Author: Tim Collier

On our first morning I was out before 7.00am to begin to get to know the island and walked over to the west coast and on to the machair, although not many wild flowers at this time of the year! The machair also forms the golf course and hosts the annual Iona Open at the end of August, but I only saw two people on it all week! The Bay at the Back of the Ocean holds a mix of sand and pebbles and is also home to ‘The Spouting Cave’. The best ‘blows’ are seen on a mid tide with a good sea running. We had the mid tide and even with a less than angry sea, it was still an impressive sight.

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As soon as we got over to the island, (we had taken a cottage with two good friends) and after dumping our belongings, I was out to the coast overlooking the Sound of Iona. It was wonderfully empty of people and with a week ahead I was full of anticipation of what the island might offer up. Scotland is nothing without the ubiquitous ‘Hoodie’ (Hooded Crow) and there were plenty here. The previous week I’d tried to find the single ‘Hoodie’ that had spent at least the last two years on Walney, a note worthy bird for Cumbria, but failed. Here I hooked up with them again and would spend some time enjoying their striking plumage and seemingly individual antics, and indeed, personalities.

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I’d been to Iona once before. It was a bit of a stressful day as I remember it! We were on a family holiday north of Oban and decided to ‘do the tour’ from Oban over to Mull, then Iona. I recall that we all felt like cattle being herded from one form of transport to another, then another and so on all day long.

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We travelled from Walney to Oban on the Friday, stayed in a B&B and then headed over to Mull on the Saturday morning ferry. A flypast Arctic Skua was a bonus between the mainland and Mull, with dozens of Kittiwakes and the odd winter Guillemot.

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Migrants kept passing through as the week went on and the Swallows kept pulsing in large numbers. Meanwhile off shore Eiders were undergoing their annual moult and further out Common Scoters could be observed in small flocks every so often.

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All our other days on the island saw temperatures into the mid to high twenties with no weather systems to help us. Nonetheless we enjoyed slowly clocking up the numbers and getting some fine views of the regulars. High tide brought in some of the Atlantic Grey Seals and on occasions they can number up to 500. Last year, however, they were disturbed by dogs off their leads, which resulted in some of the seals abandoning the site. Their is no access onto the beach at anytime of the year.

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The first morning dawned bright before a heavy fog engulfed the Island. Greenshanks appeared to be everywhere along side the edges of the gravel pits – 20 counted on one pit alone. Other waders making use of the pools were good numbers of Dunlin, Redshank and small numbers of Curlew and Turnstone. 3,000 Oystercatchers with a few Bar-tailed Godwit were out on the sands of the estuary. A few migrants were a passing through but most notable was a large movement of Swallows, 5,000+

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