HOLIDAY HIGHLIGHTS
M U L L
16 – 22 June 2002
Loch Spelve – Jane Atkins
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Leaders: Mark Newell & John Poyner
Guests: Gemma and Darren Webb, Ian Chaplin and Vikki Howells,
Alex Duncan, Russell Ambrose and Lesley Wareham, Anne Selleck, Ian
and Joyce Stewart, Peter and Maureen Stanistreet
The majority of us meet up in Oban at lunchtime on
a warm, bright day, most of us having spent the night here and having
bumped into one another on various occasions. Once on the pier, before
boarding the ferry, we see Grey Seal and numerous gulls milling around.
We board the ferry and head out of the harbour around the northern end
of the island of Kerrera where we pick up Black Guillemot and further
out into the Sound of Lorne the calm waters reveal quite a number of
guillemots. We then pass the lighthouse at the southern tip of Lismore
and head up the Sound of Mull seeing a few Arctic Terns and Lesser Black-backed
Gull before docking at Craignure.
Off the ferry we take the quick run up to the hotel to deposit our
belongings and get a few things sorted out before going for a couple
of hours birding in the late afternoon. We head down towards Grasspoint,
pausing just off the main road to scan over some of the moorland areas
here, picking up a singing Curlew, a couple of Whinchats and distant
Buzzard and Mallard flying around with numerous Meadow Pipits and
a tantalising glimpse of a Hen Harrier. We carry on down towards
the point itself, passing a large number of Red Deer stags which seem
totally unconcerned by our presence, only yards away from the road.
Reaching Grasspoint itself we walk out, passing the houses, to the
edge of the rocks. Looking back across the Sound of Lorne there are
a lot of Guillemots on the water with an active group of Common Terns
feeding in the tidal race with a few Kittiwakes and a couple of Gannets
which we see plunge diving into the water. There are some brief seals
in the water and some Shags on a skerrie on the other side of the
mouth of Loch Don. Then Ian picks up a group of waders flying overhead
and they turn out to be Bar-tailed Godwit which make several flypasts
and appear to be looking for somewhere to drop in and feed before
eventually disappearing off to the north – a welcome surprise to the
trip. The more familiar Oystercatcher are in the area with Rock Pipit
on the shore and an active group of Starlings milling around. There
are also several Hooded Crows and Buzzards and then we spot a Buzzard
mobbing something on the distant hillside and training our scopes,
we can see from its size that it’s a White-tailed Eagle, an adult
sat on the hilltop. Unfortunately it’s some distance away and we
can only see its head and shoulders, but we patiently wait in the
hope that it moves and shows a bit more obviously. With the wind
having dropped, the midges start to come out so we think about moving
on having seen a couple of Shelduck and a strange looking albino Mink
which appears from the water’s edge carrying a large crab in its mouth
as it comes incredibly close before disappearing into some crevice
and out of sight.
We head back up the road, pausing to scan around and
try and get closer views of the Sea Eagle. Initially it is just sat
in the same position, but we are distracted by a male Hen Harrier that
flies along the ridge and we watch this smart bird for a couple of minutes
before it disappears out of view. We then have Raven going overhead
and Snipe calling from the marshlands. With that, the Sea Eagle takes
to the wing and does a brief flypast along the ridge before turning
tail and heading out over Loch Don where it is joined by a couple of
Hooded Crows that pester it, with the hillside backdrop we can clearly
see its white tail and enormous wings, before it starts losing height
and drops towards the edge of the loch but unfortunately out of our
view, as it is tucked in to a little bay. We decide that this is our
cue for leaving as the raindrops start falling and on the route back
we see a couple of Goldfinch and an even closer party of Red Deer before
back to the hotel with time to properly unpack and freshen up before
dinner.
