Reports

Naturetrek – Isle of Coll in Summer

For the last few years, we’ve been proud to welcome to Coll groups from the specialist wildlife holiday company, Naturetrek. These groups have been able to experience the full range of Coll’s wonderful wildlife but have also met members of the local community, spent their money on island produce and services and, in some cases, established a special connection with the island that has seen them return under their own steam.

WildSmiths at Kew

A bright and calm day in late September, sandwiched between wet and windy autumnal drear, proved to be a perfect choice for our visit to the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. It was an easy two-hour jaunt by train from the Essex coast, for which supposed hardship we were rewarded by a two-for-one offer on the entrance fee and no waiting in line to get in (cue the Kew queue puns!)

A damsel in distress

The male (right) and female (left) Emerald Damselfly

This blog relates a remarkable natural drama which we saw unfold recently, at Ladyfield Farm in Argyll (about which you can read more here).

We were watching the delightful and delicate Emerald Damselflies on the pond. Unlike the darters and chasers, which profligately scatter their eggs over the surface of the pond, damselflies take great care when laying their eggs. Once they have paired-up, the male and female fly around in tandem, the male holding the female firmly behind the head with his clasper. They alight on a stem and slowly reverse to the water’s surface. There the female lowers her abdomen into the water to lay her eggs. On her ovipositor, she has a small blade-like device for cutting slits in the plant stems, into which she inserts the eggs. I had read that she will sometimes immerse herself completely in order to access the lower stems, while the male continues to hold onto her.

Ladyfield Farm – an idyll in Argyll

In one of the Argyll glens, not far from Loch Awe, lies a small piece of paradise. Ladyfield Farm has recently been acquired by some friends of ours who want to use it to promote and showcase sustainable living, alongside their love of music, food and wildlife. We were lucky enough to spend a few days there this week on our way to Coll.

Bennison Farm – Community-Supported Organic Agriculture

We’ve spent the Covid lockdown helping out on a local organic community share farm in north-east Essex. Our friends Chris and Jude Gibson came to visit for the day and have written a lovely blog about it here. Here’s a list of the arable plants we’ve recorded there: Arable plant species list July 2020.

Highlights of Coll Bird Festival 2019

We were looking forward to the Coll Bird Festival 2020, which sadly wasn’t able to happen. Let’s hope it can in 2021.

In the meantime, here’s a short summary of the highlights from last year’s excellent event (Coll Bird Festival 2019).

The annual Isle of Coll Bird Festival is an event organised by the island community to celebrate Coll’s wonderful wildlife. It is held every year in early May. Last year’s was the sixth and it is proving increasingly popular with islanders and visitors alike. A grand total of 91 bird species were seen over the course of the weekend. The full list is available here. It’s not just about birds though, the festival is also an opportunity to meet other aspects of the local fauna and flora, to make new friends, to get hands-on with some marine litter, and even to get a taste of some of the local culture and cuisine.

Calmac to Coll

Always an exciting trip to the Isle of Coll. Here’s Reggie the Renault in the ‘first on, first off’ position on the CalMac ferry. We spend every possible moment on the deck because the crossing never fails to provide something to cause us to shout with glee. We’ve seen: Bottle-nosed Dolphins bow-riding the ferry; White-tailed Eagles crossing over the boat on route from Mull to Ardnamurchan; Manx Shearwaters massing in the thousands at dusk; and, of course, the obligatory Black Guillemot even before we’ve left Oban harbour. Enjoy the ride!