A few days after arriving back in Oxfordshire an opportunity arose to visit Mingulay (a small island south of Barra) in my capacity as a photographer. Mingulay was inhabited until the early 20th century but since then has been owned by cofters from Barra, and more recently by the National Trust for Scotland. The NTS manage the island for the wildlife, including sea bird colonies, Corncrakes, Golden eagles, Peregrines, and very large variety of field mouse only slightly smaller than the better known St. Kilda field mouse. The list goes on.. The island is also home to some fantastic botanical treats, Heath Spotted Orchid, Northern Marsh Orchid, Butterworts and Round-leaved Sundews to name a few that I picked up on..
With the lack of intensive agriculture, chemical usage and other human induced factors, many bird species such as stonechat, wheatear, cuckoo, spotted flycatcher and starling seemed far more abundant than at most mainland sites.
To get to Mingulay, I took a Caledonian MacBrayne (calmac) ferry from Oban to Castlebay, Barra. I then had to wait it out in Castlebay for two days until the sea conditions calmed and allowed passage to Mingulay on a chartered fishing boat operated by Donald MacCleud (http://www.barrafishingcharters.com/), a very friendly and knowledgeable chap based on Barra. Castlebay is very pleasant and there are some great walks to be done from there, especially around Vatersay.
There is a beach on Mingulay, but it is often harder to land on the beach than the rocks off to either side, plus the beach is often covered in hundreds and sometimes thousands of basking grey seals - which it wouldn't do to disturb. Once on Mingulay, you are isolated, with no means of contacting the outside world unless you bring a satellite phone. And being that sea conditions in the Outer Hebrides can change rapidly, it is wise to bring plenty of contingency supplies - I have heard of a group of climbers being stranded for a week longer than they intended. Happily, I camped on the island for my 6 nights, and was able to leave at the scheduled time and date, by which point I was ready for a shower and a seriously large meal!
My campsite - The Hilleberg did a great job of keeping out the elements. It was mostly sunny and HOT (I got slightly burned one day..). Though most early mornings there was some significant rain. This picture was taken at around 11pm - in late May in Northern Scotland it really doesn't get very dark! I used a powermonkey extreme (a portable solar powered battery) to keep the camera batteries etc charged up.
A closer up shot of the beach below where I camped showing the well know Sea Thrift (Armeria maritima).
Other plants I found close to my camping situation included these Heath Spotted Orchids, and flowering Butterworts.
The flattened leaves of this species are covered in tiny sticky hairs and emit chemical attractants to lure in their small insect prey - the well known and little loved midge! A most welcome neighbour to have..
An in-situ shot to show the environment these orchids grow in.
And a close up..
Now onto the more important subjects, the birds! First things first, Great Skuas. After setting up camp, straight off I grabbed my gear, and headed to the high ground to scope out locations. I have a great love of skuas, they are perhaps too brutal for some, but I find their behaviour and their boldness amazing to watch and photograph.
This guy wasn't too hard to spot..
And was very obliging! Definitely king of this cairn.
Skuas have a fantastic way of displaying, whether in a show of aggression, territoriality or to potential mates. Wings back, neck arched and bill wide open - nothing says I'm a badass bird like a skua!
Should another Skua ignore the threat scenes like the following follow and happen at break neck speeds.
A few more close up flight shots.
Finally, one of my favourites Skua shots, taken with the last light of the day.
The next subject is less menacing, and a bird that just about anyone from the British Isles should be able to identify. Puffins! I actually found it hard to capture puffin images that had originality to them, puffins are such well loved birds (and you don't have to go all the way to Mingulay to photograph them). Non the less I enjoyed my time with them, and did my best.
The next subject, the Northern Fulmar, is one of the few Procellariiformes, or 'tube-noses' that can be seen with ease and at close quarters around the UK.
I liked the backlighting in the image below.
It's always pleasing capturing an image of the back of the bird, wings spread!
Leaving the nest in search of food.
I had to try for some time before I achieved an image that I was happy with where the face and body of the Fulmar are sharp, but significant motion blur can be seen on the wings. I hope to improve on this technique at the next opportunity.
Fulmars are great birds to photograph, they are very endearing and have subtly beautiful plumage. They also formed a important component of the diet of the islanders that once inhabited Mingulay. Each bird contains around a quarter litre of oil, which was also an important fuel for the islanders. The islanders of St. Kilda are better known for their reliance and also export of Fulmar products.
Whilst waiting patiently by a cliff attempting to photograph razorbills in flight, this beauty decided to check me out - maybe the eagle had high hopes that I'd fall and become carrion!?
A razorbill in flight - thankfully there was no falling involved and I didn't end up as an eagles brunch.
Ringed Plover made their presence known on the beach at Mingulay at every chance.
Finally, last but certainly not least, Corncrakes, aptly named Crex crex for their incredible call. I hadn't actually expected to encounter these on Mingulay but there seemed to be four calling males. Though I could often hear the calls of these birds, I found it very difficult to photograph them, they were very secretive - and sitting and waiting hidden away, fighting off midges for long periods of time was required to get the images below.
This chap woke me up several times during my first couple of nights.. By the third I was tired enough to sleep through his racket! I'm glad I managed to take his picture..
This Corncrake is passing through the ruins of a chapel on Mingulay.
Enjoy!
