 'Birds of Islay' (thanks Ken for your copy!) that Swallows “catch insects whilst flying at low levels” - check - and that “in high winds they often fly back and forth in the lee of woods or other sheltered places where insects are likely to collect” - check! These canny birds were indeed using the shelter of the woodland to hunt in calmer conditions, the wind being so strong that it was difficult for them to fly in more open areas. An unforgettable moment. If only I’d had my camera with me.....
Meanwhile, back at the Visitor Centre, creatures were stirring....this afternoon when I was catching up on a few things in the back office, in the relative quiet I could hear, every now and again, a scratching, scraping sound. Eventually curiosity got the better of me and here’s what I found in a plastic cup on a shelf....
I think it’s a type of ground beetle, certainly a beautiful little thing whatever it turns out to be! Must find that insect book...
Anyway, as someone said to me today after watching Lapwing chicks just getting on with things despite the driving rain and high winds, “even on a day like to day, Nature doesn’t take a day off!”