June
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. |
