March March 31st Weather sunny, windy, rain, sleet, snow, very cold, yes we had all 4 seasons in one day and we also had a tour - We started the tour at home as our guests had dogs which Pam looked after, within the first hour we had seen a juvenile White-tailed Eagle, 2 Otters and a Great Northern Diver this was a good job as the weather went seriously down hill for a while but we did see a couple of Ravens as we warmed our hands on the hot coffee cups at morning break. Redshanks and Greenshanks were on the beach at Lagganulva and more Great Northern Divers and Slavonian Grebes on Loch Na Keal. At lunch time we stopped at a Golden Eagle sight and saw one of the birds fly as we warmed up on hot soup and sandwiches. The afternoon brought Red Deer Stags and a flying White-tailed Eagle, Wheatears, Skylarks, a Little Grebe, Red Breasted Mergansers, Teal and Wigeon. By now it was so cold we decided to go back to Ardrioch for afternoon tea and cakes in the kitchen in front of the aga, a warm way to end a very good if very cold day. March 30th Weather very windy and cold - The Great Spotted Woodpecker was in the garden again today and a Buzzard flew over but I have been very busy preparing for Easter and starting tours so did not have much time for wildlife watching. A man from B.T. came today checking their poles and he saw an Otter run across the road and down to the Mishnish Lochs this morning. Pam and I did leaflet drops in Tobermory this afternoon. March 29th Weather pleasant and calm - Bad news on the Otter front the Otter seen all last summer in Tobermory Harbour and given the name Elvis has died, this Otter was well loved by locals and tourists alike and pictures of him appeared on 'youtube' on the web. We spent the day at home working on the shed and self-catering cottages ready for Easter but did manage a walk to Cailiach Point where we saw our first lesser Black Backed Gulls of the year on Mull and 8 Wheatears. March 28th Weather sunny but very breezy and cold - I went for a look round today to see where the Eagles might be nesting in the areas where we go with the tours, I was fortunate to find a White-tailed Eagles nest and witnessed a changeover when the adults swap egg sitting duty. Earlier in the day just after stopping to look for Otters I heard a Golden Eagle which was unusual as they don't call that often, looking up I saw it fly past and then wheel round before descending to a known nest sight, the call had been to forewarn its partner of his imminent arrival. March 27th Weather cloudy wind and cool - I managed a couple of hours out today and was rewarded with one of my favorite birding sights on Mull a Slavonian Grebe in full summer plumage a special sight. In the same area a few Lapwings were on traditional nest sights, this is another favorite bird of mine, they are so beautiful and it is great to see them return home again each year. Another bird we are delighted to have back is the Skylark and it is great to hear the lovely song at the end of a long winter, you know when you hear them that Spring is just aroud the corner. March 26th Weather cloudy, calm, warmer with very little rain - I saw my first Wheatears of the year today on the Calgary machair, a pair male and female, our first major spring migrant returning. Another sign of spring, the gorse is flowering at last, 2 months later than last year. The song Thrushes are also on territory now singing their hearts out from the tops of trees, a beautiful sound to hear. March 25th Weather a lot better than yesterday, warmer with a lot less rain - A visit to the dentist for me today for 2 fillings not a day I look forward too, but necessary as the treatment had been cancelled twice before, not by me I hasten to add, I am not that chicken. Pam has been struggling with a new-born lamb for the last couple of days, it is a twin and not very big and the mother only has enough milk for one, so we now look like we will have a pet lamb to look after for the summer, our grand children are  very excited about this prospect. March 24th Weather rain and windy for most of the day clearing up in the late afternoon - A tour today and because of the weather it was very hard work trying to see Mulls most sought after wildlife. My guests were brilliant and did not put me under any pressure, at one stage I promised to eat my hat if we did not see an Otter, you can imagine my relief when we spotted one at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. We were also lucky to see 2 White-tailed Eagles, Red Deer in large numbers and Fallow Deer. We saw a few Pied Wagtails, Meadow Pipits, and I heard the Skylarks singing for the first time this year. Birds of the day for me were the male and female Goosander on the Mishnish Lochs as I drove home. March 23rd weather sunny and breezy morning turning wet in the late afternoon - New-born lambs to look after today as the mother has not produced enough milk to feed them properly so we have to give the twins a little help from the bottle. I cleaned the van today as I have a tour to do tomorrow so there was little time for birding, I did get down to Dervaig in the late afternoon and saw 3 Lapwings, a Ringed Plover, a Snipe, Curlew, Red Breasted Mergansers, Mallards, a Grey Heron, a Great Black Backed Gull and a single Hooded Crow. During the day a Great Spotted Woodpecker and Treecreeper joined the usual suspects in the garden. March 22nd Weather sunny with heavy short showers - We arrived back from a family visit and a weeks holiday in Andalucia in the Spanish cork forest, the blog will resume as normal tomorrow. March 4th Weather back to being beautiful again today, feeling much warmer - I went for a walk down Loch Bar today and saw 17 Whooper Swans, 2 Lapwings, 3 Goldeneye, a female Goosander, 2 Oystercatchers, a Curlew, 2 Ringed Plovers, 3 Snow Buntings, a couple of Skylarks and a Meadow Pipit. A quick visit to the salmon hatchery sewage outfall at Knock brought me a Grey Wagtail and Turnstones 2 species i had not seen on Mull before this year.  March 3rd Weather Cloudy, windy, dry but feeling colder - A domestic day today after a trip to Tobermory, the Mishnish Lochs were spectacular as they were completely covered in ice. We saw both male and female Great Spotted Woodpeckers on the feeders today and we are now seeing a couple of Song Thrushes on most days. The Sparrowhawk shot through at 5 past 8 today. March 2nd Weather glorious sunny and warmer than of late - We had a tour today and saw 2 separate Otters, 2 White-tailed Eagles, 3 Golden Eagles, lots of Red Deer including a great view of a Stag on a snow covered hillside, Fallow Deer and both Common and Grey Seals. The views were stunning again and the snow deep in places. We had a great deal of fun and our guests had a lot of first sightings including Red Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Red Breasted Mergansers, Black Guillemots and Slavonian Grebes. The calf in the picture was the first Highland calf we have seen born in 2010. My highlight of a lovely day were the pair of Gadwall seen towards the end of the day a rare species for Mull. All these were taken on todays tour. March 1st Weather beautiful sunny day, cold & calm - it's official - Scotland has had it's coldest winter for 50 years but it has not been wet, it has been mainly cold and dry if fact the weather in February has been spectacular, take a look at the pictures below to see what Mull looks like on the first of March. On the plus side for those considering holidaying on Mull this year, they reckon that billions of midges will have been killed off due to the very cold winter.    This is the web site of Pam & Arthur Brown, Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig, Isle of Mull. PA75  6QR