 
June 2012
June 2011 June 30th
Weather the same as yesterday
with a stronger breeze - Well now June is over and I can definitely say
that no one on Mull has suffered from heat stroke, let us hope for a bit
more sun and warmth in July. The good news on the wildlife front Despite
the poor weather the White-tailed Eagles seem to have had a reasonable
breeding season and the Golden Eagles have also done better than expected
and Hen Harriers and Short Eared Owls are feeding young with voles thus
enabling the smaller birds to recover from 2 harsh winters. If the birds
at the top of the food chain are doing alright in spite of the poor breeding
conditions weather wise the eco structure on Mull is in reasonably good
health.
June 29th
Weather cloudy, cool at times
- The only bird that Jan, one of my guests, saw today was a Chaffinch,
and that was because it almost ran over her foot. When you have a guest
who is parochially sighted you have to look at the tour in a different
way, we smelt the Fragrant Orchid and the Bog Myrtle, we listened to Eas
Force water fall, Skylarks and a beautiful Yellowhammer, and felt the soft
flower head of the Cotton Grass. Sometimes we need to realize that what
most of us take for granted is not available to all and we should be more
thankful for what we have than crave too much what others have, be careful
what we wish for.
June 28th
Weather a little better all
round than yesterday - After being so good yesterday the wildlife today
decided to play hard to see and apart from the White-tailed Eagles everything
else had to be looked for and a great deal of patience was required by
us all. Sighting of the day for me were 5 red Throated Divers all together
at lunch time and again we had super views of a very obliging Yellowhammer.
June 27th
Weather overcast with some
sunny breaks light breeze but still cool - I had a very easy day today
with all Mulls specialist species coming out on cue. We turned up at a
White-tailed Eagle stop and there they were and then they flew right over
us. We went a quarter of a mile up the road for morning coffee and proceeded
to watch an Otter for half an hour. On to a comfort break and shortly after
arriving there we had a female Hen Harrier which flew round for ten minutes.
We went on to our lunch stop where we look for Golden Eagle but did not
see one, we did however see Buzzards , Kestrel, 2 Red Throated Divers,
2 Black Guillemots and a Cormorant. Before leaving our lunch stop we had
seen a couple of Common Seals with pups and shortly after lunch we were
watching Red Deer and later we saw some newborn Red Deer calves. A brilliant
Yellowhammer followed which pleased guests as much as the big stuff but
still no Golden Eagle. Tea break and as I was serving Pam's lemon drizzle
cake the Golden Eagle got up and gave us a good display flying for several
minutes before disappearing and then returning for another look, perhaps
the Eagles have also heard about Pam's now legendary drizzle cake.
June 26th
Weather rain for most of
the day with one short break, warm with light breeze - Thanks to the short
break in the rain it turned out to be a good bird of prey day with both
types of Eagle coming out to take advantage of the rain break to dry out
giving us good views much to my relief. We also had very good sightings
of Buzzards and in particular a Merlin and whilst having afternoon tea
in our kitchen we saw a very good Sparrowhawk carrying prey, not bad for
a very wet day. As well as raptors we saw Red Throated Divers and diving
Gannets and some good views of Red Breasted Mergansers, Redshank, Common
Sandpiper and to one guests delight a very close Skylark. Mammal
were also seen well with 2 Otters both Grey and Common Seals and Fallow
and Red Deer and not to be forgotten Rabbits.
Our guests arrived expecting
little from a very wet day and ended the day surprised and pleased with
what we had been able to see.
 
June 25th
Weather light rain but warmer
- No tour but also too wet to mow lawns which was some compensation for
the damp weather. After Pam had finished cleaning the self-catering cottages
the rain stopped so we went out for a couple of hours to try and find some
birds not already on my Mull year list. We got really lucky as we managed
two new ones for the year, a Grey Wagtail in short supply on Mull this
year and a Wood Warbler here in good numbers but the first one I have seen
having annoyingly heard lots.
June 24th
Weather similar to yesterday
with less breeze - Hard work on the wildlife front today as most of the
main species were playing find us if you can. We did eventually find nearly
all of them but our patience was severely tested and I worked very hard
trying to keep my lovely guests entertained. When you have guests who really
care and try not to pressurize you it makes you try even harder to make
the day out special for them, so thanks to all of you on todays tour and
I hope you were rewarded for your patience and good humour. The Harriers
at the end of the day were very good weren't they even if the lazy Golden
Eagle only sat there and would not fly.
