 
May 2012
May 13th
There was nothing nice about
the weather today it was monsoon rain and gale force winds and 8 cheerful
but unexpecting guests. We had some nice views of Eider Ducks to start
the day but could not even stand up in the driving rain and gales on Loch
Na Keal. Back on the East coast along the Sound of Mull we located a few
nice waders Turnstones, Dunlin and Ringed Plover. A long drive to find
somewhere for lunch and found an Otter, then a hiding Red Deer and then
miraculously a White-tailed Eagle flew over our heads. Another long drive
to Eas Force waterfall spectacular in full speight. Then very wet we returned
to Ardrioch for afternoon tea and a warm up passing a Short Eared Owl on
the way. When we returned home in high spirits for what we had seen on
a dreadful day woe of woes Manchester City losing 2-1 and only 5 minutes
to play, then joy of joys 2 goals in 2 minutes and we had won the title
after a 44 year wait. What a day wonderful wildlife seen in appalling conditions
and City winning the Premier League in dramatic fashion you can't get better
than that . Soon I may come down from the ceiling.
 
May 12th
A nice sunny morning saw
me climbing a hill to do my annual breeding bird count around a Bog, as
usual there were only Skylarks and Meadow Pipits to count and a single
Snipe, Whoopee. After breakfast I did my breeding bird square around our
farm and it was much more productive with lots of Siskins, Goldfinches,
Greenfinches Dunnocks, Coal Tits and Great Tits and Blue Tits all breeding
as were Yellowhammers. In the event I walked over 7 miles so I am now completely
Kn......... so I am off for a sleep in a very hot bath, don't tell health
and safety.
May 11th
Another sunny day with sunny
guests, I had a brilliant time with lots of laughs great sightings of birds
of prey, Gannets and lots more besides.... Thanks too all involved I really
love my job. I must mention the Swans legs of this operation, Pam, I might
be the face most guests get to see but I am just out with friends birding,
without Pam the bookings would be all wrong, there would be no lovely home
made food and be rest assured I would be late, so to Pam many thanks.
 
