Portpatrick and the Mull of Galloway (1 Viewer)

The rugged coast south of Portpatrick


Portpatrick Harbour-home to Black Guillimots



Dunskey Castle-the start of the walk to Morroch Bay


Morroch Bay-a lonely place where you can find Rock Pipits

Shearings were offering a last minute deal: a coach,bed breakfast and evening meal at the imposing Portpatrick Hotel for £149[5 days/4 nights].They did a local pick-up.
It looked like a bargain-do the math- so why not?
We went to Portpatrick last year so I know how good the sea watching and cliff top walks can be.
The hotel was fine,the food lovely,the room warm and comfortable, and the staff were welcoming.
We went from 15/6/15 to 19/6/15.

Portpatrick

If you don't know the area Portpatrick is on the western coast of Rhinns of Galloway,Scotland.Just turn left at Gretna and keep on going till you reach the Irish Sea.It is around 20 miles from Northern Ireland whilst the Isle of Man is not much further away.It boasts a lovely old fishing harbour.
Going north and south there are dramatic sea cliffs.
To the south lies the sea bird colony of the Mull of Galloway.The Scares Gannet colony can be seen from here.Ailsa Crag another colony lies further noth east.
Consequently the Irish Sea off Portpatrick is like a seabird motorway, with birds coming and going all day.
The harbour is a guaranteed place to see breeding Black Guillemot.The most I saw during the week, was fifteen.If they are not there they will be somewhere close to shore.
I took up residence on the bench at the end of the steps leading from the hotel grounds-by far the best sea watching vantage point in Portpatrick.
At any given time Guillimots and Gannets will fly past.I didn't do any counts except on the last morning.In one hour 78 Guillimots and 137 Gannets passed by.
Manx Shearwater were always wheeling past.On the 18th June a strong north-westerly brought in 400,close to shore, in just over an hour:an impressive sight.
Fulmar breed close by so they were seen on the water or gliding around every day.
Common Terns were seen every day in small numbers.
Strangely I only saw one Kittiwake even though they breed on the Mull of Galloway.
Shag are common hereabouts so they were a regular sight.
Herring Gulls are the predominant gull:true seagulls here,living and breeding on the cliffs.Very few Lesser Black Backs or Black headed Gulls were witnessed during the week.Other birds seen from here were Cormorant,Linnet,Common Whitethroat,Oystercatcher, Collared Dove,Song Thrush,Jackdaw,Carrion Crow,House Martin,Common Redpoll and Barn Swallow.

Morroch Bay to Killingtringan Lighthouse.

It is worth doing this walk over two separate days.The cliffs are magnificent and the scenery stunning.It is not too demanding but you have to be at least moderately fit.
Morroch Bay is a good place to see Rock Pipit with five there on the 17th of June.There was a Raven and Buzzard here.A Peregrine was seen last year but not this,alas!
A common sight and sound all along the way is Common Whitethroat and Stonechat singing or calling.The habitat in the steep inaccessible cliffs is ideal.An adult Stonechat was with a juvenile adjacent to Portpatrick golf course.There were 2 Eider Duck on the sea below.
Linnets are prolific all along here as well as Meadow Pipit.
There were a few Reed Bunting near the lighthouse and Skylark,thinner on the ground, near Morroch Bay.
A Peregrine Falcon was seen near Portavaddie and the first Herring Gull chicks were at a nest site here too.
Kestrels are doing well with three individuals near the cliff edges.
There were 9 Eider Duck at Killantringan Lighthouse a wonderful place to see Red Throated Diver earlier on in the year when they are passing through.
Its worth stopping at Port Kale on the way,The stream attracts Grey Wagtail,a juvenile was spotted with some adults.
There was one Rock Pipit on the bay rocks as well as a pair of Oystercatcher and a sunbathing Seal
Common Whitethroat are voluble around here and there was a Stonechat at the top of the steps as you leave the valley.
There were many Northern Wheatear on the walks including a family of two adults and two juveniles at Killantringan on the 18th June.

The Mull of Galloway and Logan Gardens.
If you go on a Shearings holiday they include free day excursions which include any admission fees.We only took this one as it gave us two hours at the Mull of Galloway bird reserve-enough time to have a good look around.
The sea bird colony is having a bumper year with hundreds of Guillimot,Black Guillimot,Shag,Kittiiwake,Razorbill,Herring Gull,Shag and Fulmar.
I saw three Puffin but 45 were counted the day before.They are best viewed from the path accessed from the gate by the café.
The cliffs here are a truly impressive sight!
There were a few Northern Wheatear and Meadow Pipit around too.Stonechat are apparently breeding here as well as Rock Pipit

The coach leaves the guests at Logan Gardens for a couple of hours.The impressive gardens host Willow Warbler,Chiffchaff,Blackcap,Chaffinch,Song Thrush,Blackbird and Blue Tit.
There is enough time to wander along to Port Logan Bay where Gannets love to fish.I recorded Blackcap,Willow Warbler,Chiffchaff,Linnet,Buzzard,and Common Whitethroat,on the way there.

It was a thoroughly enjoyable relaxing break:great if you don't like driving or don't have a car.Shearings do all the hard work.Just sit back and enjoy it!

Well, this brings back some memories! I had a family holiday in Scotland in 1993, staying in Portpatrick from 31st May to 4th June. On 1st June there were 15 Black Guillemots in the harbour, 17 on the 2nd, 10 on the 3rd and 11 on the 4th. One day I walked via Killantringan Lighthouse along the coast back to Portpatrick. We went to the Mull of Galloway on another day, covered in mist so the only seabird seen was a Gannet. On the way back to Drummore we saw 2 Corn Buntings; both were singing. Logan Botanic Gardens had 2 Spotted Flycatchers, and an Oystercatcher was nesting, with 4 eggs in front of the cafeteria.

I didn't see any Eiders on the Killantringan LH walk, but I did see one species that you missed!

By the way, according to The Status of Seabirds in Britain and Ireland by Lloyd, Tasker and Partridge (1991), Poyser, the colony of Gannets on the Scar Rocks numbered 770 apparently occupied sites in 1984. Ailsa Craig, the other way, was much more populous, with 22,811 AOS in 1985.

Allen

I will have to check these Gannet figures!I was given these by someone at the Mull of Galloway.Maybe he meant 4000-it seemed a lot to me considering the size of the Scares.
If you fancy another holiday there Allen I can thoroughly recommend Shearings.A very relaxing holiday with some great birdwatching.

Wikipedia says,They have been described as an "inaccessible bird reserve" and provide nesting sites for more than 2,000 pairs of breeding northern gannets, hundreds of guillemots and smaller numbers of shags and kittiwakes.

A Dumfries and Galloway website tells me there are 1000 pairs.