27 May Crossing to Coll

 

 

Waiting to board the ferry in Oban

The route to Coll is out through the Sound of Mull, pass the Lismore Lighthouse and Duart Castle, Craignure, Fishnish and Tobermory on Mull and Lochaline and Ardnamurchan on the mainland.

Lismore lighthouse

Duart castle

Craignure

Lochaline

Tobermory

Tobermory/Kilchoan ferry

Ardnamurchan and Eigg

Arinagour, Coll

A basking shark

Coll Airfield

I drove to the south end of Coll where there is an RSPB reserve which is noted for its Corncrakes.  There was a big field which could be used for parking and seemed to have no restrictions so I stayed there a couple of nights.  I could hear Corncrakes on the edge of the field and there were lots of lapwings and swallows.  

There was a lot of bird activity on the way down to the RSPB reserve and a lot of Corncrakes calling.   I was very lucky to see one.  Only the males call and when they do they stretch out their necks to the sky and then they lower their heads and creep away through the grass until they decide to call again.

  A stuffed Corncrake (taken in the Museum in Dumfries).  The other bird is a wagtail.

Until 1930’s corncrakes were common throughout the UK.  Now, because of farming methods, they are only found on islands off the west coast of Scotland.

Coll wasn’t just special for the corncrakes.  I was sitting in the Van reading a book with the door open and glancing up noticed a couple of hares.  In the end there must have been six of them – this is my favourite picture.  There were corncrakes calling in the undergrowth behind the fence so I went over quietly to see if I could locate and spot them.  While standing by the fence a hare popped out of the undergrowth and we eyed each other up for a while – I didn’t dare move to take a photo, as this might have prematurely ended my close encounter with a hare.

Attacking lapwings

A Coll bumblebee

Clean up needed

Breachacha, old and new

Old Castle

Breachacha

New Castle

In the morning I was woken by strange noises and the Van being rocked.  I got up to investigate and found a cow scratching herself on the Van and the calf licking it.  As I’ve not cleaned the Van since the smears are still there.