 
May 10th
A lot of rain today and quite
windy but my guests were brilliant and did get to see a White-tailed Eagle
hiding in a tree with just its head and shoulders showing. they were happy
to see the Red Deer and were sure that they must be farmed but they are
all wild on Mull, but can be quite close if you remain in the vehicle.
Today we saw my first Common Terns of the year and also my first Lesser
Redpoll a lovely little bird and in my opinion just as worth seeing as
all the birds of prey.
May 9th
Much warmer today and another
great day with super guests who were just happy with everything they saw,
in fact they were just happy. In the event they had great views of all
of Mulls prime species except Otter including a Short Eared Owl as we made
our way back to Tobermory in the evening. A highlight for me was a House
Martin my first of the year.
May 8th
After another very good tour
in very cool but sunny weather and during which we had seen a Bar-tailed
Godwit as well as our first Sedge Warbler at the Dervaig reed beds and
brilliant Golden Eagle. Pam and I went out for an evening drive with friends
and saw 10 Short Eared Owls, a Barn Owl and a Hen Harrier. I often think
our tours should start at 6am but I fear I would be out on my own most
days.
May 7th
A cool breezy damp day full
of surprises, we had seen the usual White-tailed Sea Eagles and Golden
Eagles before the rain came in and although it was not heavy it was not
pleasant in the cold wind with temperatures plunging to 6 degrees not including
the wind chill. We stopped to look for more Golden Eagles more in hope
than anything else when we heard a Cuckoo back from whence we had come
from, so turning round we went Cuckoo hunting. We had just got out of the
bus when not one but three Short Eared Owls got up and began hunting giving
us fantastic views for about 20 minutes. Oh we did have a short break from
the Owls as the Cuckoo not to be out done flew past, we were in raptures,
funny how you can forget being cold in the presence of such a great wildlife
sighting, that is until you get back in the van and go wow it was freezing
out there. The choice then was the warm aga at Ardrioch for Tea and legendary
lemon drizzle cake or more cold and an off chance of Hen Harrier, of course
I knew which the guests would want to do but I was proved wrong. So there
we were freezing drinking coffee and tea and eating cake kidding each other
it was getting warmer as hyper thermia was setting in when not 1 but 3
Hen Harriers were flying one a male right above our heads, forget the cold
elation was keeping us warm. Many thanks to my intrepid guests for being
prepared to wait for the wildlife with such good humour they were well
rewarded. The picture of the Male Eider below was taken by me this morning
through my Telescope proving once more that you do not need to get up close
and disturb wildlife to get nice pictures. Surely it is the wildlife we
should respect and not the the pictures we get of them by disturbance which
is why as members of Wild Scotland we adhere to this code of conduct.
May 6th
Sunny but with strong cool
westerly which kept little birds in hiding for most of the day although
we did see 2 separate Merlins, they were probably having as much look finding
the small birds as we were. We had great views of both types of Eagles
again today but the again they are not little are they. Peregrine Falcon
mobbing a Golden Eagle Kestrels and Buzzards the latter seen in good numbers
at the end of the day. Bird of the day Wheatears, they were everywhere
and they are little but I think my guests were a little fed up with seeing
them by the end of a good if somewhat frustrating day.
May 5th
Tour today and for
most of the rest of the month and once more in glorious weather. I saw
my first Sedge Warbler of the year today and we also saw all 3 Divers,
it was nice to see a Black Throated as I have not seen one since January.
Brilliant Eagles today with a Golden Eagle breaking leaves off a tree to
take into a nest, spectacular viewing and I took a Photograph which turned
out to be rubbish so can't show it to you. We had Red and Fallow Deer,
Common Seals and an Otter. Other highlights of the day were a Goosander,
4 Whimbrel and 2 more Lapwing babies, I hope they manage to survive predation
as Hooded Crows are always round their nest field giving their parents
no peace.
 
 
May 4th
We went Corncrake hunting
on Iona with the Dervaig bird group today and although it was sunny it
was also windy and cool with northerly winds. After no luck for well over
an hour numpty, that would be me again, went for a short walk round
the Abbey and guess what, out came the dastardly little bird, did a dance,
showed off, and when it heard me coming back bowed to the others and scuttled
back to the cover of the Iris beds. Did I get a ribbing with everyone proudly
showing off their great photographs, funny how you can go off people, secretly
I was very pleased that the others had seen the bird and anyway I had seen
the beautiful male Linnet in the picture below which as regular readers
know is my favourite bird. Other notable sightings on a lovely day out
with birding friends were Reed Bunting, Dunlin, Ringed Plovers, Lapwing
and Whimbrel. Just for Jo I must also mention the Early Purple Orchids
we saw today another sign that Summer is not too far away.
 
May 3rd
A day without rain again
and out searching for incoming migrants without success, I did however
see my first Lapwing chick of the year and a proud Mallard duck with lots
of new born ducklings, I wonder how many she will be able to rear. Little
birds seen well on my trip round and about included Linnet, Stonechat,
Willow Warbler and Dunnock.
May 2nd
A couple of Black-tailed
Godwits at Dervaig this morning a rare visitor on Mull and I managed to
get a Photograph of the one coming into breeding plumage. The are 2 Goldeneyes
still present at Dervaig and the Common Sandpipers are on their breeding
ground here as well. Talking of breeding I have found another Heronry at
Dervaig making 3 now in the vicinity. On the tour today both Eagles showed
well as did a very nice pair of Red Throated Divers.
 
