May May 31st Weather as yesterday but more breeze - If yesterday was Golden Eagle day today it was Otters with a total of 5 Seen in 2 family groups giving us great views of Otters in the wild doing what wildlife does if left undisturbed. We saw a total of 3 Golden Eagles and 3 White-tailed Eagles today and had a brief view of a male Hen Harrier. Little birds seen well were Yellowhammer, Whitethroat, Sand Martins flying in and out of nest holes Wheatears and Pied Wagtails. There were only 3 Dunlin at Dervaig today so maybe Spring Migration is nearly over if they leave it much longer they will meet the early birds on their way back. Finally to end a great day both Arctic and Great Skuas were seen as well as Gannets and Kittiwakes, it was my first Arctic skua of the year. May 30th Weather Sunny warm and quite calm - No golden Eagles on friday today we had 7 with some great views just over our heads. We had an Otter for about 20 minutes which pleased my guests immensely, lots of Red Deer and at afternoon tea a White-tailed Eagle. Bird of the day for me had to be the Black Throated Diver in Loch Tuath and I also had my best view of the year of a Sedge Warbler. May 29th Weather cloudy with intermittent heavy showers calm - A breeding bird square today and the best sighting was of  Lesser Redpoll, there were also 6 calling Yellowhammers in the square and a nesting Tawny Owl. This afternoon Pam and I went looking for more ticks for my bird list and saw 2 new species for the year on Mull, Common Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher bringing my Mull list total for 2010 to 130 species. On the way to see the Redstart and Spotted Flycatcher we also saw a cracking male Hen Harrier. May 28th Weather cold breezy and cloudy - Some days you go out and nothing much happens today was one of those days although we saw a brilliant White-tailed Eagle, a Cuckoo, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Dunlin, Redshank, Common Terns Greylag Geese with Goslings, Sand Martins, House Martins, Swallows, Skylarks, Lapwings, Red Deer, Common and Grey Seals, we did not manage a Golden Eagle or Otter so it was a disappointing day. May 27th Weather sunny after overnight rain but warmer - A very good tour today with very enthusiastic guests with birds of the day being a Common Scoter at Calgary and a Cuckoo which was a first for most of the guests. Both Eagles were seen very well as were 2 Otters. Other bird sightings were Whitethroat, Yellowhammer and Sand Martins carrying food into nest holes. We also had very good Red Deer today and Grey and Common Seal on the same island giving the guests a good chance to see the difference between the two species. May 26th Weather another cool dry breezy day - Another good day but no Otter no matter how hard we tried, we did however get brilliant White-tailed Eagle and a good if distant Golden Eagle. There were 2 late Great Northern Divers in Loch Na Keal and as always some good views of Eider Ducks and Red Breasted Mergansers. We had a good sighting of a Cuckoo and a really strange one of a Kestrel which landed in a land slip and proceeded to do an impressive piece of break dancing for about 5 minutes, I have never seen this behaviour before from a Kestrel it was more like a Bird of Paradise doing its mating dance, very strange. May 25th Weather like yesterday but cooler in the afternoon with north westerly breeze - A brilliant day with 4 very nice Dutch guests a great couple of good wildlife watchers and a regular visitor to Discover Mull Tours Dave Bowen who is unique. I don't know what impression Dave and my banter left on our other guests but it left me warn out but it was one of the best fun days we have had this year with so many laughs and also one of the best wildlife days of the year. As I keep saying wildlife watching does not have to be dull and boring it can be fun with a lot of laughs. Thanks Dave May 24th Weather sunny but cooler with strong breeze - Only 2 White -tailed Eagles today but one was a cracker, a juvenile which gave one of our guests a great photo. we also saw only one Golden Eagle today but it was brilliant as it was close for a Goldie and being mobbed by 2 buzzards gave guests a great size comparison. A brief Otter and lots Of Red Deer on what was otherwise a quiet day. May 23rd Weather sunny and warmer - White-tailed Eagles every where today, it is strange how wildlife can act differently every day which is why it is so enthralling, we saw 7 White-tailed Eagles today but only 1 Golden Eagle. The best bird of the day was the beautiful Turnstones at Calgary in full summer plumage, absolutely stunning. There were another 35 Dunlin feeding like mad at Dervaig on their way to their breeding grounds further north, very late. A Goosander at our first