With bits added on at either end!!!!
Firstly, this wasn't a birding specific holiday, but our main family holiday for the year. Whilst my wife, Jayne, and kids, Dominic & Natasha love to see wildlife & have an interest in the subject, the kids in particular don't have the attention span for trailing around for hours on end, so I was never going to build up a massive list over the time we were away. In addition we'd decided to take the newest member of the family with us (that's the dog!!) as we now love getting out & about on long walks with her, so a holiday in this area would be ideal.
With this in mind we'd decided to break the journey down into manageable bits - Multimap said it was 9hrs from Ilkley to where we were staying on Skye. With the best will in the world there was no way I was doing that journey with 2 kids & a dog in the back of the car!!!!
Wednesday 10 August
Left home in the rain with a stop at Kirby Lonsdale for breakfast at the butty wagon. Continued raining all the way up the M5 to our first stop at Loch Maban. It did stop whilst we had a short walk & lunch break. All the birds seemed to have gone into hiding, with just Mute Swans, Coots & Mallards on the loch.
Our first accomodation with at Easter Garth Guest House in Rosneath on the shores of Gareloch, quite close to Faslane.
Thursday 11 August
The forecast for today was shocking, but we pressed ahead with our plans for doing the Lauder Walk in Glenbranter Forest. Still very windy so most birds again stayed hidden. This is a forest walk, with a hide part way round, with the chance of Red Squirrels. On this occassion though the weather appeared to put them off. Did have a mixed flock of Chaffinch, Great Tit & Blue Tit though.
After, headed down to Castle Lochan at the top of Loch Fyne. Here we did manage Oystercatcher, Curlew, Hooded Crow, Kestrel, Gannet, Heron, Herring Gull, GBB Gull, Swallow, House Martin, Ringed Plover & Cormorant, the latter spotted through my scope fighting with a large flatfish!!
Friday 12 August
A truly awful day weather wise so we headed for Luss & decided to do a cruise on Loch Lomond. Nothing much happening again due to, but we did manage Pied Wagtail, Goosander, Black Headed Gull, Swift, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Mallard, Robin & Magpie. A Fallow Deer was seen on one of the islands out on the loch.
As a consolation I managed to buy a copy of Gordon Hamlett's book at the RSPB shop at Loch Lomond Shores.
In the evening as we were driving back to Rosneath there was a large party of Eider on Gareloch.
Saturday 13 August
Our final day in Rosneath, and my turn for the early morning dog walk. Turned out to be quite productive walk at 7.30 am along the beach. Saw Redshank, Sandwich Tern, Oystecatcher, GBB Gull, Herring Gull, Dunnock, Greenfinch & Cormorant.
Onward to Skye. Part 2 to follow.
Bad luck with the weather Richard (same happened to us in May).
Are you sure about the Little Ringed Plover on Loch Fyne ?