Aug 30th
Weather starting bright for the morning deteriorating to cloudy and dull then rain by the end of the day - The Golden Eagles were taking advantage of the bright morning and at one point we had 4 adults and juveniles flying over our heads, souring up then pulling in their wings and swooping down, a magnificent display which was enjoyed by all the guests particularly as some had camera's and got some super shots. 

Aug 29th
Weather alternately sunshine and cloud with strong breeze - No tour today as it is Saturday so I went for a walk down a deserted Calgary beach early this morning; there were lots of Ringed Plover on the beach and 3 Dunlin, it was very pleasant to be able to watch them undisturbed. I noticed some ancient relics from previous occupation of the beach and took some pictures as proof. A nice view of the Mountain Hare on my way home and a close Curlew at Dervaig, I had a really pleasant hour just up the road from Ardrioch.

Aug 28th
Weather cloudy with sunshine and showers bookend with heavy rain - 3 Golden Eagles gave us a wonderful display after the heavy morning rain and we watched 2 White-tail eagles sheltering from a mid morning shower. No Otters today - Arthur saw them all yesterday. Birds of the day were delightful flocks of Pied Wagtails at almost every stop and a busy Greenshank which one of my guests re-named Greenlegs.

Aug 27th
Weather cloudy with showers sunshine in late afternoon - Otters galore today, 4 separate ones seen in the day giving guests really good views both in and out of the water. We also had a good Deer day today with super sightings of both Red and Fallow Deer stags. Back at Ardrioch Pam was having a great time watching an Osprey that flew in from Loch Cuin past our kitchen window carrying a fish.

Aug 26th
Weather low cloud and drizzle for most of the day with occasional break in the drizzle - Fantastic sightings of White Tailed Eagle chasing prey and being chased before diving into a ditch and then carrying off prey which we could not identify. Brilliant close Otter spotted on a rock by a guest  as we were watching 6 Red Deer stags on a hill and a White Tailed Eagle in a tree, we did not know which way to look, the Otter won. Gannets diving, Kittiwakes and Razorbills, could it get better, yes it could, Dolphins when I was looking for Basking Sharks.

Aug 25th
Weather another wet morning improving in the afternoon - A Wigeon at our first stop and very close Common Terns were my highlights of a good day. We watched Otters in the rain for an hour in the morning after seeing a sad looking White Tailed Eagle sitting in a tree getting very wet. After lunch as the weather improved Golden Eagles started flying and fortunately we were in the right territories to see them giving us excellent views. Gannets are spectacular and very close at the moment and our Mountain Hare is out regularly lets hope the Eagles don't get him. A funny story a local man flying a model plane had it attacked by a White Tailed Eagle, it lost a wing but it is hoped it will be able to fly again after emergency treatment. (the plane not the eagle)

Aug 24th
Weather warm and sunny at last but rain returned in the late afternoon - I have often said good weather is not always the best for wildlife watching and so it proved again today, yes the Eagles were out flying enjoying the fine weather but so high you needed binoculars even see them. Overall a good day in very pleasant conditions with a splendid view of a Mountain Hare to finish the day. 

Aug 23rd
Weather better than the awful forecast in the morning but dreadful after lunch, windy - What a morning Hen Harrier, Buzzards, Kestrels, Golden Eagles, Otter, Red Deer, Mountain Hare, lots of seabirds and phenomenal waterfalls, guests could not believe their luck given the weather. After lunch as the weather deteriorated we managed to find a White Tailed Eagle sitting on a rock and a herd of Red Deer on the hills, then we had early afternoon refreshment enjoying Pam's home made cakes before calling it an early day as the rain was now bucketing down.

Aug 22nd
Weather predictably nice as we were not on a tour - A rest day stay in and watched the saturday sport on the TV for a change.

Aug 21st
Weather again better than forecast but windy - We stopped to look at a Mountain hare just after we had started when we saw 2 White Tailed Eagles, great start to the day. We saw lots of seabirds at coffee break including a Great Skua and Razorbills. Red Deer and brilliant Golden Eagle followed on a day that we saw well in excess of 50 species.

