 
February 2012
Feb 27th to 29th inc
Weather low cloud and drizzle
but warm - There was little to see during 27th and 28th as the weather
prohibited seeing much at all. I did however manage to see both of the
local pair of White-tailed Sea Eagles a Red Throated Diver at Calgary And
5 Short-eared Owls in the air together as the weather improved later on,
basically it stopped raining but was still quite dark with low cloud. One
of the Owls obligingly flew right past me and landed not far away giving
me chance to take some digi-scope pictures which you can see below. The
Owls flew at 4-30pm as it was like dusk with the low cloud. The 29th the
clouds were a lot higher and I took Pam to look for the Owls, we arrived
at 4-15pm and because it was much lighter they did not fly until 5-45pm
but we did see 4 Golden Eagles whilst we were waiting. Eventually Pam got
good views of all the 5 Owls so once again it proves you need patience
to see great wildlife. Dinner was late though, my tummy thought my throat
had been cut.
 
Feb 18th to 26th inc
Off Island in Cheshire
Feb 13th to 17th inc
Weather mainly dry but overcast
breezy - With Pam away I have had chores to do particularly Monday when
our hay and straw for the sheep arrived. I was worn out after unloading
the bales as I am not as fit as I used to be when I was farming. The ewes
were pleased to be getting some feed as the hay had been ordered before
Christmas. The garden birds are as numerous as ever and there has been
a small amount of Wader migration with small flocks Bar-tailed Godwits
and Lapwing being seen. Golden Eagle and White-tailed Sea Eagles are now
pair bonding and other birds of prey are seeing each other in a different
light as Spring approaches. Winter is however not yet over as snow on the
hills is forecast for the weekend. I will be away to pick Pam up from Cheshire
for the next few days but hopefully will be back wildlife watching on Mull
by next weekend and we have tours already booked fo early March, time moves
on and another Mull summer will soon be upon us, I for one can't wait.
Feb 12th
Weather like yesterday
- I went out with our friends today and we saw 5 Otters, 2 Golden Eagles,
2 Hen Harriers, both Red
and Fallow Deer, an excellent Peregrine Falcon, 4 Sparrowhawks, several
Kestrels more Buzzards than you could count so you would think A White-tailed
Eagle would have been seen amongst all these other birds of prey but they
were not. This for me is what makes wildlife watching so special, nothing
is guaranteed, Idid however see my first Dunlin, Razorbills and Pied Wagtails
of the year and had a really nice day out.
Feb 11th
Weather well I now know why
it went dark yesterday as it poured with rain all night - after the rain
we have had a really nice warm sunny day and at this time of the year this
means the air is full of birdsong. It was so beautiful I just had to keep
stopping what I was doing just to listen, if you can on a warm sunny February
day try and take time out of your busy schedules just to listen it will
rejuvenate you after the dank days of winter.
Feb 10th
Weather similar to yesterday
but went very bark in the afternoon - Friends arriving this evening so
I had to do the tidying up with Pam away, guys I have to tell you everyone
should change jobs once in a while to see how much work your partner has
to do. OK guys I did say once in a while, not too often.
Feb 9th
Weather dull and grey but
calm - Went out with Alan Spellman today just for a couple of hours and
the birding highlights were the pair of Gadwall at Cailaich, there were
a few Guillemots here as well. a pair of great Northern Divers in Calgary
Bay and a wonderful sighting of a hunting male Hen Harrier at Reudle.
Feb 8th
Weather windy - I took Pam
to Craignure to catch the ferry to Oban as she is off to Devon for a week
to see the grandchildren. Talk about trains and boats and planes, The trip
involves car to Craignure, ferry to Oban, bus to Glasgow and an overnight
stay at a friends. next morning taxi to airport, fly to Exeter, picked
up at airport by our daughter and taken to their house in Brixham, I am
tired just writing this.
