Feb 28th
Weather The same as yesterday but cloudier -
another walk with the dogs today this time around Croig and the narrows
and we saw a lovely male Reed Bunting. On the beach their were some locals
working very hard on their Oyster Beds as it is a Spring tide and the tide
was out a long way. The
Isle of Mull Crab co are a local family run firm and will deliver fresh
crab to Ardrioch if you are staying here. After lunch I went down to Dervaig
and saw 9 Snipe busily feeding and some Ringed Plovers, I then went for
another look for Goldcrest in a local woodland and found this male Common
Crossbill instead.
 
Feb 27th
Weather sunny warmer, thawing - We went for a
walk to Quinnish with the dogs today and it was nice to hear the small
birds calling in the woods as opposed to our garden. In the woods Pam saw
our first Goldcrest of the year but I missed it so I can't count it on
my list.
Feb 26th
Weather cloudy and windy after a night of slushy
snow - The White-tailed Eagles were over the woodland at the back
of the house again this morning, we will certainly have to keep an eye
on the dogs as they would make a really nice meal for a hungry eagle. We
went to try and see some Snow Buntings which had been seen in Glen More
this morning but unfortunately we failed to find them. We took the dogs
for a run on Calgary Beach this afternoon the was covered in slushy snow
but the dogs loved it.
Feb 25th
Weather sleety snow all day, cold and wet, windy
- Our friend Alan 'Mullbirds' Spellman rang this morning to say there was
a Waxwing in Dave Sextons garden, Dave is the RSPB officer on Mull and
in charge of the White Tailed Eagle project. We set off through the snow
to Salen and Dave kindly let us into his conservatory so that we could
watch the solitary bird the evidence of which you can see below. Alan came
and joined us in the conservatory and later invited us down to Loch Don
for lunch. At Loch Don we were fortunate to see a flock of 24 Bar-tailed
Godwits busily feeding up as the tide came in. Many thanks to Dave for
allowing us into his house to see the Waxwing and for the coffee and Alan
& Judith for lunch.
 
Feb 24th
Weather warmer, cloudy & trying to snow -
We have a young pair of White-tailed Eagles in our area, the male has been
around for nearly 2 years now and is on his 3rd female, he is about 4 years
old with his tail starting to show quite a lot of white feathers. This
morning I watched from the house window for about 20 minutes as they slowly
drifted along the wood at the back of the house. They wheeled around together
high in the sky with the male flying above the female, he dropped his legs
as if he was landing and flew towards the female, I thought they were going
to 'talon grasp' but the female just spun over in the sky not quite making
contact with the male, they repeated this over and over again as if practising
for the big event.
Feb 23rd
Weather very cold, sunny and calm - After a very,
very cold night our neighbours water supply, which she gets from our overflow,
froze up so she was without water. I therefore spent the whole day carrying
hot water up the hill and thawing out the pipes. We eventually got water
to the neighbours house at about 3 o'clock, so I had no time today to do
any wildlife watching.
Feb 22nd
Weather sunny, cold, calm and gorgeous - We went
to do our last 2 BTO squares of the winter on Ulva today, what a lovely
island this is, don't be put off by Visit Scotland only giving it 2 stars
that is rubbish, it just doesn't tick their boxes. What Ulva has to offer
is wonderful scenic walks, lots of birds particularly song birds and passerines,
a lovely small and peaceful Thomas Telford church, an old traditional Black
House and The Boathouse
a lunch and tea-room to die for and they do evening meals on Friday nights
(you need to book in advance they soon get filled up) and have been voted
Scottish food heroes for 2009. All this and still only regarded as 2 star,
it just beggars belief. If you like walking, wildlife, peace and quiet,
fantastic scenery, a taste of Scottish history and good food we can't praise
a day on Ulva enough. It is best to choose a day when the weather is good.
 
Feb 21st
Weather sunny, cold with slight breeze - Pam
& I did another BTO square today at Glengorm it was a beautiful walk
in lovely countryside covered with a light dusting of snow. We saw over
20 species of birds but none that we had not expected to see. The most
impressive sight was of over 70 Ravens wheeling around over the woodlands
and beautiful views of the Cairns of Coll and the lighthouse surrounded
as they were by mist.
Feb 20th
Weather cold, calm with more cloud than yesterday
- After 2 days doing BTO atlas squares i took today off and went to check
out some Eagle territories and get in a spot of birding for myself, although
i saw a lot of birds and seals and Deer and a large dog Otter there was
nothing unusual as I drove round. Once again the best sighting I had today
was to be found in our garden, an immaculately plumaged Yellowhammer, thanks
to Pam for bringing it to my attention.
Feb 19th
Weather very cold & frosty with lovely sunshine
this morning clouding over in the afternoon - I was up early as usual and
decided to watch the feeders in the garden to see were also early risers.
About half past 7 the cock Pheasant made the first appearance closely followed
by a Robin, after this birds seemed to come with 10 minute intervals, Siskins,
Blue Tit, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Great Tit, Gold Finch, Rock Dove, Collared
Dove and lastly the Green Finches at about quarter past 8. When all had
assembled and were busy feeding the male Sparrowhawk put in an appearance
and scattered them all ways. It is obvious that the little birds are having
a hard time during this prolonged cold winter as I have never seen a Robin
on the seed feeders before.
 