 
June 23rd
Weather sunny but with cool
strong breeze - A tour with all of Mulls prime species seen but to get
the Otter we had to go down a road which arguably has the worst surface
in Britain and takes me 40 minutes to travel 5 miles. The Otter we saw
after slaloming round the deep crevasse pot holes was extremely good and
made up for journey from hell. We had several Golden Eagles today and a
brilliant White-Tailed Eagle and superb Kestrel, both types of Seal and
Deer were seen and we ended the day with a male Hen Harrier.
June 22nd
Weather rain all day but
warmer - We had lots of wildlife wherever we went today, small black insects
that certainly made their presence felt on some of our guests who even
when I found fantastic Otter at lunchtime would not get out of the van
to see it claiming they were watching a family of Goldfinches feeding on
seaweed. That is what makes wildlife so great but also frustrating for
tour operators, you can't please everyone at the same time. The Otter was
brilliant though.
June 21st
Weather cloudy start with
rain from midday onwards - Arthur had a day at home today to get the lawns
mown before the rain started again and I (Pam) took the tour which got
off to a good start with the White-tail Eagle flying directly over our
heads. Although some of the larger species were kept down with the rain
we had some great sighting of Cuckoo, Great Northern and Red throated Divers,
Yellowhammer and a newly born Red Deer calf my first of the year as well
as a lot of laughs with a friendly group, all members of the 'wet right
knee society' after kneeling to smell a lovely Fragrant Orchid.
June 20th
Weather sunny and warm with
light breeze - Today the wildlife was a struggle although we did see both
types of Eagle none of the sightings however were spectacular. We did however
see lots of Red Deer stags more than I have seen for some months and a
few more Common Seals with their babies. A lot of sea birds were seen in
particular a very large group of Shags which had obviously found a shoal
of fish and were taking full advantage of it while they could.
June 19th
Weather sunny, Dry and warmer
with light breeze - Weather perfect for both views and wildlife watching
and all Mulls star species obliged, particularly Otter, and both types
of Eagle. Good news on the Golden Eagle front more chicks have survived
than we thought after the very cold wet conditions in May. We are seeing
more of this years Red Deer calves now and we also saw our first newborn
Common Seal of the year today.
 
June 18th
Weather cloudy but dry and
little wind - No tour today so I did my breeding bird square which is around
the farm. I saw lots of species with young including Bullfinch, Lesser
Redpoll, Blackcap, Great, Blue and Coal Tits, Blackbirds and Thrushes,
lots of Yellowhammers, Sparrowhawks, Buzzards and Hen Harrier, Great Spotted
Woodpecker, Treecreeper, Woodcock and lots more, over 30 species were seen
within a kilometre square of where we live and that does not include the
Barn and Tawny Owls, we are lucky to have so many bird species in and around
the farm even after the poor spring.
June 17th
Weather back to autumnal
conditions with strong breeze and heavy rain all day - We managed to see
2 White-tailed Eagles in the morning just sitting waiting for the rain
to stop, they were in for a long wait. A nice Sedge Warbler, a few Red
Deer and a couple of Red Throated Divers were seen as we spent most of
the day searching for Otters then at our last stop we found a mother and
cub. After our guests had got drenched with the Otters I took them back
to Ardrioch where they had afternoon tea and home baked cakes in
front of our aga drying off, warming up and watching lots of fledged young
birds which had hatched in the nest boxes around the garden on the feeders
set strategically around our house and self catering cottages. I was able
to show a guest who was not so interested in birds several wildflowers
including 4 species of Orchids as well today, Wildflowers are like toilet
stops nobody appears to want them but when you stop everyone seems enthusiastic.
June 16th
Weather another beautiful
day - Roller, Roller, Roller did I mention Roller we saw one on
Mull today not on the tour but Pam had it in the morning and we both went
and found it again in the evening, a first ever sighting for both of us,
thanks to Brian Rains for the information. Todays tour was excellent again
and we saw all Mulls major species, with both types of Eagle carrying prey
and Otter eating fish, Hen Harrier hunting and a very good Red Deer stag.
