A bright and very breezy day here at the Mull today. It's quiet this afternoon so I thought I would squeeze in a blog-ette, mainly because I have a terrible pun burning a hole in my pocket and a photo to illustrate said terrible pun! As I walked round the reserve yesterday I counted several Fox Moth caterpillars - they're really cuddly looking, furry little fellows but it's probably best to leave them where they are since they can irritate your skin. I also spotted several mounds of freshly turned earth which can only mean one thing: mole activity. Surely this must be the Mole of Galloway?
Most of the wildlife has been hunkered down today, but visitors this afternoon have reported a kestrel hovering near the cliffs in search of an imprudent vole or pipit. Skylarks are continuing to pass through in little flocks - often quite high in the air so that you can hear their shreep shreep call but not necessarily see them.
Gordon, one of our fantastic residential volunteers, has returned for an end of season visit to the Mull. He has been noticing winter thrushes a couple of miles north of the reserve - both fieldfares and redwings. These birds are returning for the winter, possibly from Iceland and Scandinavia. He has also seen red-throated divers (some of them still have red throats) and also a few great northern divers, off the Mull. These were not easily seen without a 'scope.
The visitor centre will be open daily 10am-5pm until the end of October after which we will be closed for the winter. So, there's still two more weeks of fun to be had - we've a Halloween trail and indoor crafty activities for when you've had enough fresh air!
Hope to see you soon.