The overnight rain has generally cleared away to leave
a very blustery day of gale force winds predicted further to our west
and on that cheery note we pack up the vans and head past the area visited
yesterday on our way to Loch Spelve. We take a slow drive along its
northern shore and then south eastern shore, picking up an abundance
of young birds of numerous species from Oystercatcher, Common Sandpiper,
Lapwing, Wheatear, Meadow Pipit. However on the loch itself it is difficult
to see very much in the waves, but we do find Shag, Red-breasted Merganser,
Eider Ducks and some splendid Red-throated Divers which are milling
around having come down from their freshwater loch nesting sites. We
run through the features of Common Gull whilst a Buzzard drifts over
with a mob of Lapwing escorting it. There are a few seals bobbing around
on the water and when we reach Croggan at the end of the road we go
for a walk amongst the oak woodland, picking up Redpoll and numerous
young Blue, Great and Coat Tits, with some Chaffinches and Willow Warblers,
whilst out across the mouth of the loch we spot a group of Wild Goats
feeding around in the grassland.
Back towards the van we pick up a young Hooded Crow before retracing
our steps and heading over to Loch Uisg where we pause for lunch with
a Cormorant on this freshwater loch. We finish lunch and scan the
ridges around us picking out a large nest that can only be a Golden
Eagle eyrie. Sure enough we see movement and can pick out the shape
of an adult Golden Eagle which we watch as it moves around the nest
before taking off and hanging in the strong winds and then drifting
off away out of sight. Shortly afterwards the second half of the
pair appears at the nest and we see the downy, pale brown colouration
of the chick as it poddles about the nest. We enjoy good views before
the second adult disappears and we wait around but it doesn’t reappear
so we return to the vans and head to Loch Buie.
Approaching the sea we come across several Stonechats on the wires
and there are Buzzards in the air. Parking up near the beach we almost
immediately pick out a huge raptor hanging over the far hillside -
It’s an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle and we watch it as it drifts
in front of the hillside and we can pick out its white tail before
it disappears out of sight, Lesley picks it up several minutes later
and it gives a good fly past being joined briefly by a Kestrel and
a couple of Hooded Crows. It wheels up and eventually out of view.
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White-tailed Sea Eagle – Dave Kjaer |
We walk along the track and out onto the sandy beach where several
of the Sand Martins are skimming back and forth with Red-breasted
Merganser out on the water with numerous Oystercatchers. Returning
to the vans we retrace our steps and upon reaching the freshwater
Loch Uisg, we see a very close Black-throated Diver, a real surprise
on the trip. Although it drifts over to the far side, we get superb
views in the increasing sunlight, while a little further along the
road we see a Tree Pipit. We stop again at the eagle eyrie hoping
for more views and after a little patient waiting we see the adult
fly in with a small morsel of food for the youngster in the nest and
we watch it being fed for a couple of minutes before the adult leaves
the eyrie, drifts up, away and out of sight. We take this as our
cue to move onwards.
We make our way back, picking up a delightful pair
of Yellowhammer feeding on the tide line in very untypical behaviour
and also a smart male Siskin. We pause beside Loch Spelve, scan the
shore from where we can hear Whitethroat and scan through the assembled
gulls, Grey Heron, ubiquitous Common Sandpiper etc, before returning
to the hotel with plenty of time before dinner.
We wake to a bright and mixed day and head up to Salen
where we have a shop stop before driving across the isle to the little
stone bridge at Knock. We get out of the vans and almost immediately
a White-tailed Sea Eagle sails overhead, another adult which is being
pursued by Ravens and it lumbers off to the south disappearing out of
sight. We stand on the bridge and Lesley spots a Dipper on the water’s
edge – it’s a young bird with its scaly markings and dirty white bib
– but it shows incredibly well and remains in view during the duration
of our stop, whilst Pheasants are finally seen by all in the undergrowth.
Across the bridge and up through the plantation
we have several family groups of Coal Tit, hear Goldcrest, watch House
Martin overhead and again see the adult Sea Eagle flying low against
the hillside, its gleaming white tail showing clearly and proving
irresistible to the pursuing Ravens that send it headlong across the
valley and way out of sight. There are a number of Mistle Thrush
here and also Song Thrush whilst a Grey Wagtail flies along and perches
in view. Before we reach the end of the loch there are a couple of
Common Sandpipers but the rain descends and we return to the vans.
Leaving Knock we drive onto the edge of Loch na
Keal and take its southern shore at a slow pace in search of Otters.