WE also saw a ROLLER
 
June 15th
Weather the same as yesterday
but cool when the sun went in - My thanks to Dave Cole and family who private
hired the van for todays trip and were an absolute joy to take out put
me under no pressure and were delighted with everything they saw. Their
highlights were brilliant White-tailed Eagle flying directly over the van,
gorgeous Lesser Redpoll and Yellowhammer, Bottle Nose Dolphins and Hen
Harrier to end the day. We also saw Golden Eagles but not the best views
ever but the good news is that the Goldies in our area have had a good
breeding season despite the awful weather conditions in May.
 
 
June 14th
Weather sunny and warm with
a light breeze - It was a perfect day, great guests, good weather, fantastic
views of Mull in its prime and the birds and other wildlife were pretty
great too. Some days are just brilliant on all counts and this was one
of them, thank you one and all.
June 13th
Weather mainly sunny but
with freshening wind no rain - I had a day off so Pam did the tour and
was Eagled out when she got home. I went out with a friend and added Redstart
and Spotted Flycatcher to my Mull year list, I always like to see Redstart
as it is such a striking bird. I met and chatted with a couple of fellow
BTO members who confirmed that Stonechats and Grey Wagtails have suffered
badly in Scotland after 2 very hard winters.
June 12th
Weather warm and sunny with
light breeze - Two notable sightings on todays tour Bottle Nose Dolphins
in Loch Na Keal 5 or 6 of them quite close in and towards the end of
the day we had brilliant views of a Short Eared Owl hunting right by us
as we were looking for a Hen Harrier which did not appear. Another good
Eagle day and we also had cracking views of Sedge Warbler and Whinchat
and 2 Cuckoos.
June 11th
Weather sunny and warm with
light breeze - At last it feels like spring, maybe summer is just around
the corner . I do not normally do tours on a saturday but today made an
exception and was I glad I did as we saw all Mulls major species really
close in high definition, I can count the times on one hand that this actually
happens. After an hour and a half one of my guests said to me 'we are not
seeing much are we' and at that stage we hadn't but wildlife does not always
come out to order. At the end of the day the same guest said 'is that the
best day you have had this year' as I keep saying wildlife watching requires
patience, if you have that and a little faith you can be well rewarded.
Although we did not see Hen Harrier today we saw fabulous Short Eared Owl
instead.
June 10th
Weather sunny and warmer
but definitely not hot - Red Deer stags in their velvet, White-tailed Eagles,
Golden Eagles, Buzzards galore and Kestrels all seen as well as three Red
Throated Divers, Great Northern Divers, sea birds and Seals on another
very good day. Today however the winner was Mull at last seen in glorious
Technicolor, views that made you gasp from the Outer Hebridies to Skye,
it was just special and guests when I could get them to take me seriously
were literally gob smacked. We had a slight insect problem today with a
small creepy crawly in the van as one of my guests tried to usher it out
with a Mull map she lost her grip on the map which disappeared through
the window and off down the road in the wind, when I had stopped laughing
I gave chase and retrieved said map not to badly traumatized after its
adventure. Many thanks to all my guests today for making it such an enjoyable
day out, particularly Margaret who climbed the hill to the consternation
of her daughters she was a a breath of fresh air and a joy to take out.
Note from Pam - Whilst Arthur
is busy with the tours I have taken a little time out from baking to look
at all the new baby birds which are now coming into the garden. Although
Greenfinches are having a hard time nationally they are doing very well
here as can be seen with these 3 babies on the branch by the feeder. Arthur
put up 10 new bird boxes around the garden last winter and a number of
these have been used this spring.
 
 
June 9th
Weather another nice day
but it is still very breezy and was cooler than yesterday - Both types
of Eagle were brilliant again today, this is becoming a nice habit long
may it continue. We saw lots of Red Deer and a single Fallow Deer, a very
dark one, and plenty of Seals but no Grey ones. Chicks and ducklings are
appearing with their parents with Lapwing, Oystercatcher, Shelduck
and Eider being seen as well as lots of Goslings. Great views of Linnet
and Whinchat today which always pleases our guests and me in particular.