May 1st
Another gloriously sunny
day becoming almost scorcio in the afternoon. Golden Eagles, White-tailed
Eagles, Sparrowhawks, Kestrels Buzzards, Hen Harriers and even A Barn Owl,
you could say it was a raptor special of a day. For me the highlight was
hearing the first Whitethroat of the year at Killiechronan. We are very
lucky on Mull to still have a lot of cuckoos and I am very surprised how
delighted by our guests reaction when they hear one, in some cases I think
it makes their holiday.
May 2011. May 31st
Weather same as yesterday
but getting cooler and windier in the afternoon - All Mulls special species
seen today, the otter was a bit shy hiding along the edge of the sea weed
but at least everyone saw it then later we saw 5 White-tail sea Eagles,
to one guests delight, doing more than just sitting in a tree. Lots of
Red Deer were seen and at the end of the day a hunting male Hen Harrier.
May 30th
Weather is it still May sunny,
only light breeze warmer, OH JOY - Brilliant White-tailed Sea Eagle today
and 2 golden Eagles, Buzzards galore but my bird of the day was a magnificent
male Linnet. Goosander at our first stop with Common Sandpipers and Redshank
this was followed shortly by 2 Lapwings mobbing thieving Hooded Crows,
all good stuff. Good views of both Common and Grey Seals and also Shags
and a Great Northern Diver. Ringed Plover were seen and Skylarks, Meadow
Pipits and Wheatears in abundance and not forgetting the fabulous Cuckoo
which posed brilliantly for all guests to see it which could not be said
of the Red Breasted Merganser. The day finished with some great views of
the Small Isles and the Outer Hebrides oh let this be the start of Spring
now Autumn is nearly over.
 
 
May 29th
Weather Very windy, a few
showers, cool and WINDY - Another trying wildlife day but with great guests.
Lots of Gannets today and some good views of Manx Shearwaters also a Cuckoo
trying to stay balanced on a post whilst cuckooing, in other words multi-tasking.
Both types of Eagles seen well eventually but birds of the day were 2 Hen
harriers a Male and Female seen really well at the end of another WINDY
day.
May 28th
Weather much better sunshine
with intermittent short very sharp showers - The best day for ages and
I had to catch up on Chores, Unblock the sink, Clean through our water
supply as the rain had brought down a lot of peat and clean the van as
we were not sure what colour it was. I did all this with bad grace as I
would much preferred to be out wildlife watching.
May 27th
Weather started fine but
deteriorated after 11am more rain but less windy and slightly warmer -Pam
had a journalist out with her today as I was taking the tour, I told her
to start early as the forecast was not good and they had seen a Jay
(rare on Mull) great Golden Eagle and Bottle-Nose Dolphins before
we had started out at 10am it is true what they say the early bird catches
the worm or in this case the wildlife. We saw A Golden Eagle but not great,
but did get very good views of a Red Deer stag and White-tailed Eagle,
but then so did Pam.
May 26th
Weather dry morning and then
back to cold with rain and wind - I have been on Mull for 12 years now
and can not remember a May with weather we are experiencing at the moment,
apart from the first few days this May has been wet, windy and cold. This
has not unduly diminished our wildlife sightings in fact we have seen more
rarities but watching the wildlife has not been overly pleasant unless
you are addicted to it like I am.
May 25th
Weather rain all day, windy
and cool - As the weather dictated Otter was high on the agenda today and
we had brilliant views of a mother and cub fishing for a long time, we
all got very wet, however the adrenaline rush kept us warm until we got
back in the van and realized how cold we really were, the heater in the
van soon warmed us up. A great view surprisingly of a White-tailed Sea
Eagle flying through the rain like a 747 flying through an ash cloud. Notable
sightings today were Red Deer stag, a male Goosander and lots of Gannets
some of them plunge diving.
 
 
May 24th
Weather not as bad as predicted
with no rain and only strong not gale force winds - 2 Golden Eagles, 3
White-tailed Eagles, 3 separate Otters, 2 Hen Harriers, Buzzards too many
to count, 2 Kestrels, 2 Great Northern Divers and Red Deer everywhere,
what a difference to yesterday. We also saw Lapwing with 3 chicks
and Shelduck with 2 ducklings and some brilliant Gannets. I saw 2 Red Throated
Divers this evening but did not see the Sabines Gull at Calgary that Pam
saw in the late afternoon.
 