Feb 7th
Weather cloudy with cool
breeze but dry - We went on one of our tour routes today just for a look
see, We saw 4 White-tailed Sea Eagles, a Golden Eagle, a very close Hen
Harrier, several Buzzards and Kestrels, Red Deer stags and hinds and a
great view of a hunting Otter. It might have been cold but the wildlife
kept us warm.
Feb 6th
Weather damp and windy -
Not a great day and I had to get Phsio again on the impingement I have
in my shoulder. You know the saying "no pain no gain" well iI should be
gaining an awful lot because the the pain from the Phsio is OWWWWWW. No
wildlife watching today as I could not see through the tears in my eyes,wimp
that I am.
Feb 5th
Weather not bad at all -
Back up at the Burn today after very heavy overnight rain, I am pleased
to report we have diverted the water back to its original course so we
should not run out of water in the future, phew. We had the Jay back in
the garden again this morning and our next door neighbour is regularly
getting a pair.
Feb 4th
Weather a Monsoon day a day
for staying indoors and battening down the hatches which we did. It is
amazing how many Chaffinches you can get in a garden, but it gets your
eye in trying to see a single Brambling amongst 150+ chaffinches.
Feb 3rd
weather sunny but breezy
- Feeling much better which is a good thing as I am getting little
sympathy from Pam as she says it was my own fault for not dressing properly,
for once I agree with her but keep that piece of information to yourselves.
On nice days we are starting to prepare for hopefully a glut of visitors,
so brushing the yard and valleting the van were the order of the day. I
find I need to have 2 or 3 jobs on the go at any one time as when not birding
and doing chores I get bored easily, must go Pam is looking for me oh well
back to work.
Feb 2nd
Weather Ok - Still not feeling
up to much but better than yesterday, at least i got out of bed today,
I doubt if I can get away with another day off.
Feb 1st
Weather sunny but cold -
I spent the day in bed after getting starved in Oban yesterday, no sympathy
from Pam as I had not taken anything like enough clothing and it was absolutely
baltic in Oban. Even an hour in a very hot bath could not warm me through,
hypothermia has set in. This goes to prove it is not the wrong weather
but the wrong clothing.
February 2011
Feb 24th
Weather Dull and light rain,
windy - Not the best day to go out to Loch Buie and Croggan for the first
time in almost a year and although the wildlife was not out in abundance
this was more than made up for with the views, I had nearly forgotten how
lovely it is down there and well worth the journey. The highlight wildlife
wise were 3 very close breeding plumaged Black Guillemots, 3 Goosanders
a Fallow Deer and a good view of a hunting Golden Eagle, the quantity may
have been missing but there was no shortage of quality.
Feb 23rd
Weather rain for most of
the day - I cannot say I mind the weather being poor today as I am feeling
the effects of David and
Catherine's generous hospitality,
I can definitely recommend the Islay whisky Caol Ila. The only wildlife
watching I have done today is in the garden which even though not as spectacular
as Eagles and Otters is still very rewarding and peaceful, which is what
i needed today.
Feb 22nd
Weather cloudy and breezy
- It was very strange light today with everything appearing to be in a
black and white silhouette particularly the 22 Great Northern Divers we
saw, maybe the fact they are black and white with the occasional browner
bird had some bearing on this. Seriously it was very strange it was like
seeing Mull in an old black and white photograph very dark and moody. 3
White-tails seen today and an Otter, some very smart Wigeon Ducks, a couple
of male Goosanders and 50 Barnacle geese were the other highlights of a
very nice day out with Alan Spellman and David and Catherine two friends
of mine who kindly took me out for dinner tonight.
Feb 21st
Weather dull with showers
and light breeze - I had a quieter day today spending most of the day at
home but I did manage a walk with my 2 compatriots Misty and Sally who
have been looking after me very well whilst Pam is away. The highlight
of the walk had to be an incredibly good view a party of 6 Crossbills gave
us landing in the top of tree very close to where we were walking,
I love getting good views of this striking little bird although the dogs
seemed less impressed. An adult White -tailed Eagle flew past as we returned
from the walk and not surprisingly the dogs were more interested in that
as they watched warily as it flew past.