I thought we were not going to see a Hen Harrier today but just as we approached
Tobermory my guests spotted one in a field which flew right past us, fantastic,
as I always say on the tours I don't mind who spots, I am not proud , nine
pairs of eyes are a lot better than one.
 
June 8th
Weather Sunny all day with
light breeze but still cool and it is June - Another great Eagle day, boy
they are performing well for us at the moment, sometimes guests have to
be patient but the results are worth waiting for. Otters today, nice to
know they still exist, we also had very good views of Fallow Deer as well
as the usual Red Deer. Kestrels were well in evidence today which means
they are probably feeding young and we also saw a very late Great Northern
Diver. Another good day to DISCOVER MULL as the views were stunning
with views of the Outer Hebridies, the Small Isles Eigg, Muck , Rhum and
Canna and the Black Cuillins of Skye.
June 7th
Weather dull with cold showers
during the day - I (Pam) gave Arthur a well earned rest today and the tour
got off to a great start with a White-tail Eagle flying over our heads,
unfortunately it then rained on and off for most of the middle part of
the day and finding eagles was difficult. Eventually at 4 pm the Golden
Eagle flew and we had good views of it hunting against the hill side getting
all it's golden colours on it's head and back. Just before the end of the
day we found a hunting Short-eared Owl that caught a vole and took it back
to the nest sight, as it reappeared it was being attacked by a male Hen
Harrier - fantastic - it flew off only to be attacked by a neighbouring
Short-eared Owl who even did a 'wing clap' for us - wow - we had waited
all day, but what a finale.
June 6th
Weather white Cloud but dry
with a little breeze, very pleasant - Yesterday I forgot the Cuckoo fest
with 3 Cuckoos either chasing each other or being chased by Meadow Pipits,
very exciting and the first Cuckoos my guests had seen for some time or
not at all. Today was a great day for the Mull specialities but the stand
out by far was the magnificent views of a male Hen Harrier at the end of
the tour, by far the best view we have had this year, talk about leaving
guests on a high note, well this was it.
June 5th
Weather sunny and warm for
most of the day but deteriorated after afternoon tea - the day began with
a male Hen Harrier and a Buzzard having a fracas which went on for several
minutes. At our next stop a Buzzard having a longer fracas with a Sparrowhawk,
I think the Buzzards must have got out of the wrong side of their nests
this morning. Red Deer were then seen and a Curlew flew in front of the
van and we spotted 2 Goosanders on the river, all this and we had only
been on tour for 45 minutes. Good views of both Eagles and great views
of 2 very close Red Throated Divers followed and we even took time out
to look at a very smart Snail. A really good day out with nice guests and
a lot of laughs, I don't know why so many people think wildlife watching
has to be deadly serious, I don't even though I love it I go out to have
a Good time and enjoy everything I see.
 
June 4th
Weather sunny , warm with
light breeze - We had friends staying with us this weekend and so after
Pam had cleaned the self-catering cottages we had a leisurely lunch before
heading to Cailiach Point. We spent 3 hours walking and watching Fulmars,
kittiwakes, razorbills, Guillemots and Shags we also saw a single Gannet
and lots of Wheatear, unfortunately we did not see any Puffins. The scenery
was stunning and with no one else about we were just able to while away
the hours and chill out, Mull must be one of the best cures for stress
ever.
June 3rd
Weather we learnt today
we had had 306 millimetres of rain in May 3 times the normal rainfall for
May. Today we had Beautiful warm sunshine all day with very little
wind Hoorah
-
A
great day today with all target species seen and we were
all in shirt sleeves. The highlight bird of the day had to be the male
Merlin that flew in front of the van so close that even guest in the back
had very good views of it. We went with friends to the Killoran
Hotel this evening for a meal it was Really Fabulous.
June 2nd
Weather cloudy morning improving
in the afternoon breezy, cool but dry - A very good Eagle day, particularly
Golden Eagle which gave us a great display. We had good sightings of both
Linnet and Twite as we waited for the Golden Eagle to appear. 2 Otters
were seen early in the day and we also had good views of Great Northern
and Red Throated Divers. We saw our first Eider ducklings of the year today
and it is nice to see new life appearing after the recent poor weather.