May 23rd
Weather beyond belief Rain
Gale force wind I can't believe this is May - Highlight of todays tour
were 2 Red Throated Divers, otherwise it was the size of the waves, the
waterfalls going up hill and the good cheer of the great guests we had
out on todays tour. This evening I had A call from Alan Mullbirds Spellman
and went and saw a Sabines Gull the first I have ever seen and a Red Necked
Pharalope at the same site so I have seen 3 rare birds on Mull in the last
24 hours so there is some good to be had for the bad weather.
May 22nd
Weather still very windy
with a few heavy showers, not as bad as forecast though - the tour was
great with a very good group on board, although we had great sighting all
day it was paled by the 'mega' rarity we found when we got home. A SCARLET
ROSEFINCH was feeding on the nuts just 5 yards in front of our kitchen
window as we were washing up the dishes from the day. This is only the
2nd one of its kind recorded on Mull, they are a rare visitor to Britain
in Spring and Autumn.
 
May 21st
Weather Heavy rain all day
- With all this rain we are getting at the moment it means that our grass
is growing really well, this means that so are our lambs so I though I
would show you some pictures of how they are growing. Bramble and her friend
in the first picture were our pet lambs from last year that we fed on the
bottle and now they have lambs of their own. You can also see how well
Arthur's woodland trees are growing in the background.
 
 
May 20th
Weather All 4 seasons in
one day starting with a heavy hail storm, still very windy - a lovely group
out today who asked for everything and that is exactly what they got including
the Barn Owl peeping out of his nest box at the end of the day and a close
snipe flying. If you go out with an open mind it is surprising how much
more you see.
May 19th
Weather Only a couple of
brief showers in a largely dry day, cool and breezy - Mulls main species
seen well but the two standouts were White-tailed Sea Eagle in the morning
and brilliant Hen Harrier at the last stop of the day although a lot of
patience was required before the Harrier appeared. The guests today were
great and we had a lot of laughs and looked for all the wildlife Mull has
to offer including House Sparrows and Chaffinches just the kind of tour
I like. Had to mow lawns when I got home as the grass was drier, just the
kind of work I don't like. Very good spotter on the tour today, many thanks
Emma.
 
May 18th
Weather not the heavy rain
as forecast but still very windy with frequent showers, cold in exposed
areas - A good start to the day with 2 WTS Eagles sitting out after the
last few days of rain, the female didn't stay out for long, soon going
back to the nest to care for the young chick(s), this was followed by flying
Golden Eagle being bombed by a Kestrel. Bird of the day was a cuckoo being
continually harassed by 2 Meadow Pipits, wonderful views with great colouration
of the cuckoo. Later in the day we had another Golden Eagle and a male
Hen Harrier.
May 17th
Weather High cloud and calm
morning with mist and drizzle as the afternoon wore on - After the monsoon
conditions of yesterday today was great and we saw all Mulls speciality
species including the Otter in the pictures below. White-tailed Eagles
were really good today and we had a Golden Eagle being mobbed by a Raven.
A short but good view of a male Hen Harrier ended a very enjoyable day.
 