We pick up a few Wheatears, Meadow Pipits and Oystercatchers along
the shore before putting up a Greenshank that flies up and perches
on a little promontory of rock, its distinctive coloured legs visible
in the gloomy morning. There’s also Red-breasted Merganser here but
generally it’s quite quiet in the blustery conditions so we tootle
along with the peak of Ben More hidden in cloud to the south of us.
But as we approach the foreboding cliffs of Gribun, out on the water
we see the distinctive diving shape of an Otter. We screech to a
halt and over the next hour or so enjoy excellent views as it swims
along feeding, eating as it goes, before we turn the vans around and
park up in another lay by, where we hope the Otter may come ashore.
Our plan, surprisingly, comes together as the Otter appears with a
huge eel, at least its own body length, from its size and shape we
suspect it could be a Conger Eel, or maybe a Ling which after much
exertion, it manages to drag ashore and begins to eat whilst the eel
is still alive. It’s in a nice prominent position for us and we are
able to enjoy this much sought after mammal at our leisure before
it eventually finishes its meal, having consumed virtually the whole
eel, then swims off and out of view. Delighted with our success,
it’s now lunchtime so we drive around the base of the Gribun cliffs,
having seen a couple of brief Twite and over the choppy waters a couple
of Greylag Geese fly by.
Finishing lunch we head on past Gribun from where
we look out over the open mouth of Loch na Keal towards the islands
of Staffa, Inch Kenneth and Little Colonsay and in the murky distance
the island of Bac Mor or the Dutchman’s Cap and Lunga and then along
the length of the Ross of Mull. We then turn and head inland across
the bleak moorland to the west of Ben More, before dropping down towards
Loch Scridain. We pause outside someone’s little cottage where there
are some feeders hanging and numerous Siskins are dropping in, including
a delightful male feeding a couple of youngsters, before driving the
north shore of Loch Scridain picking up Buzzards and numerous Grey
Herons then stopping at the eastern end known as Loch Beag. Here
we scan the rocky islands looking for something a little different
and find various groups of Eider and also Cormorant and then over
the distant mountains we pick out a White-tailed Sea Eagle which is
some distance away and disappears up into the cloud and out of sight.
Ten minutes or so later the assembled Curlews, Gulls and Oystercatchers
start alarm calling and we look up to see a superb adult White-tailed
Sea Eagle drifting low overhead, giving a superb fly past joined by
a couple of Ravens which see it on its way out of view and up into
the mountains again.
We leave here and meander up to Glen More, seeing
Whinchat en route before stopping at a view point where another brief
White-tailed Sea Eagles goes over as we continue on stopping at various
lay bys to scan the moorland in search of harriers or Short-eared
Owls. As this proves fairly unproductive, we make a stop where the
road bends round and scan out over the young pine plantation, hearing
Redpoll, Whitethroat and groups of Hooded Crows. Our patience is
rewarded not by Short-eared Owl, but by an adult Golden Eagle which
appears over a far ridge and does a 180 degree tour around our view
point, pursued a couple of times by Hooded Crows which gives a good
idea of size and scale, before it too disappears up into the cloud.
Shortly afterwards we move on and start making our way back to Craignure,
but the day is not over yet as passing the shores of Loch Spelve,
a superb male Hen Harrier appears off to the left and drifts lazily
over the road before heading up into the hills, escorted by a couple
of Curlew and eventually disappearing out of sight. So a bonus bird
at the end of the day and back to Craignure.
The plan for the day was to split the group with
half of them heading out on the boat to the Treshnish Isles, but unfortunately
the wind has still yet to abate and any thoughts of going to sea are
quickly dispelled.
Instead we all head for the Sea Eagle watch point, but again we have
to split the group so Mark takes one van load off in the morning up
to Loch Frisa where we rendezvous with the Forest Enterprise Ranger
who leads us to the hide. Once inside we are pointed in the direction
of the nest where there is one large chick actively munching its way
through some prey that has been dropped by one of the adults. We
watch this for several minutes before we hear the sounds of Raven
overhead and we peer out of the windows of the hide to see it mobbing
an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle which sails over the hide and off
to the north, so nice to see the adult and chick. We stay here for
a couple of hours, picking up a number of woodland birds as well with
an obliging Great-spotted Woodpecker on a tree, along with Redpoll
and Siskin, while on the access track there is a Hedgehog scurrying
away into the undergrowth.