June 1st
Weather Still windy with
low cloud - We started the day on the calm side of the island which was
just as well as we saw an Otter at our first stop unfortunately it disappeared
nearly as soon as we had picked it up. We quickly drove to another vantage
point and picked it up again much closer this time and watched it fishing
and then out of the water, a great start to the day. We had another good
day of White-tailed Eagle sightings and also saw both grey and Common Seals
requested by one of my guests, another happy chappie and both types of
Deer were seen well. At lunch my highlights with Wheatear, Linnet and Twite
all seen well, we also had good sightings of both Red Throated and Great
Northern Divers. The afternoon was quiet and although we tried hard very
little appeared under the low cloud and wind but guests enjoyed some very
good Drizzle Cake at tea time.
2010 June 30th
Weather sunny with strong
breeze - The forecast rain never materialized so as Pam was doing the tour
today I took the opportunity to do my last breeding bird visit of the year
on top of a hill in a bog. What bog? I could have done it in carpet slippers,
honestly Mull is so dry at the moment. Highlight of the square was a Cuckoo
and a Golden Eagle and lots of Red Deer with calves. On the tour Pam and
her guests had brilliant White-tailed Eagle sightings, I think she was
trying to make out it was better than our Golden Eagle one yesterday, if
it was it must really have been something special.
June 29th
Weather another lovely,
dry, sunny day - A great day again today with 3 Otters and sensational
views of Golden Eagle which circled right above our heads for several minutes,
our guests were overwhelmed. We had some good sightings of little birds
today, with the highlights being a Yellowhammer and a Whinchat which was
a lifer for one of the guests. A very good day became better with an excellent
Basking Shark sighting and the day ended with a real AH moment of a very
young Red Deer calf suckling its mother.
June 28th
Weather cloud with light
rain and windy morning, sunny breezy afternoon - Some days are just
brilliant I gel completely with my guests and have a day to remember as
well as the guests, today was one of them, so my thanks to all the guests
on todays tour who put me under no pressure to see stuff and were rewarded
with everything. A great day today with all Mull's top species seen including
2 Otters, a male Hen Harrier and my first Red Deer calves of the year.
My highlight today was a Swift which is very uncommon on Mull and a bird
I had not got so far this year on my list, my thanks to Joey for spotting
this bird. We ended a lovely day enjoying the warm sunshine and the peaceful
beauty sea watching off Cailaich point.
June 27th
Weather very warm but cooler
in the sharp showers, more breezy than yesterday around the coast - The
highlight of another good day for me was the fantastic view we had of a
male Lesser Redpoll sitting on telegraph wires, it was very obliging staying
until all the guests had seen it through the scope, I guess it really knew
that it was a fabulous specimen, a vogue front page of the Lesser Redpoll,
brilliant. At the same spot we also got a singing Wren on the top of a
bush and some guests got a good view of this overlooked little bird with
the voice of an opera singer. Oh and by the way we had really good views
of both types of Eagle with a close Golden Eagle being harassed by a brave
Kestrel.
June 26th
Weather warm, muggy, breezy
with a couple of sharp 5 minute showers all helps with the water shortage
- No tour today so lawn mowing, my favorite hobby (Not) but nice
to have time with the dogs particularly Misty who does like me lawn mowing,
well at least chewing at the tyres on the lawn mower. A BTO breeding bird
square today with lots of little birds feeding young, but beware the Sparrowhawk
was cruising about, no doubt he also has young to feed.
June 25th
Weather cloudy with some
hot sunny breaks, calm and dry - A great day to be out wildlife spotting
particularly on the water, We had great views of Basking Sharks, pictures
below, a good if distant sighting of Bottlenose Dolphins and 2 separate
Otters. Birdlife on the water included Goosanders, Red Breasted Mergansers,
seven Red Throated Divers, diving Gannets and Eiders with very small ducklings.
Birds of prey, lots of Buzzards, Kestrels, very good Golden and White-tailed
Eagles. Mammals seen included Red Deer stags and hinds and both Common
and Grey Seals.
 
June 24th
Weather rain over night,
and we needed it, low cloud clearing in the middle of the day but back
with light rain late afternoon - Common Seal with new-born
calf and BREACHING BASKING SHARK were the highlights of another good tour
- Arthur can have a day off more often. We also enjoyed watching a Sedge
Warbler singing it's heart out from the top of a reed and 2 Red Throated
Divers when I could get guests to take their eyes off the Sharks.