Aug 20th
Weather awful forecast but turned out nice, windy in the afternoon - Otters everywhere today 3 different ones all giving good views as did the Eagles both White Tailed and Golden, the Goldie did keep us on our toes with brief flights before the special main event. Gannets, Kittiwakes and Manx Shearwaters provided good late afternoon entertainment and the Mountain Hare finished off the day in fine style.

Aug 19th
Weather the same as yesterday with more wind - All the big stuff again despite the weather and also fabulous Stonechat and Mountain Hare. Eas Force and waterfalls I did not know existed all in full flow after last nights torrential rain and todays persistent rain. Some of todays guests were really unsure whether or not to cancel because of the weather and were delighted they didn't.

Aug 18th
Weather Oh Oh back to square one rain all day again and breezy - A poor day weatherwise but not quite as bad as forecast, that's looking on the bright side. Great Black Throated Diver today and 2 Red throated Divers flying which given the weather was brilliant, Gannets and Kittiwakes and Eagles and Otters, Seals and Deer and to finish the day 4 Greenshank, isn't wildlife great.

Aug 17th
Weather whoopee! no rain and even sunshine - a fantastic day with all Mull's specialities being seen really well the guests were all delighted. We saw Basking Sharks again today and the Fallow Deer also put in an appearance. I had great views of baby Linnets being fed by a parent and fantastic Gannet and Kittiwake sightings.

Aug 16th
Weather poor rain occasionally heavy with low cloud and strong breeze - Mountain Hare, 3 Basking Sharks, 2 White Tailed Eagles, 3 Golden Eagles, an Otter and Red Deer Stags were the highlights of an incredible day given the awful weather conditions. The Eas Force Waterfall is well worth seeing at the moment as it constantly in full spate.

Aug 15th
Weather cloudy with showers very windy - No tour today as it was a saturday so the van had a good wash and valleting after a week of poor weather.

Aug 14th
Weather lousy rain, wind and low cloud all day - We got lucky today I went straight to a White Tailed Eagle sight without any stops, although it meant that guests were in the bus for 30 minutes without a break at the start of their tour, they were rewarded with a great view of a White Tailed Eagle sitting in a tree, fortunately below the mist line. After 10 minutes making sure that all the guests were seeing the Eagle I turned and saw an Otter just coming into the water, it came out on an island just 30 yards away as if to say hey guys look at me not that big feathered thing in the tree. 2 target species in the first hour on a terrible weather day, I was mightily relieved.

Aug 13th
Weather cloudy, calm, dry and warmer - A great Eagle day today with fantastic views of both of our Eagle species sitting and flying, being mobbed by Buzzard and Hooded Crows. Kestrels and a Sparrowhawk were also seen and the day ended with a good sighting of a Basking Shark at one of my favorite places on the Island, a really nice day with great guests.

Aug 12th
Weather cloudy with drizzle all day cold - Dolphins to start the day they certainly brightened up a driech morning. We saw  a lot of birds of prey today but some only briefly including a male Hen Harrier and Merlin at the same time flying in different directions and where there was nowhere for me to stop, typical. Both species of Eagle seen well today as were both types of seal and good views of 2 Red Deer Stags. A good day despite the cold weather, I am still thawing out as I write this blog.

Aug 11th
Weather low cloud and drizzle for much of the day improving as afternoon wore on - Despite the bad weather we saw 40 species of birds today and 5 mammals including a very good Otter which caused us to have a very late lunch. The 2 golden Eagles seen hunting in the late afternoon were the best we have seen all summer, just proves what I keep saying good weather is not the best for wildlife. The waterfalls were not surprisingly great today given the amount of rain we were having. We had 2 eight year olds on the tour today both of them had a sleep in the afternoon another 1st for Discover Mull Tours.

Aug 10th
Weather sunny and warm becoming windier throughout the day - Great Eagles today culminating with a White Tailed Eagle fly above our heads carrying prey, we think it was a young Common Gull. We also had a Peregrine Falcon today and lots of Buzzards and Ravens. Spectacular views seen today with the Outer Hebrides and the small Isles and Skye easily seen. 