Down on the loch there are a couple of Red-breasted
Mergansers while Hooded Crows meander about. We find out a little
about the history of these particular White-tailed Sea Eagles and
the general introduction programme while a little later on, Lesley
picks up an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle which is heading purposely
for the nest and we get excellent views but unfortunately a Crow appears
and this sets off after the eagle which decides against dropping in
on the nest and instead heads off overhead and way out over the loch.
It lands briefly and we are just about able to get a view in the
telescopes when a second individual appears and they fly up and away
out of sight. Shortly afterwards they are picked up briefly as is
a sub-adult Golden Eagle, which drifts along the ridge accompanied
by a pair of Kestrels which eventually see it off. Back into the
hide and we pick up a Tree Pipit before it’s time to leave and we
head back up the track and off to Calgary Bay. We drop down into
the delightful Calgary Bay where we have lunch under the trees at
the back of the beach. Now that the sun comes out, its even warm
enough for a Red Admiral butterfly to flit past but the breeze is
still blowing as we have a bite to eat before Russell picks up a Golden
Eagle, a youngster this time, that sails over the ridge with an accompanying
party of Hooded Crows.
After we’ve eaten we go for a walk along the beach
seeing a brood of Eider ducklings and a pair of Red-throated Divers
offshore and then take a walk along the edge of the far rocky shore,
seeing a pair of Kestrel and manage to pick out the nest with a youngster
bouncing around inside it. Having also picked up Common Seal, we retrace
our steps and a couple of brave souls go for a paddle in the water,
before heading back to the vans with various attempts at leaping the
burn before we meander our way back in the direction of Tobermory.
On the Mishnish Lochs we pick up Little Grebe before dropping down into
the town to take a slow walk along the shop front, its delightfully
brightly painted buildings proving an attractive backdrop. After a
while shopping, crossing the burn in Tobermory we come across a barely
fledged Dipper directly below us under the bridge. We watch him for
several minutes before the adult comes into feed and disappears again,
only six feet beneath us. We have a look at the gulls gathered on the
bare rocks, picking out the Common, Lesser Black-backed and Herring
Gulls, before driving south beside the Sound of Mull. We pick up some
Greylag Geese with goslings, more Mergansers and Grey Heron, while hauled
out on the rocks are some Common Seals.
We continue onto Garmony where we stop for half
an hour looking at the Common and Arctic Terns, Eider Ducks, a few
Gannets offshore and Common Sandpipers on the water’s edge before
going back to the hotel at the end of a nice relaxing day.
John’s half of the group have been undertaking the
day the opposite way around. We first head north through Salen and
up through Glen Aros where the weather is quite blowy, clouds are
racing and its cloudy and misty on the tops as well. As we drive
up through Glen Aros we stop at a pull in at the side of the road
to admire some Sand Martin nests before moving on and a couple of
Goldfinch flit onto the fence by the side of us and again some more
Sand Martins fly over a small river that we cross. We make several
stops through Glen Aros to scan the horizon for Raptors, but we only
manage to pick up Kestrels wheeling around, while Curlew call in the
distance, but we don’t have any sign of eagles.
We carry on through Glen Aros and stop at the entrance
to a hotel where there is a nice garden and a Whitethroat is singing
merrily away which we manage to get good views of as it sits perched
high upon a spruce tree. Dropping down to Dervaig where the weather
ahead of us looks a little bit brighter, we park up on the little
beach at the edge of the salt marsh and scan out across the rocky
shoreline. Looking past the old fish wall we can see a few Mallard
idly swimming about, Common Sandpiper call and a few Common Gulls
mew around us but it is fairly quiet on the water with not a huge
amount of birdlife. We amuse ourselves watching a householder shoo
the sheep away which have been trying to steal his shopping that he
left at his gate whilst he was opening his front door. It is all
very entertaining as his poor wife charges at them with a broom!
We move on westwards and drive through Calgary down
to the bay where we are greeted by the beautiful sight of lovely blue
sky and a really deep blue sea which is spotted with white horses
this morning making it obvious the boat would not have got out. It’s
a rather wintry looking sea and not one that you would expect to see
in June.