Feb 18th
Weather beautiful, cold and calm - We had a Treecreeper
in the garden today and a cock Pheasant strolled past the office window
without a care in the world. I went to Quinnish Point today to do a BTO
atlas square and the highlights were a female Bullfinch, a Great Spotted
Woodpecker, 4 skylarks, 5 Great Northern Divers, a Buzzard and a Merlin,
there was not an Otter in sight.
Feb 17th
Weather cloudy after a flurry of overnight snow,
cold but calm - We took friends on a day out today and were lucky enough
to find an Otter at our first stop, we also saw 2 White-tailed Eagles which
flew over as we watched the Otter. A Great Northern Diver was seen at the
next stop, another 17 were to follow. A short while later we spotted 2
more Otters then a large herd of Red Deer. More Otters were then seen and
a great view of a Golden Eagle, OH and another 3 Otters. We decided where
we would have lunch and on the way we spotted a nice kestrel and another
3 Otters. Lunch was a quiet affair no Otters but we did see some Teal,
Goldeneye, Wigeon, Red-breasted Mergansers, some Slavonian Grebes and a
very close Grey Heron. We went for a short walk after lunch, then set off
again to look for more Golden Eagles and saw 2 more White Tails instead.
At the next stop both Common and Grey seals were seen and then as we journeyed
on we spotted another 4 Otters, at tea break we saw 3 more this brought
our Otter total for the day up to 19, our previous best daily total was
a meagre 10. We desperately wanted the 20th Otter of the day and spent
the last hour rushing to an area where we had not been on the tour and
yes we found another Otter. We had seen 20 separate Otters in an unforgettable
day, we just could not believe or stop laughing at our good fortune,
isn't wildlife wonderful. For readers who know Mull none of the Otters
seen today were at Loch Beg or on Loch Scridain and I nearly forgot the
50 + Red Deer seen in Glen Seilisdier.
 
Feb 16th
Weather cold start but warming up later, mainly
dry - We took the van to Oban today to be inspected by the council garage
as we are regarded by the council as private hire/taxi although we only
do the wildlife tours. In Oban I managed to add 2 more species to my British
list for the year, a Ring-billed Gull and Eider duck, this takes my British
list to over 100 for the year. On our way home a Buzzard tried to commit
hari kari by flying across the road in front of the van causing Pam and
me to exclaim (that was really close) but not exactly in those words?
Feb 15th
Weather rain this morning clearing up throughout
the day - A Sparrowhawk flew round the garden and the flew straight through
our largest roofed bird table scattering the little birds in all directions.
We took the dogs for a walk at Loch Torr doing another BTO square today
and we saw a flock of about 80 Siskins, 2 Goldeneye ducks, a Dipper, a
Buzzard and a Golden Eagle in an interesting survey. Tawny Owls are calling
regularly now and the early breeding birds are starting to pair up.
Feb 14th
Weather cloudy occasional drizzle - When we got
up this morning the Red Deer were back in the field in front of the house,
we watched as they come over to the fence and gently hopped over into the
garden, the young calf gazed up at the feeders for a while as if she was
watching the birds feeding, we have 2 mothers and calves visiting.
 
Feb 13th
Weather cloudy warm & calm - a lovely day
for the Bird Club Field trip down to the Ross of Mull. On our way to the
meeting point we saw 2 White-tailed eagles, an adult & a juvenile feeding
on a carcass being mobbed by Crows and Ravens. All 3 divers were seen during
the day on Loch Scridain and some Guillemots. We went to an area which
we knew to be a Golden Eagle sight and had a fantastic view of a flying
adult bird we were looking down on it from our high point position. Returning
to the main road we were lucky to see a hunting male Hen Harrier fly close
by the vehicles two more female Hen Harriers were seen during the day.
We had a lovely walk to Ardalanish Beach and the day ended with tea and
cakes at a members house in Fionnphort. On our way home just before dusk
we found a mother Otter with 2 cubs and enjoyed 20 minutes watching them
hunting and frolicking a great end to a great day.
Feb 12th
Weather another glorious day with beautiful sunshine
on frost covered fields - I went to fetch some mineral licks for the Sheep
this morning and as always stopped to see if any wildlife was about and
I spotted quite a small Otter just leaving some rocks she had been sitting
on. I lost her in the water for a while but managed to find a Common Seal
bottling nearby, a lovely view in the sunlight. I then picked up the Otter
again swimming out from behind the rock it had been sitting on and showed
it to a couple of tourists who had just turned up, must be the tour guide
habit.
Feb 11th
Wonderful weather again today - I had to go and
play with the dam that supplies our water today and also tidy up the drive
and lawn where vehicles have made holes so little time for wildlife watching,
except for great views of the Great Spotted Woodpecker in our garden. I
did manage to get out and see some fantastic views in the marvellous light
which we are getting at the moment
 
