[joannec]

Our trip to Mull really begins in Oban Harbour with a few of the resident black guillemots seen from the shore happily bobbing about between the yachts and fishing boats. Lifers for me as this is my first trip north since becomming bird obsessed. They're real sweeties with their bold white wing patches and red legs and feet. From the ferry fom Oban to Craignuir we also see social groups of common guillemots , a few gannets, commic terns and an unidentified distant diver. An unexpected treat is several harbour porpoises seen swimming alongside the ferry.

We're on an early ferry and it is too early to go to the pre booked B&B so we make the short trip to Lochdon and on Delias recommendation head for Grasspoint, stopping at the bridge for a rest and really just to see what's about. We are not disappointed because within half an hour of arriving on the Isle of Mull we see our first White-tailed Sea Eagle! Wooo; it's fantastic! We hear it call first and watch it fly down the valley towards the loch only about 50 yards from us. It is a momentous moment and a very fine welcome to Mull!! We really couldn't have asked for more. It turns out Lochdon, where we are staying is one of the strongholds of sea eagles on Mull. We would see three more during the week; two maybe the same ones but at least one other as one is much lighter in plumage and an immature.

We're staying at High Oatfield B&B just up the hill from the loch. Red deer and hen harriers are seen daily from our room; the red deer usually in the evenings and the hen harriers, male and female seen quartering the moor, in the mornings......where else could you have hen harries from your bedroom window!? I recommend this place without hesitation to anyone thinking of going to Mull...nice people who have a good knowledge of the local wildlife, and wonderful birds, nice room too. Lochdon, a tidal loch, is a great location....plenty of waders at low tide to keep us amused in the long light evenings.

The next day, as the weather is good; Mediterranean even, we decide on a boat trip to Staffa and the Treshnish Isles. On the way to Ulva Ferry we see the first ravens of the trip and more buzzards than we can remember. Both are common here, especially buzzards and we are told they have found a real niche here as there are no foxes on Mull and they fiull the gap. From the boat we see Manx shearwaters , a Great skua, Fulmar, Kittiwake and other common birds. Common seal, grey seal and common dolphin we also see; the seals all lolling about on rocky shores. The Treshnish Isles are a major nesting place for Puffins; it is late in the nesting season and most chicks have fledged but there are still some with chicks in their burrows. We see about 20 and watch from a distance as the parents return to the burrows, bills full of fish for their youngsters. They are such charmers and I manage a few overexposed pictures. Fulmer chicks are still in their cliffside nests and we watch the parents tending them. Lots of shags, including many young also seen throughout this fantastic trip.

A few pictures so far. Lifers for me in colours. Part II later.

Joanne

[joannec]

And a few habitat/landscape pictures;

[Dave Kennedy]

Thank you, Joanne, nice report. Well done with the sea eagle! I look forward to the next instalment!

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

[delia todd]

Great report so far Joanne. I'm glad you enjoyed the trip to Treshnish, lovely there isn't it?

Looking forward hearing about the rest of your stay

D

[joannec]

Thanks Dave and Delia.

A couple of pictures of Common and Grey seals:

[wetlands_wedge]

Hi Joanne!

I am looking forward to the rest of this 'series'!

All the best,
Reg (and Leon of course!)

[Ben Nevis]

Great reading Joanne.Look forward to the next part.

[Stewart J.]

Nice report Joanne

Stewart

[joannec]

Thanks guys!

Part II: The Ross of Mull, Iona and a Treat to Come

We had decided before coming to Mull that we wouldn't go on any 'wildlife tours', not because they're not good but because we like finding birds ourselves, the Treshnish trip being the exception for obvious reasons. It's easy when someone else points things out but not as satisfactory, not as much fun. Also they're expensive. So....two days later we decide to travel the southern breadth of the island, go to Iona and look out for golden eagles. We've been scanning the crags and ridges ever since arriving but so far nothing that we can be certain is a GE, plenty of buzzards throughout the day though. We stop several times along Loch Scridain, first at the head. It's low tide and we find a small flock of golden plover, a few ringed plover, common sandpiper, dunlin and lapwing. Young eiderduck in small groups on the rocky bits diving and preening are a nice treat. All the time we're scanning the ridges in hope.