We get out and have a look at Calgary Bay with its
gleaming white sand stretching out before us. Beyond the bay we make
a slow drive for just a mile or so up a very windy road which climbs
around the cliffs enabling us to get a better view out to sea where
we stop and look towards the Isle of Coll which is distantly visible
in the haze. A few Fulmars dash along just above the waves, quite
a way out, but it’s a bit too difficult to see any other sea birds
out there in these conditions and we drive further along passing a
car, which has fallen into a ditch.
We turn around and make our way back, stopping at
the ‘award-winning’ toilets at Calgary Bay near the little campsite
to have a scan around. We drive on back towards Dervaig and climb
up onto the hill and drive onto the viewpoint for lunch before going
down to the Sea Eagles. From here we scan the horizons for any signs
of eagles but unfortunately Golden Eagles seem to be in short supply
today. After lunch we drop down to the little lochan below the viewpoint
where we find a Whinchat singing away and a small party of Greylags
on the loch with goslings. The two pairs have seven and two young
respectively and we again scan the ridges behind for Golden Eagles
but don’t get anything.
We drive on and meet up with the Forestry Commission
Ranger and are escorted down the glen along a track until we reach the
little hide that views the nest. From here we can clearly see a huge
mass of twigs amidst a spruce tree, which is the White-tailed Sea Eagle
nest and we can make out a very brown mass of feathers sitting there
– it’s the chick – nearly fully grown at 8 weeks old! It keeps flapping
its wings and occasionally stands up so that we can clearly see its
massive wings with blue wing tag, placed to follow its future movements.
We watch the young bird and get a Cuckoo zoom past the hide and luckily
it’s not long before an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle flies in and wheels
over the trees and gives us fantastic views of all its plumage, a lovely
white tail against the dark background, before it disappears behind
the ridge. We watch the young bird and again it’s not long before an
adult sweeps in and lands on the nest dropping a food item in before
flying off and giving stunning views as it climbs above the hide and
away. It’s not long before it reappears with the other adult and the
two birds glide gently overhead, surveying the scene around them.
We spend a good hour or so in the hide and are shown some wing feathers,
huge long quills of this massive bird. We are also shown a pellet
as well which is a gigantic bundle of feathers and fur and probably
the biggest pellet we’ve ever seen. It turns out these birds have
been mainly feeding on Fulmars and they have found some interesting
things in the nest when its been inspected. Some interesting items
of prey have been identified including a Barn Owl and a cat!
After some stunning Eagles we take a look out at the
back of the hide before we leave where there are quite a few Tree Pipits,
some of which are flighting from the nearby pines. We pass the Mishnish
Lochs and down into Tobermory where we all have a quick look around
the shops and take some shelter as it’s nice to get out of the wind
in the shelter of this delightful town.
Next stop is Aros Park where again it’s nice and
sheltered and we enjoy a relaxed walk around the water lily filled
loch. The water lilies have all burst into flower, yellows and whites,
and the trees are really lush and green. There are some quite unusual
trees in the park, trees usually associated with southern England
such as Chestnut, Beech and Hazel. A Blackcap sings loudly from the
scrub next to the park, Swallows swoop low over the water lilies,
Chaffinches are numerous and we also hear Bullfinch. It’s a lovely
relaxed walk after sitting in the hide for a few hours and quite warm
in the sunshine away from the wind.
We drive down towards Craignure, taking a stop on
the roadside near Craignure golf course to scan out and find some Eider
ducklings with a female Eider who appears to be teaching the ducklings
how to dive in the shallow waters. We pass a Common Sandpiper perched
on the power lines and we scan out from the roadside looking for any
signs of nearby Terns. There are a few fishing in a distant inlet and
we think they are probably Arctic.
From here its back to the hotel with time for a
rest before dinner and a chance to catch up with the other half of
the group allowing us to compare notes on our differing highlights
of the day.
We wake finally to a delightful bright, sunny day
with only a gentle breeze which is all very fortunate as we’re off
to spend the day on the island of Iona. We set off and head through
Glen More and down the Ross of Mull, scenically very different to
the rest of the island, with a gently undulating landscape rather
than the high hilly areas that stretch through much of the middle
of the island.