Feb 20th
Weather like yesterday but
much cooler in a freshening breeze - More BTO Atlas work today with similar
results to friday but nice to be out and about none the less. In the day
5 White-tailed Eagles were seen also 4 Golden Eagles several Buzzards,
a Kestrel and a Sparrowhawk but this one was not in our garden. Mammals
seen included a single Otter, Grey seals and lots of Red Deer including
Stags but my sighting of the day was a single Skylark only my second of
the year and another sign of spring.
Feb 19th
Weather Cloudy but dry and
calm feeling quite warm - There is a new forest track being put in from
Langamull car park through to the Glen Aros Glen Bellart road and I decided
to walk the dogs here and take a look. Although there was little wildlife
to be seen the views out over Croig and Loch Cuin were spectacular, it
was fantastic to be able to see these glorious views without having to
climb up hills and through bogs. This is another great way to enjoy what
Mull has to offer without needing to be a Mountaineer.
Feb 18th
Weather wet morning grey
but dry afternoon - BTO Atlas work today although it was not very successful
as the weather was poor but I have to complete all the winter work before
the end of February. On my way home I counted all the birds I saw and there
were 26 species in all several of them were in large numbers, I stopped
counting when each species reached 30 birds. The list of species with over
30 birds seen was Greylag Geese, Mallards, Hooded Crows, Red Breasted Mergansers,
Shags, Oystercatchers, Common Gulls, Herring Gulls and Great Black-backed
Gulls, there were also 17 Grey Herons seen.
Feb 17th
Weather a nice sunny day
with light cool breeze - I hope you like my photo's because there will
be no more this month as Pam has gone to look after the grand children
for half term and I don't know how to put them onto the blog, technophobe
that I am. Alan Spellman came to see me today and we went to all the local
hot spots and typically in the morning the spots were not too hot, as I
say on the tours don't worry about seeing stuff till 4pm. We came back
to Ardrioch for lunch and at least 2 Brambling turned up, to see pictures
of these birds check Alan's
Mullbirds
site. After lunch with me
in wellies we went to look for Snipe and I managed to flush a Jack Snipe
and 3 Common Snipe from a bog, at the same location we also saw a Peregrine
Falcon and a pair of Shelduck. Onwards and upwards towards Calgary where
as the tide had come in we saw 5 Purple Sandpipers, several Turnstones
a Great Northern Diver and 2 Otters. It looked as if Alan would draw a
blank in his search for the Pink Footed Goose but after an abortive trip
to Croig on our way back we found it with a few Greylag Geese in a field
where I had not seen it before. So alls well that ends well another great
day out with my mate. Thinking of coming to Mull this year then I recommend
you get the Mull bird report written and sold by Alan Mullbirds Spellman
through his web site and in shops on the island and I only take 95% for
this plug.
Feb 16th
Weather cloudy and cool but
mainly dry - A lovely male Bullfinch at Calgary this morning one of my
favorite birds and always a delight to see. At Calgary I took a better
photograph of the Pink Footed Goose which is still associating with the
Greylags there. Another picture I took was of a Hovering Buzzard it shows
that Kestrels are not the only bird of prey that hovers. Finally I took
a photo of some Red Breasted Mergansers a male and 2 females resplendent
with their Punk hairdos.
 
Feb 15th
Weather a nice day with some
sunshine -Oban with the van today and it easily passed the test so all
those of you that have already booked tours can rest easily again now.
As we were going on the early ferry I took the dogs for a very early walk
this morning and noticed how soon it was becoming light particularly on
a nice day, yet another sign that spring will soon be upon us. Nothing
of great news wildlife wise but we did see one Great Northern diver on
the ferry crossing.