Iona beckons......I was last here some 30+ years ago when the 'ferry' was an open boat with an outboard engine and a single skipper; now it's a CalMac roll on roll off car ferry! LOL. I know which I prefer. Rock pipits are at the harbour edges both sides. We make the short walk to the Abbey and ruined 8th century Nunnary which has the most beautifully simple garden set among the glistening pink granite of the old ruins. All the while I am searching and listening unsuccessfully for corncrakes in the irises and after visiting the Abbey we content ourselves with watching the commic terns diving for fish in the sound.

One of the problems with Mull we've found is that places to have an evening meal are few away from Tobermoray and are mostly expensive and we decide on one of only two in Bunessen on the way back to our lodgings but it turns out you need to pre book in August so we end up spending far more than we intend at the expensive one. These long late evenings are great and there is still a few hours birding before dark. The head of the loch at high tide is bereft of the plentiful waders seen earlier but we find some wheatear on the rocky shore...all the while scanning the ridges....only buzzards and more buzzards.

Other half and I take it in turns to drive, as you do. My eagle eyed husband, while driving through Glen More suddenly shouts for me to stop. 'I think it's an eagle' he says. And perched on the crag it is indeed a golden eagle!!! It's looking just how you expect against the sky in the evening light, a silouette on the crags. We get out of the car, no one else is around for miles and it is a wild and free moment. We watch it for perhaps 10 minutes, getting eaten by midges the whole time I discover later. I'm thinking, 'I wish it would fly' when it drops down out of sight to a lower crag but a minute later it is up and soaring, a single flap and it glides slowly like a small plane above us and across the glen! WOOOOO, absolutely fantastic and we are on a high for the rest of the evening!

A few more pictures; I decided to leave the golden eagle picture uncropped to show the huge expanse as well.

Joanne

[brianfm]

A nice report Joanne.

It brought back some good memories as I paid my first and only visit to Mull in April 2007. The boat trip to Staffa and Treshnish was spectacular and the highlight of my year.

[Capercaillie71]

Great report Joanne. Superbly atmospheric photo of the Golden Eagle too.

That view of the Sound of Iona is becoming quite familiar on birdforum!:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread....56#post1015856

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread....29#post1223429

[Dave Kennedy]

Thank you, Joanne, lovely report. I think you might just have been a fraction late for the corncrakes - I visited Iona last year on 26th June, and heard several of the little sods, although I couldn't see them! I also managed to get a fine black pudding and bacon roll at the Argyll Arms in Bunessan at reasonable rates. A couple of those would keep any wolf from the door. Glad you got your eagle! It's always marvellous when you achieve something like that.

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

[paulwfromtheden]

Originally Posted by joannechattaway

Thanks Dave and Delia.

A couple of pictures of Common and Grey seals:

Great report Joanne, like the picture of the common seal, looks like me streched out on the sofa on a Saturday night after I have had a curry.

[joannec]

Thanks everyone. Part III to follow soon.

Originally Posted by Dave Kennedy

Thank you, Joanne, lovely report. I think you might just have been a fraction late for the corncrakes - I visited Iona last year on 26th June, and heard several of the little sods, although I couldn't see them! I also managed to get a fine black pudding and bacon roll at the Argyll Arms in Bunessan at reasonable rates. A couple of those would keep any wolf from the door. Glad you got your eagle! It's always marvellous when you achieve something like that.

Best wishes,
Dave Kennedy

That's the conclusion I came to Dave.

[joannec]

Originally Posted by paulwfromtheden

Great report Joanne, like the picture of the common seal, looks like me streched out on the sofa on a Saturday night after I have had a curry.

You're better looking ....and slimmer!

[kittykat23uk]

Sounds like you had better weather than us! Glad you had a good time. Great trip report too!

[Robert / Seattle]

Welcome back Joanne. You were missed. Glad you had a wonderful time in a splendid place.

More reports soon, I hope.

Robert

[Jos Stratford]

Very nice report, birds and photos. Would like a little tour of Scotand myself, a good five or years or so since last up there, far too long for such a stunning spot.

[joannec]

Originally Posted by kittykat23uk

Sounds like you had better weather than us! Glad you had a good time. Great trip report too!