stop was followed at lunch time by 2 Red Throated Divers and of course we saw both types of Seal and Deer and the Mull  rare breed piglets and Highland calves ( E-Woks.) More wildflowers are appearing by the day and Orchids should be coming up all over Mull soon. May 22nd Weather warm, dry, cloudy but getting sunnier throughout the day - No tour today so I got up early and went to try and get some little birds for my list, I succeeded in finding Wood Warbler and Goldcrest which I have struggled with all year, I also had good views of Lesser Redpoll and Whitethroat. At 7-45 I climbed a hill to do my regular BTO breeding bird survey and saw very little except Skylarks, Meadow Pipits and Snipe which is all I usually get for all my climbing efforts. May 21st Weather cloudy but warm and dry - A great day for the Mull specials today although we had to work round the weather to get them. Fantastic White-tailed Eagle in the morning and good sightings of Fallow and Red Deer and also Common and Grey Seals. The cloud closed in at lunch time so in the afternoon we concentrated on Otter and had a fabulous time watching a mother and cub for over half an hour. The weather was improving so we went back to look for Golden Eagle and were rewarded with a really close aril display of hunting Golden Eagle. Other birds of note on a very good day were Linnets. yellowhammer and Eider Ducks. May 20th Weather low cloud again but still warm and calm - After an early sighting of a White-tailed Eagle in the morning followed by great views of a flock of Linnets, we arrived at one of my lunch spots with very little hope of seeing Golden Eagle in the mist but as I started to get the lunch out a guest spotted a White- tailed Eagle fly across the Golden Eagle territory and low and behold the Golden Eagle got up to see off the White-tail. It only flew round for a couple of minutes until the White-tailed Eagle disappeared and then disappeared back in the mist to its nest area, this was a definite case of right place at the right time. Later in the day we had an Otter all be it a brief one. May 19th Weather low cloud all day but warm with less wind - Common Dolphin had to be the highlight of the day as we so rarely see them on land based tours. Lots of sea birds were seen as well as White-tailed Eagles, Otters and Red Deer, we saw 2 Cuckoos in the day and as the weather warms up the wild flowers are at last putting in an appearance, check out some of the pictures below. May 18th Weather warm and sunny - A great day for Eagles and Otter with all 3 species being seen really well with Golden Eagle bringing in prey to nest site a fabulous sighting for our guests. Other great bird sightings of the day were Cuckoo again a first for some guests, Whitethroats, Sedge Warbler, Great Northern Divers and a first for me this year a Whinchat. Guests today were lively and chatty which makes all the difference to the enjoyment of the day, as I keep saying wildlife watching does not have to be deadly serious. May 17th Weather sunny warmer and dry - Another good day today with guests who are now friends and some Mull regulars who stop and talk to me on the trips which is also very nice, I do enjoy talking to them and seeing their joy at being on Mull again if only for a week or two, all of them need their Mull fix for the year. I took our guests today to Eas Force waterfall and showed them the Mountain Everlasting plant as none of them had seen it before, it is a bit nondescript but still a good plant to see, we try to cater for all tastes on our tours, not just Eagles and Otters as we feel it gives guests a more rounded day. On a personal note I saw my first Common Terns on Mull for the year today bringing my year total for Mull to 125 and also my first Orchid of the year. May 16th Weather some sunshine and some cloud but it remained dry but cool when the sun went in - A great day today but it was not always easy, after early Red Deer and a sitting White tailed Eagle we went to Salen Bay and saw some very nice Eider Ducks and a pair of Mute Swans. On to our coffee break and 2 more White-tailed Eagles and this time one of them flew giving guests great views. We then had a Whimbrel fly in and it was picture book perfect with its head stripes and shortly after a fabulous view of a Linnet my favorite bird. Otters and Golden eagles proved elusive however and it was at 3pm at low tide when a sharp eyed guest spotted 2 Otters under some seaweed a tremendous spot which earned him an extra piece of cake before I could relax. We watched the Otters foraging for ages before they finally disappeared, so we went back to a Golden Eagle sight for afternoon tea and like buses where before there had been none 3 appeared at the same time. The day finished with some nice views of