Eventually we arrive at Fionnphort at the end of
the road and wander down to the little ferry. The 5-minute crossing
takes us over the Sound of Iona and we pick up a few Shags en route,
before setting foot on the island and we immediately head out of the
hustle and bustle of the tourist trap and go off on our quest of Corncrake.
We are barely 100 yards along the road when we can hear the rasping
call of this much sought after and very elusive bird, and spend some
time scouring the field without any visible success.
We take a slow amble along the road, picking up our
first Rooks and Jackdaws of the trip as Linnet fly overhead, before
we turn inland and cross the narrow part of the island. We come across
Goldfinch on the wire and young Wheatears flitting around with Buzzard
sat on a rocky outcrop while overhead two pure wild Rock Doves zip past.
We drop down to the delightful sandy beach known by its translated form
as the ‘beach at the back of the ocean’ and here we have lunch looking
out to sea where several Fulmars are milling around the distant stacks
and just offshore there are numerous Eider Ducks. With the warm sunshine
beating down it’s an idyllic spot looking out to the Atlantic but eventually
we tear ourselves away and head back in the direction of the wild meadows
in search of Corncrake. Crossing the middle of the island we look on
a fence to see a very close Twite and briefly a young one appears to
be fed by the adult and also there’s a Linnet nearby for comparison.
It’s warm enough for the butterflies to be out and we come across Red
Admiral and Large White and while looking at these near a small farmstead
we glance up to see two Peregrine Falcons diving in pursuit of a Rock
Dove. It seems to be a little half-hearted chase and the Peregrines
give up as the Rock Dove plummets earthward and escapes capture, but
the Peregrines give an excellent display, wheeling around overhead,
gaining height before disappearing.
Back towards the small township we again hear the distinctive call
of the Corncrake and Ian Stewart briefly sees the head of one in the
vegetation but unfortunately it disappears from view and none of the
rest of us locate it before it starts calling further away and out
of sight. Instead we have to make do with a couple of Sandwich Terns
which are flying through the Sound of Iona – a real surprise in this
part of the world – before we arrive in the village and have the opportunity
of wandering up to the Abbey, around the Nunnery, or continuing in
the search for Corncrake. Those that do the latter return to the
shore road and although there’s no sound coming out of the fields,
we are delighted to suddenly see a Corncrake take to the wing and
fly low across the grassland and drop in out of sight— Brief but worth
the effort! We are now ready to head back for the ferry after a successful,
delightfully warm day on Iona.
We take the ferry back down to Fionnphort where
we are welcomed by a Grey Seal that is bobbing around just off the
jetty and once in the vans, we drive a short distance to a sandy beach
at Fidden where we see our first proper views of Redshank and some
Common Gulls with chicks. We then retrace our steps and head back
east along the Ross of Mull, pausing at one point to look at a Curlew
chick that’s running around beside the road, before continuing on
into Glen More and winding our way back to a viewpoint that we’d stopped
at a couple of days ago. We’re searching again for Short-eared Owl
but the species seems beyond us and instead we have to content ourselves
with a good display from two Hen Harriers, a pair quartering the hillside
and the plantation a way across the narrow valley. They remain in
view for sometime before its time to make the short journey back to
Craignure in the evening sunshine.
It’s our day for the Treshnish Isles and due to boat
numbers we split the group between the two boats, the Flamer and Turus
Mara, going from different piers, but both with the similar aim of getting
to Lunga. Those that go on the Flamer leave a little earlier and head
north up Glen Aros, pausing at Dervaig where they see four summer plumaged
Dunlin feeding on the edge of the mud flats in this little estuary,
also Redshank and the first Wigeon of the week. Some of us are in a
sour mood as England have just gone out of the world cup but as we arrive
at the little pier at Croig the intermittent rain has eased off and
there’s a light southerly breeze blowing. We meet the crew of Jeremy
and Sarah who escort us on board our vessel for the day.