June 23rd
Weather slight cloud with
strong breeze becoming overcast with light drizzle - Boy do we need rain
we are now in drought conditions and some self catering on the island have
had to cancel due to lack of water, fortunately we are still ok as we have
an excellent source but even we could do with a decent nights rain. Otter
today which guests enjoyed and White-tailed Eagle and both Deer. The Self
- catering guests had great views of both Bullfinch and Lesser Redpoll
in our garden so they were delighted.
June 22nd
Weather cloudier with more
breeze but still dry - We had brilliant Hen Harrier on todays tour, the
best view of the year and also 2, 4 year old White Tailed Eagles. We also
saw distant views of some Golden Eagles, lots of Buzzards and a good Kestrel.
On our way home we had an excellent sighting of a Red Deer Stag standing
outside a woodland which made the guests day.
June 21st
Weather sunny and with
slight breeze, warm - What can I say another great day with great guests,
beautiful weather, lots of laughs and the wildlife played ball as well.
Eider Ducklings to brilliant Golden Eagles which after keeping us waiting
for most of the day came out in numbers to give us a gala performance.
A fantastic day which included Otter, and I can't recall how many, ended
with breeding plumaged Red Throated divers proudly showing off their beautiful
red throats a genuine thrill for at least one of our guests and me. The
longest day - not for us it wasn't!
 
June 20th
Weather cloudy with a light
breeze - A brilliant day with fantastic guests and we saw Hen Harriers,
4 White-tailed Eagles, 2 Golden Eagles, Kestrel and Buzzards. Mammals seen
were 2 Otters giving great views, both Red and Fallow Deer and Common and
Grey Seals and lots of baby Rabbits. Other birds of note seen were Red
Throated Divers, Linnet, Lesser Redpoll, Whitethroat, Goldfinches, Common
Sandpipers, Red Breasted Mergansers, Wheatears and Gannets plunge diving.
It was a lovely day with laughter and great wildlife watching, as I always
say if you look for everything you see more wildlife, you get more out
of your day if you are not species specific.
June 19th
Weather sunny warm but
very windy - BTO square today and fledglings were the order of the day,
I have never seen so many young Blue Tits in my life they were all over
the woods I was in. There were also lots of young Chaffinches and Great
Tits, oh and more Blue Tits. Wheatears also appear to have done well this
year lots of feeding going on with them. Bird of the day a lovely Spotted
Flycatcher.
June 18th
Weather sunny, warm but
breezy - The day started really well for me as I saw my first Stonechat
since January a beautiful male bird sitting on telegraph wires. the tour
produced great views of both types of Eagle carrying prey, in fact a Golden
Eagle flew right over us with a Mountain Hare in its talons. two Red Deer
stags were also seen grazing in reed beds very close to the road and we
had good if brief views of an Otter.
June 17th
Weather cloudy and sultry
- Basking Sharks, Porpoise, Otters, yes we are a land based tour but we
do see all the aforementioned creatures if and when conditions are right
and today they definitely were. Both Eagles gave us good sightings today
as well as a distant Hen Harrier, Buzzards galore and a very persistent
Kestrel. My birds of the day were a pair of Linnets and a beautiful Whinchat
on the way home.
June 16th
Weather low cloud for most
of the day - Difficult conditions today but managed White-tailed Eagles
and a chick for our guests to see at coffee break. 3 Otters were seen during
the day and also 3 Red Throated Divers, a Great Northern Diver, the usual
Red Deer and both types of Seal. The sighting guests enjoyed best during
the day however were the 4 Basking Shark very close and showing well, I
had a job to drag them away to see 2 Golden Eagles which came out in the
late afternoon as the low cloud finally lifted a little.