waders including these summer plumaged Dunlins feeding frantically. May 15th Weather another warmer day with sunshine and the odd shower - No wildlife watching today, as it is a Saturday and we have our chores to do, Pam cottage cleaning and I had to deal with the sheep fencing as the lambs were looking to get out, I also cleaned up the back yard and set up the Midge Magnet for the season. The weather has started to warm up so we thought it won't be long before the first Midges appear and we want to be prepared like all good scouts. May 14th Weather sunny and whoopee warmer with slight breeze - We had a lovely tour today seeing both Eagles and Otters as well as Red Deer and both types of Seal. Very good Black Guillemot today and Great Northern Divers and the Black Tailed Godwits are still at Dervaig. Bluebells are at last appearing in sheltered spots, we are also seeing Milkwort and Lousewort on the tours and The Mountain Everlasting and Bog Beam which was pointed out to me by a botanist last year has started flowering again, maybe winter is over at last. May 13th Weather rain, breezy and cold - Not a great day to be out wildlife watching but we did get the Black-tailed Godwits and Dunlins still at Dervaig and a Buzzard and Redshank at Croig. We went back to Ardrioch for morning coffee to warm up and not get too wet for the rest of the day, I find that guests rarely enjoy the day if they are cold and wet all day, so half an hour warming and drying off in front of the Aga whilst looking at the views from the kitchen and the many birds in our garden goes down really well on wet days. Birds seen in the garden were Blackbirds, Collared Doves, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, Siskins, Dunnock, Blue Tit, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Pied Wagtail, Swallows, Sparrowhawk and rock Doves which was a first for one of our guests so he was really happy. The weather hardly improved for the rest of the day but we managed to see White-tailed Eagle Both types of Deer and Seal some Great views of Great Northern Divers, Kittiwakes and Razorbills amongst other things. Guests also enjoy seeing the geology on Mull and the wildflowers and learning a bit of the history of this wonderful island on dreich days like today. May 12th Weather another lovely day and slightly warmer - Brilliant views of the Small Isles, Skye, Staffa and Iona today, with the Outer Hebrides showing up well over Coll. Magnificent Otter today the best for sighting we have had for ages of a mother and cub feeding, grooming and finally sleeping. 4 White-tails seen and too many Buzzards to count, brief view of a Golden Eagle which we lost as a Kestrel flew through. My highlights of the day after the Otters were The Dunlins and Black-tailed Godwits back at Dervaig. May 11th Weather a lovely day with less wind but more sun though it is still quite cold for the time of year - Another day of Eagles today with good sightings but not like the awesome ones we had of the White-tailed Eagles of yesterday. An Otter was seen and all the guests saw it before it disappeared behind an island and did not reappear darn it. Pam did her last Corncrake specials today and in the morning session they had good views of this elusive bird, they also saw Corncrakes in the afternoon but some of her guests missed them. This was her last Corncrake special as the scheduled for 13th have had to be cancelled as she has flu and we are not doing them next year. Over the years this has been a very successful venture for us and Pam should be congratulated on the success rate she has had at finding and showing these elusive little birds to guests over the years.  May 10th Weather another fine day but very cold and windy - I had a great start to the day with 4 Black-tailed Godwits at Dervaig as I went to pick up our guests in Tobermory, there were 15 Dunlin in the same area as I came home in the evening. Brilliant white-tailed Eagle today see photos and a male Hen Harrier at lunch time. Other birds of prey seen in the day were Kestrel, Golden Eagle, Buzzards and a Sparrowhawk. May 9th Weather another lovely day but slightly cooler with wind picking up as the day went on - Golden Eagles were the highlight birds of the day, although Great Northern Divers continue to provide excellent views. 