Heading out of the harbour we can see the lighthouse of Ardnamurchan
point with the island of Muck beyond and as we turn southwards, the
island of Coll comes into view and we work our way out into the open
waters, passing some Cormorants on a rock and numerous seals hauled
up. We start picking up our first auks of the day with a few Black
Guillemots while the odd Fulmar drifts past and Gannets are seen further
out. As we round the headland the Treshnish Isles come into view
with the Dutchman’s Cap, Lunga, Fladda and the Burgh Islands and as
we edge closer a Manx Shearwater shoots across the bows and disappears
westwards whilst our first Puffins appear on the water. As we round
the first of the islands we can see the ancient walls of various fortifications
that occurred on the island at various times during its history before
rounding Fladda and seeing several groups of Greylag Geese on the
water and some delightful Black Guillemots very close beside us, perched
upon rocks. Further round we see an Arctic Skua pursuing some Kittiwakes,
attempting to gain their meal before it disappears out of view and
we start looking at the Grey Seals and numerous auks that are sat
on the water.
The other half of the group have a later boat departure
and so spend a little time birding on land. Exploring the north side
of Loch na Keal we find Shelduck with chicks and there is an amazing
sight on one of the beaches where a large flock of juvenile Wheatears
are feeding and we see a mass of white rumps flying away across the
rocks in front of us as we approach in the van. There must be at least
30 birds on the beach, it must be some sort of gathering, perhaps its
some kind of nursery flock but something we’ve never seen before in
Wheatears— quite stunning. There are also a lot of juvenile Pied Wagtails
here with Common Sandpiper calling. From here the road winds and climbs
really high above Loch na Keal giving lovely views out over the water
towards Staffa. We get Yellowhammers sitting on the wires and the
whole road seems alive with birds as we drive along it—we find Stonechat,
Reed Bunting, lots of Meadow Pipits and a Whinchat flies by.
We finally make our way down to the ferry at 11.15
where we see the boats already coming in and we board Turus Mara and
go up on deck. The boat heads out and across first of all to the
Burgh Isles, just slightly north east of Lunga where we look at some
Grey Seals and pass some Common Seals on the way out.
As we come into our anchorage off Lunga there are
a mass of Kittiwakes on the beach which take to the wing while one
of the rocky islands has a large number of Terns which also take to
the air as we pass. We get ferried ashore but unfortunately the skies
look a bit ominous however we walk along the beach regardless, picking
up Ringed Plover and Oystercatchers, with Rock Pipit and Wheatear
flitting about and with the group reunited we enjoy this seabird island
despite the weather.
Off the beach and onto the first level of grass
on Lunga, we start encountering Puffins and it’s here we get some
stunning views with them almost within touching distance as they wander
round going in and out of their burrows, completely unconcerned by
our presence.
We make the slow walk along the slightly muddy track
that hugs the cliff line and we encounter numerous Razorbills and
a couple of Shag nests with a male in residence and again some fantastic
photo opportunities of these seabirds despite the uncomfortable weather.
A few Twites flit past before we reach the impressive stack of Harp
Rock which is covered with breeding guillemots numbering in their
thousands, their purring calls drift up towards us with the occasional
high pitched squeal of the youngsters which are being well protected
from the elements by their parents. It’s an impressive sight, but
unfortunately the weather is not with us, however, further out we
do see a pale phase Arctic Skua which is pursing Kittiwakes again.
We have lunch here trying to gain some shelter in the rocks before
meandering our way back towards the beach, delighted with the views
of some stunning seabirds.
Back to the beach where the group splits again with
Mark’s group re-boarding Flamer and as we pull out of Lunga Sarah
brings us some much welcome cuppas and cakes and we meander our way
back towards Croig. The wind has picked up and it’s quite a roly
ride back but proves profitable with several close Manx Shearwaters
which wheel away and out of sight. Meanwhile a distant Great Skua
skims low over the surface looking for some unsuspecting seabirds
to prey upon. We see yet more auks and some close flyby gannets before
our 1½ hour journey puts us back into Croig where we take off our
wet clothes and switch the heaters on full or the 45 minute journey
back to Craignure.
Meanwhile John’s half of the group splash on to
the jetty to get on board the Turus Mara and then shoot off towards
Staffa where in the last hour the sea has changed rather from slight
to moderate and there are a lot of white horses and a fair swell.