Aug 9th
Weather cloudy but calm with occasional sunny breaks, rain in the afternoon - Guests only wanted raptors and Otter today and were rewarded with all Mulls main target species with Otter and brilliant Hen Harrier being their main highlight. The White Tailed Eagle was also showing well and Red Deer Stags seen at morning coffee got the day off to a fine start. Good view of a Mountain Hare this morning after the fields of grass had been harvested.

Aug 8th
Weather rain in the morning clearing up to sunshine by 11am, a beautiful calm evening - No tour today so lawn mowing all afternoon, what a drag. I took the dogs for a walk this evening, it was so calm and quiet except for the haunting calls of Curlews and the cries of Swallows hawking for insects over the Dervaig high tide. A distant Tawny Owl started hooting as we wended our way back home and 3 Hooded Crows were squabbling over some triviality as we past the end of the Loch , what a blissful way to end the day.

Aug 7th
Weather Sunny and light breeze - Out and about today looking for anything Butterflies are all over Mull at the moment with the Scotch Argus being a north west speciality. Nice Golden Eagles today and a lovely view of Linnets my favorite bird. Pam has gone for a short break to see our newest grandchild today she has been getting very excited for days as well as giving me my orders on how to keep the tours going, fingers crossed.

Aug 6th
Weather sunny with light breeze, short sharp shower at lunchtime - White Tailed Eagle Sitting and flying, 2 Golden Eagles and Red Deer Stags were the guests highlights today. Linnet, Goldfinch, Curlew and a spectacular display by a female Hen Harrier as I wended my way back home were my highlights of another great Mull day. I nearly forgot the Manx Shearwaters we saw in the late afternoon and the fantastic view of a very close Kittiwake, my favorite Gull.

Aug 5th
Weather sunny, breezy with an occasional light breeze - All the Mull specialities seen today with White tailed Eagles and Otter being guests highlights. The Sand Martins at Calgary appear to be feeding a late brood with adults flying in and out of the sand hole which features in the picture of an earlier blog. I took some pictures of the Grass-of-Parnassus flower today.

Aug 4th
Weather cloudy and breezy with a heavy shower to end the day - This was not the best day out of the year, it started ok with both types of Seal and both types of  Deer including a close Red Deer stag being seen before coffee break. At coffee we saw a White Tailed Eagle sitting in a tree and another one flying but we saw no Otters or Golden Eagles, although a Hen Harrier flew past but only myself and one guest saw it. There was also  nothing on the sea today except for diving Gannets, great in their own way but not what the guests wanted to see. We had lots of Buzzards and Ravens today as well as another good flock of mixed Finches and a lovely male Stonechat. The day ended with a beautiful Greenshank being elegantly busy as only Greenshank can and 4 Redshank flew in and then flew straight out again, story of the day really.

Aug 3rd
Weather cloudy with cold winds, more like autumn - 2 otters and both kind of Seal early in the day gave a good start but Eagles and Red Deer were harder to find today. Both were seen briefly during the day then almost at the end of the day we were watching 3 magnificent stags on the hill side when a White-tail Eagle flew right across in front of us and went behind the near hill side, we ran to the top of the ridge and by finding a flock of disturbed Ravens we found the WT Eagle sitting on a small hillock in a field below us. Bird of the day today were Twite at least 5 of them in a flock of mixed finches, we also saw a Swift today unusual for Mull.

Aug 2nd
Weather rain and drizzle till 11am then clearing into a very pleasant day - 5 very good Golden Eagles today the definite stars of a day which produced all the Mull specialities. We had great views of Red Deer Stags which some of the guests wanted to see. The best waders of the day were a flock of 16 Dunlin with good sightings of several Curlews. My bird of the day was a female Hen Harrier always a treat to see.

Aug 1st
Weather drizzle and cloud all day, windy - After overnight rain and gales waders in Dervaig this morning included 2 Black-tailed Godwits, 6 Bar-tailed Godwits, 8 Greenshank, 3 Dunlin, 4 Curlew and a Redshank. The other notable birds at Dervaig today were 9 Goosanders.