May 16th
Weather Heavy rain all day
after heavy overnight rain - A lot of nests could well have been washed
out in the last 24 hours as the Dervaig Reedbed was completely flooded
this morning. Ground nesting birds will also be under a great deal of pressure
and all in all it has been a very traumatic last few days for breeding
birds on Mull, let us hope it is not too late for most of them to try again.
May 15th
Weather rain for most of
the day with a breeze low cloud - I was not looking forward to today when
i saw the weather, not for myself but because I thought that the guests
might moan all day, how wrong can you be, they were up for everything we
could see in the poor weather even House Sparrows. This is by far the best
way to approach wet days as you never know in the world of wildlife. The
day started with Goosander, Red Breasted Mergansers, Grey Heron and Redshank.
At the next major stop we saw another Goosander, Curlew, Oystercatchers,
Shags, our first af many Great Northern Divers, Eider Ducks, Sand Martins
all our regular Gulls including Lesser Black-Backed and Common Seals. After
coffee we saw Grey Seals, Common Sandpiper and took in some wild flowers,
before lunch we had added Greylag Goose and Lapwing to our list of birds.
At lunch we had a great view of a Twite and Wheatear and Common Whitethroat
were seen. A visit to a waterfall in full flow and more wildflowers followed
and then we saw some Red Deer. The weather improved a little and as the
rain stopped for an hour or so we saw some birds of prey which had
been kept down all day by the rain. First as always after rain the Buzzards
then a Kestrel and fantastic views of a pair of hunting Short Eared
Owls, my first on a tour this year. What followed was unbelievable as a
pair Of Golden Eagles got up and started hunting right in front of us,
my best view for weeks. The day finished with a pair of White-tailed Eagles
sitting on a rock and then one took off and flew round being mobbed by
Gulls and then the curtain of rain came down on another successful day.
May 14th
Weather showers all day -
No tour today and no chance of mowing lawns either so i got up early and
went to Tobermory before anybody had woken up except for the birds and
managed to get to see my first Chiffchaff on Mull, great. Later I saw a
Sparrowhawk fly through the garden and across our fields towards the woods.
I spent most of the afternoon watching my team win the F.A. Cup for those
of you who watched it we were in blue, Hoorah.
May 13th
Weather in spite of an awful
forecast the weather was cool and fairly calm and mainly dry - Talk about
friday 13th being unlucky, we saw 3 White-tailed Sea Eagles both in trees
and flying, good views of Golden Eagles, a brilliant Otter, Red Deer as
always and a magnificent male Hen Harrier to end a terrific day. We also
saw both types of Seal very well and had a wonderful Cuckoo sighting, Linnet
and Goldfinch were the little bird sightings of the day and to end this
most unlucky day Pam and I went up into our wood and had a wonderful sighting
of a Grasshopper Warbler my first this year, oh that everyday could be
Friday the thirteenth.
May 12th
Weather reasonable morning
heavy and persistent showers in the afternoon - We managed to see 3 Golden
Eagles before the showers set in and lots of Red Deer. 2 White-tailed
Sea Eagles between the afternoon showers delighted our guests and we managed
Buzzards and a very nice Kestrel one of 3 seen in the day just before the
end of the day. Bird of the day my first Greylag Goslings of the year.
 
May 11th
Weather Less rain and less
windy, not great but much improved on last couple of days - Today we had
3 Otters two of them a mother and cub gave guests great views for over
an hour at lunch time. Good sightings of both Eagles flying and perched
the White-tails in a tree the Goldies on the ground. Bird of the day for
me the male Hen harrier sky diving in display flight.
Corncrake Special lead
by Pam for wild Isles Week
As you can see from my pictures
below we had a very successful Corncrake walk on Iona with 100% of my guests
seeing a Corncrake. During the afternoon we watched the male secretively
displaying to the female, a first for me, some guests saw both birds at
the same time. A very pleasing and long day.
 
 
May 10th
Weather rain and windy morning
drier in the afternoon although still windy - We saw some beautiful golden
Plover very close up in the morning but wildlife watching was very tricky.
In the afternoon as the weather improved it all happened as birds that
had been down all morning started to appear. We had White-tailed Sea Eagle
feeding chicks, an Otter very close taking a late lunch, A very good Golden
Eagle being mobbed by Ravens directly overhead and on our way back to Dervaig
Red Deer stags and as a finale a wonderful view of a male Hen Harrier hunting.
Sometimes although wet days can require a lot of patience they can give
you some wonderful sightings, personally I think they are much better for
wildlife than hot sunny days.
 