Feb 14th
Weather cloudy but dry not
too cold - I took the van to the garage at Tobermory today for a pre council
check as it goes for the taxi/private hire inspection in Oban tomorrow.
I went for a nice walk through Aros Park as I waited for the garage to
check it out for me and although I did not see anything unusual there were
a lot of birds singing particularly Blue and Great Tits and I saw a very
nice Great Spotted Woodpecker. On my way home there were 3 Goosanders on
the Mishnish Lochs with 2 Goldeneye.
Feb 13th
Weather showery morning better
in the afternoon - After the big walk yesterday we had a quieter day today
with just a gentle walk to ease tired muscles this afternoon. We did not
see a lot of birds but is nice to hear the Great Tits singing in the woods
again, another sign that spring is just around the corner. We went to see
the film "The Kings Speech" in the screen machine at Tobermory last night,
it was the first time I have been although Pam is a regular, 80 comfortable
seat in an articulated lorry complete with surround sound, IT IS AMAZING.
Feb 12th
Weather sunny, breezy and
relatively warm - It was a lovely day for a walk so we decided to go and
look at the ruined villages of Cragaig and Glagugary. the walk was very
pleasant and the villages well worth seeing, check out the pictures below.
We dropped down to the raised beach below the villages and took in the
views of the Treshnish Isles, Staffa and Gometra. Turning left from the
raised beach we came back via Reudle, you can only do this walk at a low
tide. The walk was lovely but can be arduous in places and you do need
to wear the correct clothing and waterproof footwear. Although we did not
see much wildlife we did see Kestrel, Raven, Golden Eagle and a couple
of Wrens. As we turned towards Reudle we spotted a flock of sheep 'human
watching' from the top of a cliff.
 
Feb 11th
Weather cloudy but mainly
dry and breezy - I spent the day getting the van ready for the annual council
test so birding at a premium although I did see a beautiful flock of Wigeon,
about 30 in total. As we have been busy today here are some photo's we
took on our day out yesterday.
 
 
Feb 10th
Weather warm and sunny -
We took the dogs out today and gave them several short walks as we birdwatched.
We had great views of a male and female Goosander, a pair of Shelduck and
some Black Headed Gulls which are not that common on Mull although there
was evidence of breeding in 2010. Birds of prey of the day were a hunting
Golden Eagle and a White-tailed Eagle, we also saw several Buzzards and
2 Kestrels. In the afternoon we saw two walkers on top of a hill in shirts
and shorts, I kid you not, who says that the winter weather on Mull is
always bad.
 
Feb 9th
Weather Warm with light breeze
and rain a lot of rain - The male Brambling was in the garden this morning
and is now noticeably getting his summer plumage a really smart bird, the
Great Spotted Woodpecker is now a daily visitor and if anything Chaffinch
numbers are increasing. On a short trip out we saw 2 White-tailed Eagles,
2 very smart Greenshanks an Otter and 78 Starlings in one flock good numbers
for Mull. Pam spent the day getting the self- catering ready for the season
and I spent some time valleting the Mini bus.
Feb 8th
Weather cloudy but dry, cool
- The day started on a slightly flat note as I went to get the car to go
to Reudle and a walk to Crackaig a deserted village, only to find that
the front tyre was down. After changing the tyre we went to the garage
in Tobermory to have it fixed and had lunch while we waited, walking down
the street we saw our first Pied Wagtail of the year on Mull. On our way
home there was a pair of Goldeneye on the Mishnish Lochs and a Merlin flew
over the car as we neared Dervaig, unfortunately for me only Pam saw it
as was concentrating on something else at the time, just goes to show you
should always keep your wits about you on Mull as you never know what you
might see or when. The male Brambling was back in the garden again this
morning.
