Another sticky hot day today at the Mull and I've just been watching the herring gulls feasting on swarms of flies over the heath. I remember watching this last year on a similar day, it is quite a spectacle as you don't usually see herring gulls behaving like swallows.
People taking part in our guided walks over the past few weeks have been treated to views of an increasing number of butterflies and bugs. Today was particularly good as we were joined by Alan, a soon-to-be local volunteer at the Mull. Alan has a really broad knowledge of wildlife and his expertise was a welcome additional ingredient. Today we saw a grayling butterfly as well as our usual burnet moths, common blue, meadow brown and green-veined butterflies. There is less cuckoo spit about but we are now seeing tiny froghoppers and also grasshoppers. The heath is teeming and jumping with these plus hoverflies, bees, soldier flies, soldier beetles and my favourite, the rose chafer beetles.
Grayling - copyright Alan Richards
Many of our seabirds are still nesting on the cliffs. It is principally just the kittiwakes on the cliffs below the lighthouse, with some very fluffy chicks. The lower rocks are often filled with juvenile shags, hanging around looking shifty and waiting to be fed. There are still a few guillemot chicks, as well as herring gull chicks and a blobby little fulmar chick just off the reserve to the west. We watched the fulmar chick as its parent flew off for a fishing trip, leaving it looking extremely vulnerable. This chick is capable of defending itself in a spectacularly revolting way - it can spit a foul smelling, fishy oil at a would-be predator. Most predators would learn to go for an easier target and give the fulmar chick a wide berth!
Fulmar chick copyright Sue Wolfe
There are many juvenile birds on the heathland to test our ID skills - today we saw pied wagtails and whitethroats but there have been regular sightings of linnets, goldfinches (minus their red head markings) and wheatears. Not to mention stone chats, meadow and rock pipits.
Just off the reserve, near Kennedy's cairn a red kite was wheeling and throwing the kittiwakes into a panic this afternoon - this is a very rare sighting. A kestrel was hunting nearby - a double blow for the small mammals and birds in the area.
Guided walks continue on Tuesdays and Thursdays - no need to book, just turn up at the RSPB visitor centre for 1pm.