June 15th
Weather sunny with light
breeze becoming cloudier with light drizzle in the late afternoon - Another
good day with 4 Otters seen, 2 White-tailed Eagles and 2 Golden Eagles
both species seen sitting and flying. Seals and Deer were also seen as
they are on most tours but today we also saw 2 Basking Sharks and a small
group of Porpoise which delighted our guests. The sighting of the day however
had to be the 2 Great Skuas that flew in off the sea and right past us,
sometimes you get fantastic wildlife sightings that are truly amazing and
natural and for me this is what wildlife watching is all about. Other good
sightings today were Great Northern Diver, Yellowhammer, Sedge Warbler,
Whitethroat and a group of Greylag Geese 6 adults and about 20 Goslings
walking off the top of a hill in single file, it took them about 15 minutes,
they then crossed the road went across the shingle and into the sea , still
in single file, really cute.
June 14th
Weather sunny and warm
with slight breeze - Basking Shark the first on a tour this year, brilliant
Golden Eagles, diving Gannets, and a super Whinchat, nice to see as they
are thin on the ground this year. We also saw 3 White-tailed Eagles,
2 Otter and Red and Fallow Deer. Wildflowers seen included Greater Butterfly
Orchids and Fragrant Orchids and we saw several Small Heath Butterflies,
a really good day with fantastic guests.
 
June 13th
Weather grim at the start
of the day low cloud and rain - Our guests were worried it would be a wasted
day today but it turned into one of the best tours of the year with lots
of little bird species seen very well, including the Sedge Warbler and
Lesser Redpoll seen below. I do love seeing little birds so I had a great
day, oh and by the way we also had really good Otter, Golden Eagle, White-tailed
Eagle, Sparrowhawk, Kestrel, Buzzard, Red Deer, Fallow Deer, and both types
of Seal. not bad for a disappointing weather day in which one guest bailed
out as it was cold.
 
June 12th
Weather pleasant but a
little cool - A good day for a walk to do 2 BTO squares today, the walk
was very pleasant although we did not see any birds we did not expect to
see, except we noted a distinct lack of Stonechats and Whinchat in what
should have been very good territory for these 2 species. At the end of
the walk our 2 Sheltie dogs were really tired and slept for the rest of
the day.
June 11th
Weather cold for June driech
with strong winds - The wind kept little birds down today but still had
good views of a Whitethroat, Common Sandpiper and Redshanks. Eagles and
Otter were seen well and on the wildflower front we found a clump of Great
Sundew. We had Canadians on the tour today who were interested in the history
which is why we found the Sundew as we were at a site we do not normally
go to, so even when you are not looking for natural things on Mull they
seem to turn up, it is a magical place.
June 10th
Weather sunny with a breeze
- A good day particularly for Golden Eagles which gave us a flying display
for nearly half an hour as we stood on a hill and watched them flying almost
parallel to us, they proceeded to fly right over us so that some guests
lay on their backs for a better view. Diving Gannets and Great Skuas were
the highlights on the sea, with the first Fragrant Orchid of the year the
main highlight for the botany lovers. The views were special with both
Skye and the Outer Hebrides seen well.
June 9th
Weather dull cloudy start
to the day clearing up to a beautiful afternoon - Arthur had a day off
today to rest and I had a lovely group of guests for the day with one gentleman
delighted to get Black Guillemot and Whitetail Eagle at our first stop,
2 firsts for him. 4 more Whitetail Eagles followed during the day and 2
golden Eagles as well as both kinds of Seal and Deer. We also had a close
Red Shank standing on a post watching out for its newly hatched chicks,
male Lesser Redpoll on some wires and a Swift flying through at the end
of the day as we were watching diving Gannets.
June 8th
Weather pleasant morning
becoming a little showery after lunch - A fabulous day for the Mull specialities
today with great Hen Harrier a male that flew all round us as we were having
coffee and biscuits. We then went to a Golden Eagle sight and had terrific
views of both bird both sitting and flying, as we were watching the Eagles
we spotted 3 Red Deer Stags on a crag just below the skyline, the guests
loved it flying Golden Eagles and Stags in the same view the epitome of
a Scottish scene. We had a White-tailed Eagle feeding a Chick which made
us all feel hungry so we went and had lunch of welcome hot soup and sandwiches
which included (dare I say it Venison) After lunch even better White-tailed
Eagle and then an Otter my best one of the year as you can imagine our
guests were over the moon, well the football world cup starts on saturday
so no apology for the analogy. To put it in a nutshell a great time was
had by all with no disturbance to the wildlife something we pride ourselves
on.