We find we didn’t make the best decision deciding to sit on the top
as the minute the engines are put up full power, deluges of water
come over us as the boat bounces to and fro through the swell and
swings from side to side. There are just gallons of water flying
over us all – it’s like somebody tipping buckets over our heads and
none of us can move to get downstairs! John makes a dash for the
front and sits on the floor there for some shelter but we’ve all resigned
ourselves to the fact that we are already completely soaked and we
are going to enjoy it! Surprisingly no-one seems that interested
in looking at Fingal’s Cave on Staffa as the boat reels around so
we head for the shelter of Loch na Keal. Everyone seems to be making
the most of the day as we head into Loch na Keal and although the
weather is miserable, the scene is quite amazing with these huge towering
cliffs topped by just a blanket of really dark ominous cloud and streaks
of rain coming down – it looks like something out of Lord of the Rings
and shows how dramatic Mull can look.
We’ve never been so glad to see the warmth of the
hotel and the chance to dry out before dinner. We attempt to avoid
the evenings entertainment (?!) and instead use the time for our last
look for the Barn Owl and Woodcock.
Unfortunately it’s our last morning on Mull so we
get up, have breakfast, load the vans and have an hour or so to explore
before boarding the ferry. We head down to Loch Don for a brief bit
of birding, checking out the estuary where the tide is low and we
see Curlew, numerous Oystercatchers, gulls, Red-breasted Mergansers
out on the water and our one and only Black-headed Gull of the week
drifts past while there’s a Buzzard circling in the air and Skylark
perched on a rock. We turn back and head along a little further south
and around to Grasspoint, crossing a little stone bridge and seeing
Redshank and Common Sandpiper whilst a couple of individuals glimpse
a Treecreeper nearby. Down at the point we are out of the vans and
almost immediately we pick up an adult White-tailed Sea Eagle flying
over the loch with a Hooded Crow in hot pursuit and briefly joined
by an Arctic Tern to give it more grief. It does a good fly past
and we can clearly see the colour of its tail before it drops out
of view behind a ridge. Down at the point there are numerous Common
and Arctic Terns wheeling back and forth and a few auks on the water,
but time is getting the better of us and we have to make our way back
to Craignure, passing the usual herd of Red Deer, and reaching the
pier ready for boarding and the short 45-minute crossing back across
the Sound of Lorne to Oban. It’s a bright morning and we see a few
more auks on the water and bizarrely a Sand Martin flying over before
we dock and sadly say our goodbyes at the end of an enjoyable week
on the Isle of Mull.
Red-throated Diver
Black-throated Diver
Little Grebe
Fulmar
Manx Shearwater
Gannet
Cormorant
Shag
Grey Heron
Mute Swan
Greylag Goose
Shelduck
Wigeon
Mallard
Eider
Red-breasted Merganser
White-tailed Sea Eagle
Hen Harrier
Common Buzzard
Golden Eagle
Kestrel
Peregrine
Pheasant
Corncrake
Oystercatcher
Ringed Plover
Lapwing
Dunlin
Snipe
Woodcock
Bar-tailed Godwit
Curlew
Redshank
Greenshank
Common Sandpiper
Arctic Skua
Great Skua
Black-headed Gull
Common Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Herring Gull
Great Black-backed Gull
Kittiwake
Sandwich Tern
Common Tern
Arctic Tern
Guillemot
Razorbill
Black Guillemot
Puffin
Rock Dove
Woodpigeon
Collared Dove
Cuckoo
Barn Owl
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Skylark
Sand Martin
Swallow
House Martin
Tree Pipit
Meadow Pipit
Rock Pipit
Grey Wagtail
Pied Wagtail
Dipper
Wren
Dunnock
Robin
Whinchat
Stonechat
Wheatear
Blackbird
Song Thrush
Mistle Thrush
Sedge Warbler
Whitethroat
Blackcap
Willow Warbler
Goldcrest (heard only)
Spotted Flycatcher
Long-tailed Tit
Coal Tit
Blue Tit
Great Tit
Jackdaw
Rook
Hooded Crow
Raven
Starling
House Sparrow
Chaffinch
Greenfinch
Goldfinch
Siskin
Linnet
Twite
Redpoll
Bullfinch
Yellowhammer
Reed Bunting
Red Admiral
Green-veined White
Large White
Stoat
Common Seal
Hedgehog
Otter
Wild Goat
Rabbit
Grey Seal
Mink (Albino)
Red Deer
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