Feb 10th
Weather more of the same just glorious - We went
for a walk down Loch Cuin from Dervaig to Quinnish today and although we
saw nothing unusual it was just pleasant to be out enjoying the lovely
weather and fantastic views. It was nice to hear all the birdsong in the
woodlands as opposed to in the gardens, then as we left the Quinnish estate
we heard a Great Spotted Woodpecker drumming, the first time we have heard
it this year.
Feb 9th
Weather Another lovely day with less breeze -
Pam went to fetch the curtains back from Oban today and on the ferry
on the way home she spotted 3 Porpoise following the ferry 'surfing' in
the bow waves. I went down to Loch Don and saw my first Dunlin of the year
and then went delivering leaflets. On our way home at the end of Loch Torr
2 adult White-tailed Eagles flew directly over the car and started
circling together right above us - fantastic.
Feb 8th
Weather the same as yesterday with more breeze
- I went for a drive round today and Pam was cleaning Inch Hame as the
decorator has now finished. As she was shaking out her duster out of the
sitting room window 2 White-tailed Eagles flew across the garden and over
the house, a real wow moment for her and a nice one for our Garden list
joining the Buzzard perched in a tree a couple of days ago which I forgot
to tell readers about. On my trip I saw some nice Snowdrops the first this
year a pair of Golden Eagles and some Bar-tailed Godwits a really good
day for both of us.
Feb 7th
Weather sunny, dry, cooler with slight breeze
- We did 2 more BTO squares today out in the woods and moors and due probably
to the cold winter found very few species, although we did see 4 Woodcocks,
2 Common Crossbills and a Sparrowhawk amongst the species we did see. We
had much more luck on a drive around in the afternoon seeing an Otter,
Red Deer, Golden Eagle and a fantastic Hen Harrier, the views were stunning
as well.
Feb 6th
Weather sunny, dry, warm and calm - Oh what a
beautiful morning so as promised I went to Cailiach Point at day break
and watched 60 Fulmar gliding past me on the point. It was particularly
great as the views out to the Treshnish Islands, Coll and the Small Isles
was so spectacular. Later in the morning Pam & I took our dogs and
did a BTO square at Loch Frisa and whilst we were not inundated with species
we did get fantastic views of a male Common Crossbill showing off his 'brick
red' plumage from his high perch at the top of a cone covered conifer tree
in the sun light.
Feb 5th
Weather cloudy, dry warmer and breezy - Hoorah
out birding again today, 2 White tailed Eagles flew over our wood, they
are juveniles but it is nice to know they are still about in the area.
I went to Cailiach Point today after dropping Pam off to walk the dogs,
lazy devil that I am but my reward for not doing the walk but birding instead
were 3 Guillemots and 3 Fulmars the first i have seen this year, a Black
Throated Diver and a pair of Common Scoters, a great 40 minutes birding
before going to pick up Pam and the hounds. I intend to go back tomorrow
for a couple of hours at daybreak to see what turns up, watch this space.
Feb 4th
Weather cloudy but much warmer, rain in the late
afternoon - The decorator finished in Inch Hame yesterday so today Pam
has been shampooing all the carpets which meant we had to keep moving furniture
so that she could get at all the carpets and not miss any. I spent the
day finishing off tidying up the garden with the hindrance of 2 very noisy
dogs and a very squeaky wheelbarrow.
Feb 3rd
Weather beautiful cold but sunny winters day
- We went down to Loch Don to try and see the Water Rail which has been
appearing in Alan Spellmans garden this morning, it wasn't there, so we
came home via Ulva. We were fortunate at Killichronan to see a single Pink
footed Goose amongst 60 Greylag Geese taking my total of birds seen to
82. In the field opposite the geese were 12 Fallow Deer stags and a single
Red Deer we also saw a flying White-tailed Eagle and 2 Golden Eagles on
territory sitting together on the top of the hill surveying everything
around them.
Feb 2nd
Weather calm, cloudy and cold - Pam went off
early to Oban today to take curtains from the self-catering to be dry cleaned.
On her way home at lunch time a female Common Crossbill flew up from the
road in front of her and into the conifer forest, you never know where
and when wildlife is going to appear. I stayed at home and was tidying
up the garden when my tractor broke down, as I am not a mechanic I was
relieved to get it going long enough to get it off the drive before it
broke down again.
Feb 1st
Weather cold, cloudy and breezy - Pam took the
dogs for a walk through the woods today and saw very little but did say
there were more birds singing in the trees. I went for a drive around the
local area in the afternoon and saw a lot of Buzzards, a hunting Golden
Eagle and 3 Red Deer. During the day we had a male Great spotted Woodpecker
on our feeders, previously we had only had the female.
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