 
June 7th
Weather glorious - We had
a great day wildlife watching on Mull with 3 Cuckoos seen, a brilliant
view of a Lesser Redpoll, lots of Greylag goslings, Shelduck with delightful
ducklings, a flock of over 200 Manx Shearwaters took to the air when a
Great Skua went through them, 2 Red Throated Divers, several Gannets and
lots of other birds including both Eagles. We also saw Red Deer including
stags in velvet and the beautiful Fallow Deer. As well as birds and mammals
we saw lots of wildflowers including 2 types of Orchid and the views were
just brilliant, this shows that watching wildlife and a great day out is
not just about Eagles and Otters, magnificent Mull has a lot more to offer,
take our word for it. Pam came back from doing a BTO square for me today
enthusing about all she had witnessed and not an Eagle or Otter seen.
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June 6th
Weather warm but strong
sea breeze after morning mist - Very good Eagle day today with 4 White-tailed
Eagles seen with 2 interacting together almost but not quite talon grasping,
it was great for guests to see the size comparison between male and female,
female being the bigger. Golden Eagles seen and as always they were being
mobbed by Crows and Ravens so it is much easier for guests to know they
are seeing Eagles and not Buzzards. We had good Kestrel sightings today
and the other good sightings of the day Red Throated Divers and Yellowhammer.
June 5th
Weather warm cloudy with
some sea mist very pleasant - No tour today so off to Iona to try for Corncrake?
Hoorah Corncrake on rock 20 feet away, craking away for over a minute in
full view, my best ever view, sods law no camera so you will have to take
my word for it. Another tick for my Mull list but when I got home Spelly
from mull birds, my competitor in this undertaking had seen an Osprey,
so it was a case of up the ladder and down the snake, well done Alan!!!!
June 4th
Weather sunny muggy but
windy - A tough day today as guests particularly wanted Otter but despite
trying all day we failed to see any. We did after a lot of trying see 3
Golden Eagles one giving us a very good flying display, while we were waiting
on this Eagle we saw A Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel and Buzzard and a particularly
nice and obliging ( it didn't keep diving ) Great Northern Diver. Lots
of Red Deer were seen and a White-tailed Eagle was a good sighting for
our guests as was the Gannet early in the day. We now seeing some Northern
Marsh Orchids on the tour always a very nice flower to see.
June 3rd
Weather hot, dry with warm
sea breeze - 6 Golden Eagles, 4 Otters, 3 White-tailed Eagles, male Hen
Harrier, Red and Fallow Deer, Common and Grey Seals and Bottle Nose Dolphins
and 2 Slow Worms, it was a great day out with lovely guests. Although we
had all of Mulls specialities today my birds of the day were a wee Coal
Tit which I found on the doorstep after fledging and A beautiful Whinchat
singing in the sunshine, they may have arrived late but they were definable
worth waiting for.
 
June 2nd
Weather low cloud and windy
improving later but remaining dry - A very patient group of guests today
and they had to be as we struggled to find any Whitetailed Eagles this
morning, plenty of Buzzards but the Eagles remain illusive until after
coffee break , then just as we were about to give up we eventually saw
not one but two, that's how it goes some times. We waited for over an hour
for Golden Eagle at lunch time before giving up and going to look for Otter
that we did not see, we returned half an hour later to be told it had come
out 5 minutes after we had left all singing and dancing, I was totally
gutted for my guests. A happy ending to the story at afternoon tea we had
our own fantastic sighting of Golden Eagle and I was so pleased for my
guests who were thrilled after waiting all day for this sighting, I was
also mightily relieved.
June 1st
Weather low cloud and drizzle
improving in the afternoon - Good news I heard a Stonechat this evening
and we saw a Whinchat on the tour. There were 6 Ringed Plovers with 2 Dunlin
at Croig and I had my best view of the year of a Sedge Warbler at the Dervaig
reed beds. An unusual sighting on the tour today a Jackdaw at Calgary a
bird we rarely see on North Mull. Another 3 Otters on the tour today with
also spectacular interaction between a Golden Eagle and Ravens, we think
the Eagle was robbing the Ravens nest, a case of the robber being robbed,
then later a Kestrel having a go at the same Eagle, all good stuff to start
the month.
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