Thanks K, the weather was variable with some Mediterranean like days and some wet ones, nothing stormy though.

Originally Posted by Robert / Seattle

Welcome back Joanne. You were missed. Glad you had a wonderful time in a splendid place.

More reports soon, I hope.

Robert

....don't know about being missed.....more like a welcome reprieve.

Originally Posted by Jos Stratford

Very nice report, birds and photos. Would like a little tour of Scotand myself, a good five or years or so since last up there, far too long for such a stunning spot.

Thanks Jos.....I think I'll be going back up there again too......problem is there are so many interesting places as you know.

[joannec]

Part III: A Few More Treats

The fine weather gave way to rain; not cold just very very wet so birding got suspended for a bit and we had a trip to Loch Buie and the stone circle (a bit like a mini Stonehenge). Husband D likes such things and it was an interesting, if an extremely wet break.....had to trample through a bog and I felt a bit like Frodo and Sam in The Dead Marshes. Glad I had my waterproof trousers that day but my so called waterproof boots wern't and I ended up with puddles inside them.

Another wet day and we decided to go to Tobermoray, seeing a very fine ring-tailed hen harrier on the way. We stopped off several times looking for dippers, thought they wouldn't mind the rain. No luck. Tobermoray is a picturescue Scottish fishing town, a bit touristy and to get out of the rain I called into the Cetacean office....nice lady suggested where to go to see otters which led to us seeing one diving among the kelp near Salen on the way back. The weather cleared up after that and the midges came out big time! We stopped on the way back to Lochdon for some midge plagued birding. (silly picture below). Midge hats/nets essential and there is a shop in Tobermoray that sells them if anyone goes to Mull and forgets to bring one. We well and truely dipped on dippers.

Next day again was fine and we go to Loch Spelve and Coggan searching for more otters, find a merlin on the way. It flies by and perches for awhile giving an excellent close view, then flies off across the loch. Nice. Wheatears, rock pipits and tree pipits we find on the way along with another group of eiderduck. On reaching the entrance to the loch we find raptors galore, kestrels, a sparrowhawk , numerous buzzards, one more hen harrier and the last of the sea eagles. On the return trip (Loch Spelve is quite big) we find 'our own' otter. He's close to the shore and dives among the kelp. It is another highlight of the trip. We end the day at Lochdon watching whimbrel, bar-tailed godwit, ringed plover and dunlin.

Next day it's time to leave; we've seen over 80 species on Mull, six lifers for me, but there is one more treat in store. As the ferry leaves Craignuir, bins in hand, I see two distant golden eagles on the mainland side of the Sound of Mull soaring together over the mountains. It's the final and very satisfying goodbye to Mull.

Joanne

[Sandra (Taylor)]

Excellent report Joanne. I think that midge net is quite unobtrusive - must get one when we're in Tobermory in a few weeks, although I would hope most of the midges by then are gone!!

Glad you enjoyed your holiday so much.

Sandra

[joannec]

Originally Posted by Sandra (Taylor)

Excellent report Joanne. I think that midge net is quite unobtrusive - must get one when we're in Tobermory in a few weeks, although I would hope most of the midges by then are gone!!

Glad you enjoyed your holiday so much.

Sandra

Thanks Sandra. Re midge net: don't use one too much with bins....IDs could be compromised.

Hope you have as good a time as we did.

[wetlands_wedge]

Originally Posted by joannechattaway

Thanks Sandra. Re midge net: don't use one too much with bins....IDs could be compromised.

Hope you have as good a time as we did.

Another smashing report Joanne! Could have done with a midge net whilst watching Nightjars and Woodcock not so long ago!

Keep up the good work!

[Farnboro John]

Originally Posted by Sandra (Taylor)

Excellent report Joanne. I think that midge net is quite unobtrusive - must get one when we're in Tobermory in a few weeks, although I would hope most of the midges by then are gone!!

Glad you enjoyed your holiday so much.

Sandra

The hat underneath it is an essential part of the kit as it keeps the thing far enough from your face that the little horrors can't bite you through it.

John

[Capercaillie71]

I don't know if it's just me but I find that I rarely get bitten around the head or face by midges. It's always my hands and arms that seem to be bitten most.