5 whimbrel flew in as we were watching Gannets and other seabirds from a good sea watching vantage point, and we then saw 2 Great Skuas fly by. The views today were special, the conditions so good we were able to se the Outer Hebrides without our binoculars. Some of the fine Geology Mull has to offer was pointed out to one of the guests who had expressed a particular interest. May 8th Weather the same as yesterday - On a beautiful day I was stuck inside suffering from the lergy trying to get better as we have a big wildlife week coming up. Our Yellowhammer joined our other birds in the garden again today Pam saw 5 Dunlin at the end of Loch Cuin when she went to the shop in the village. Grasshopper Warblers have now joined the Tree Pipits in our woodland and wildflowers are now poking their heads out as the weather warms up slightly. May 7th Weather sunny warmer just lovely - a great Eagle day today with good sightings of both types of Mulls famed Eagles, it was not such a good day however for Mallards. We spotted a Mallard Duck with about 10 ducklings the first youngsters I have seen this year as we were oooing and aaaing about the baby ducklings a White-tailed Eagle dived into the water right through the middle of the group and right in front of us and caught a duckling which it then carried off being harassed by all and sundry to feed its chick, it was total carnage but spectacular. On a more quiet front saw my first Arctic Tern of the year sitting on a buoy, tired after its epic migration. May 6th Weather warm and cloudy - Arthur's feeling under the weather today, man flu I think! so not much bird watching, but I did take the dogs for a walk through the woods and back over the river which isn't to high at the moment and over our land. I went up onto a bank to check out a kestrel box which we had put up into a tree a couple of years ago, at first it looked empty but suddenly the box rattled and out flew a Tawny Owl. May 5th Weather still cloudy but warmer and calmer - A walk down the Glen Forsa river today a first for us and a real treat, We saw White-tailed Eagle, lots of Curlews and Chaffinches, 3 pairs of Common sandpipers on their breeding territories and a flock of about 14 Common Crossbills but they were flitting about so much that we were not sure how many there actually were, it was certainly the most we have ever seen at any one time. Earlier in the day we saw Golden Eagles, Buzzards and lots of Eider Ducks. On our way home Red Throated and Great Northern Divers were seen and Pam saw her first Whitethroat of the year. May 4th Weather cloudier but a little warmer than yesterday thank goodness - A day of fewer sightings but those we had were magnificent. We picked up 2 guests in Dervaig and on our way into Tobermory to pick up the other guests we saw 2 Hen Harriers both a Male and Female. On the tour we started with some good views of Eider Ducks then magnificent White- tailed Eagles, the rest of the morning was spent looking unsuccessfully for Golden Eagle and Otter, but we did manage Great Northern Divers and Red Breasted Mergansers. After lunch hoorah a fantastic Otter really close for 20 minutes, the wind came to our aid this time as we were down wind and the Otter never had any idea we were there. fabulous sightings of Red Deer followed and to end the day a Short Eared Owl really close and the first on our tours this year, we watched the Owl for at lest 10 minutes as it hawked all around the vehicle, I was as transfixed as were our guests. May 3rd Weather sunny again but very windy and cold - A birding tour today in which we saw 5 White-tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles, Gannets, Manx Shearwaters a feeding frenzy of Kittiwakes and Razorbills some Guillemots and 2 Great Skuas. Little birds seen included 3 Linnets, Whitethroats, Swallows, Sand Martins and House Martins but a first for a Discover Mull Tour all our guests in a full bus got to see Grasshopper Warbler through a telescope, a remarkable feat as this is such an illusive bird and notoriously difficult to see. May 2nd Weather sunny breezy but cold - It was my birthday today, one with a zero in it and we took our family and friends around North Mull to show the ones who have never been up before the area in which we live. We took them to Calgary Bay, Loch Tuath with the views over to Staffa and Iona, Eas Force Waterfall and Loch Na Keal before returning home via Tobermory. The Island was at its pristine best in lovely sunshine with all the magnificent views and we were able to see some of the wildlife on offer on Mull although today it was not a priority, they all came home more than little impressed with our paradise of an island. May 1st Weather lovely but cool - My brother brought my Mum and Dad up for the weekend today so Pam was very busy preparing a party fo us all, so I took the Grand children and dogs on a long walk to Quinnish around the woodland walk. It is amazing how far a 2 and 4 tear old will walk when they think they are in charge of the dogs. It is amazing how much the dogs enjoy walking with the children when they know they are really in charge.   This is the web site of Pam & Arthur Brown, Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig, Isle of Mull. PA75  6QR