This past week has been absolutely amazing. Since last week’s column, we’ve had six port stops—two in Ireland and four in Scotland. As I write, the trip is winding down, and by the time you read this, our cruise will be over and we’ll be on our way home.
The Princess British Isles cruise made a total of eight port stops: one in England, two in Ireland, four in Scotland and one in France. Our first stop in Ireland was the port of Cobh (Cove), where I met up with Jim Wilson, a local bird expert.
Before meeting Jim, I knew nothing about his background, birding expertise or skill level. At the conclusion of our half-day birding trip, he gave me a gift. He opened his backpack, and took out a copy of the “Birds of Ireland” field guide—which he authored! Was I surprised!
My birding guide in Dun Laoghaire (Dun Leery), Ireland was a young man, all of twenty-five years old. Again, I didn’t know his skill level or expertise, but discovered he and his dad are both Ornithologists. I was in good hands! We had an incredible morning together racking up about 60 species.
My last guided birding trip was Orkney Islands, Scotland. I met up with my guide, Raymond, in the port city of Kirkwall. Raymond is a world-renowned wildlife film producer. He has literally traveled the world producing documentary films for National Geographic and other nature-oriented organizations.
When the ship arrived at the port, it was a gloomy, dreary day. Thick fog enveloped the island, and it was raining intermittently. My hopes of seeing a lot of birds were dampened by the weather. However, Raymond knew where to go to get away from the fog, and off we went.
Within a minute or two of getting in the car, we had a spectacular sighting right on the edge of the narrow country road—a short-eared owl, sitting on a fencepost. Looking into its eyes with my binoculars was almost mesmerizing. We were off to a great start!
Our first stop was a “hide,” which we Americans would call a “blind.” The blind overlooked a wetlands habitat, and we saw a variety of species such as sedge warbler, Eurasian Moorhen, Eurasian Coots, Mute Swan, tufted duck, Eurasian oystercatchers, northern lapwings, Eurasian curlews, common redshanks and common snipe.
Our next stop was the cliffs of Marwick Head, where there is a large seabird nesting colony. This experience was one of the highlights of my entire trip. In spite of less-than-ideal visibility and a light drizzle, before me was a scene I’d only seen in wildlife shows. Standing at the edge of the cliffs, overlooking the North Sea, watching the coming and goings of thousands and thousands of pelagic birds was a thrill beyond words.
Species observed included Atlantic puffins, razorbills, black guillemots, common murre, black-legged kittiwakes, northern gannets, great cormorants, northern fulmars and great skuas. It was truly one of those “wow” moments in life, not to be forgotten.
As we traveled the non-touristy back country one-lane roads, I felt blessed to be seeing a part of Scotland that few tourists get to experience. Our other Scotland ports were Glasglow, Invergordon and Edinburgh. I have to say, I really was impressed by the beauty of Scotland.
On Wednesday, June 26th, at 6:00 p.m., I will be presenting a program in the Founders Suite at the Prescott Public Library on the birds of the Arizona Central Highlands. I invite you to attend this free event.
Until next week, Happy Birding!
Eric Moore is the owner of The Lookout, in Prescott, where you will find a Hallmark Gold Crown Store, wild bird products, and Swarovski and Vortex optics. Eric has been an avid birder for over 55 years. Eric can be contacted at eric@thelookoutaz.com.