Feb 7th
Weather colder than yesterday
as wind direction has changed to north westerly but mainly dry - I saw
2 Purple Sandpipers near Calgary today, this is a good sighting for the
Mull year list as they are not common on Mull and difficult to see. As
I write the Great Spotted woodpecker is having a late evening feed, this
bird is very laid back as the Sparrowhawk has just gone through again.
We had a Buzzard in the garden at lunch time, it had probably seen the
zillions of Chaffinches and wondered what the fuss was all about. Another
sign of Spring today a Shag with its breeding tuft up, I tried to get a
photo for you to see but the dratted thing kept diving.
Feb 6th
Weather showery and colder
- Pam and I went out for 4 hours today and saw 44 species of birds and
4 mammals, highlights were 3 White-tailed Eagles, a Golden Eagle, 2 Otters
and Red and Fallow Deer. We also saw 2 separate Dippers back on territory,
a Goosander and a Kestrel and 4 Mistle Thrushes both of which are pictured
below. There was another sign that spring is not far away when we saw the
new calf and mother also pictured below.
 
Feb 5th
Weather a lovely day warm,
dry but a little overcast - I finished the garden today which took longer
than I thought it would as the winds from last night had blown a few more
branches off the trees. It would have been a good day to be out wildlife
watching but at least we saw the 2 Collared Doves which returned so unless
they are new ones the Sparrowhawk did not have them. Pam was looking at
a video of our Whale watching holiday from 3 years ago and although it
was nice to see it again it proved to me that you cannot beat watching
wildlife for real as it is not so exciting when seen on a screen. It reminded
me a little bit of 'Bull's eye' this is what you could see if you take
the time and trouble of going out and seeing nature for yourself.
Feb 4th
Weather tropical up here,
mini cyclone last night, monsoon today with high winds - To put a smile
on our face we saw the first signs of spring today these beautiful snowdrops
at Croig. Bad news, during the night the tree with the Barn Owl box in
up the road from Ardrioch fell down along with the box we don't yet know
the fate of the Barn Owls we will keep you updated with any news we get.
On a short journey out in the monsoon I saw a very sad looking White-tailed
Eagle and an Otter doing it's best to hunt in a raging sea.
Feb 3rd
Weather dry morning after
overnight rain - As I write todays blog the forecast rain and gales have
started, the electric has tripped 3 times already and we expect to lose
power at any moment. The sheep are safely in the shed, suitably grateful,
whilst a few intrepid little birds cling onto the bird feeders for extra
feed the greedy little tykes. We took the dogs to Calgary Bay this morning
and just about managed to stay upright, battening down the hatches now
for what could be a long rough night.
Feb 2nd
Weather yesterdays heavy
showers merged into a day of all out rain, not good for going out in but
great for water scenic pictures - Not much in the way of wildlife to tell
you about today except our Sparrowhawk must be getting dizzy the amount
of times she has sped round the house today. As for all the little birds
they are real triers they keep coming back to the feeders trying to eat
as much as they can before the Sparrowhawk returns, they probably huddle
up together at night for counselling sessions.
p.s. The photo gallery
has been updated today with brilliant pictures taken by our friend Nic
Davies all the pictures were taken on Mull and although I say it myself
my photos are not quite as good.
 
 
Feb 1st
Weather Sunshine with heavy
showers some of them hailstorms, warmer - We had a visit from the Great
Spotted Woodpecker today, where was he on big garden birdwatch day. He
was in a very feisty mood taking on all comers and when the Sparrowhawk
flew through he did not flinch, probably not a tactic to repeat too often
if he wants to live to a ripe old age. On a brief trip out during a hail
storm I saw this White-tailed Eagle at Calgary and the Grey Heron at Croig,
I also took photos of 3 Redshank and a Greenshank but they were rubbish,
it is a good thing that our income does not rely on my photographic skills.
 
2010 - February
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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This is the web site of Pam & Arthur
Brown, Ardrioch Farm, Dervaig, Isle of Mull. PA75 6QR
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