As I approach the end of my first season working at the RSPB Visitor Centre on the Mull of Galloway I find myself reminiscing about the many highlights of my time here.
The year started for me back in April, arriving amidst one of the most exciting times at this vastly important nature reserve. Many of the seabirds start to arrive back on the cliffs around March and by April they were settling down and building nests or noisily jostling for spaces.
The sight and sound of thousand of seabirds, competing for nesting spaces or calling to each other to reaffirm bonds between pairs that were potentially meeting up for the first time after a long winter apart, stunning in its self, was further enhanced by the awe inspiring views, the miles of open space, ever changing sea views and feeling of being so distant from the general day to day concerns that I felt I had landed extremely lucky and was so looking forward to what else the season would bring. I was far from disappointed!
Shags are one of the earliest birds to nest on the cliffs and we were fortunate to have a pair choose to nest in a location that we were able to view easily from our live cameras. We followed their progress from constructing their nest, laying and incubating three eggs, the successful hatching of all three eggs, the devoted parenting from both the adults and regular feeding of the chicks as they grew, right up to the point they fledged, a serious of events I felt very privileged to have been able to witness.
Photo credit - Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)
Just over six miles offshore, out in to Luce Bay is the Scare rocks. The largest of these small islands, Big Scare is home to a colony of seabirds. Along with razorbills and guillemots this island is also home to around 2,500 breeding pairs of gannets, the UK's largest seabird. The sight of these majestic birds diving in pursuit of fish, tucking back their wings and shooting in to the water like an arrow, reaching depths of up to 30 metres is always an impressive sight and one that is regularly seen from Lagvag viewpoint.
Photo credit - Grahame Madge (rspb-images.com)
Possibly the most vocal of the nesting seabirds was the kittiwakes, a small gull that spends most of its time out at sea and only comes to land to breed. A stroll down to the foghorn would find you standing above large amounts of swirling, swooping, squawking seabirds. The kittiwakes build their nests of moss, grass, seaweed and mud on precarious ledges here, in to which they lay and incubate their eggs. How they manage to tolerate the extreme conditions they face, from harsh winds and torrential downpours to baking sunshine and still raise their chicks on such exposed and fragile looking platforms is just one of the marvels of nature that occur on the Mull each year.
The foghorn is also a great spot to look out for porpoise, dolphins and seals. These marine mammals are frequently seen around the headland. Other mammals that are present on the Mull include pipistrelle bats, roe deer, brown hares and badgers to name a few. In August we were lent a motion sensitive camera trap. We placed this around the reserve at various locations over a few weeks, checking the camera each morning. Despite on a few occasions having to sift through hundreds of photographs of nothing but vegetation swaying in the breeze we were rewarded on other mornings with some fantastic images as shown below.
Maritime Heathland makes up a large proportion of the reserve and this increasingly rare habitat is home to a diverse range of wildlife. Many bees, butterflies and other insects could often be seen feeding on the wildflowers that carpet the Mull. A personal highlight for me was seeing a humming-bird hawk-moth, one of over 50 different species of moths that were recorded this season.
Photo credit - Jan Sevcik (rspb-images.com)
Linnets, meadow pipits, whitethroats and stonechats nest amongst the vegetation, calling and singing at the top of their voice in order to attract a mate or defend a territory. Stonechats, with their vibrant plumage and distinctive call, were a regular and always welcome sight just outside the visitor centre.
With all this and much more, including of course the lighthouse exhibition and opportunities to climb the tower or enjoy a hot drink and delicious meal from the Gallie Craig Coffee House, I cannot recommend a visit to the Mull of Galloway enough. The RSPB Visitor Centre is open until October 31st and will re-open again from April next year.
For information about the lighthouse exhibition and tower, the Gallie Craig Coffee House or renting self catering accommodation in the area, including one of the lighthouse keepers cottages for a short stay or longer holiday please click here http://www.mull-of-galloway.co.uk/