May 9th
Weather very windy some sun,
wind turning to gale force - Not the best weather for watching wildlife
but you have to do the best you can in difficult circumstances. We saw
both type of Deer today the Fallow Deer although hard to spot in the woods
were impressive when all guests saw them they thought there was only 2
or 3 but as they got their eyes in realized there were 10 or 12 of them.
Both Eagles were seen well although patience was really required here.
Birds of the day some beautiful Eider Ducks before the wind really took
hold and a good Whimbrel, I had a good but brief view of a male Hen Harrier
but only one of my guests saw it.
 
May 8th
Weather light rain but windy
start to the day but as the weather improved the wind speed did as well
- A very good birding day with both Twite and Linnet seen well and Goldfinches
were seen everywhere. Waders seen were Redshank, Dunlin, Whimbrel Common
Sandpipers, Lapwing, Oystercatchers of course and a lovely flock of Golden
Plover. Both Red Throated and Great Northern Divers were seen as were Eider
Ducks, Shelduck, Red Breasted Mergansers and Mallard some of which now
have ducklings. On the sea we saw Kittiwakes, Gannets and a Great Skua
and birds of prey Were Kestrels, Buzzards and both types of Eagle and a
Hen Harrier to end the day. Common and Grey Seals were seen as were lots
of Red Deer and Rabbits but Mammal of the day was a Mountain Hare. All
in all given the poor weather it was a very good wildlife day out.
 
May 7th
Weather cloudy with light
rain but brightening up as the day wore on - I climbed up a gully with
a friend today looking for Ring Ouzel and the views we saw were breathtaking,
the views of Ring Ouzel were none existent. We did see a Golden Eagle,
Wheatear, Common Snipe, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits and although the wildlife
was a bit thin on the ground the views and peace and quiet and to be out
there with your own thoughts in such beautiful surroundings more than made
up for it. A truly memorable day.
May 6th
Weather mainly cloudy with
occasional light rain showers, breezy - Another excellent White-tailed
Sea Eagle day but it was the Golden Eagle that stole the show today, circling
above us carrying a Rabbit before it landed and proceeded to pluck the
hair off the unfortunate mammal with great gusto, we were eating lunch
at the time. The other main highlight of the day was a Brent Goose seen
with Greylags very unusual for North Mull.
 
May 5th
Weather cloudy with light
rain, windy and cool - We had a day when we saw all the Mull prime species
with 2 Otters the first one for half an hour at morning coffee. White-tailed
Sea Eagles were excellent today with 2 separate birds flying well, Golden
Eagle although seen flying it was quite distant and I thought I saw where
it landed but it turned out to be an Eagle looking rock. We saw both Red
and Fallow Deer and to end the day a really nice male Hen Harrier. My birds
of the day were a pair of Red Throated Divers and some more Twite, we also
had a great view of a Sedge Warbler.
 
May 4th
Weather Sunny with more breeze
- A tough day today wildlife wise with very little happening, we had to
wait for ages for a White-tailed Sea Eagle to fly, but it was good when
it did and we had another very good view of one unexpectedly later in the
day. We saw Golden Eagles but very high and not what could be called spectacular.
At the end of the day however we managed to see a really close male Hen
Harrier which is a wonderful bird to see close up. We did see lots of Red
Deer and Common Seals and a really nice view of a Sedge Warbler and we
had another Whinchat today. In the late evening Pam and I went looking
for Short Eared Owls and managed to find 2, one of them sitting on a fence
which was fantastic. Mull is looking absolutely fabulous at the moment
with all the sunshine and dry weather the views everywhere are just stunning.
May 3rd
Weather sunny with light
breeze , warm - Hen Harrier a male both flying and resting at the start
of the day with Red Deer stags with antlers growing back soon followed
and then one of the highlights of a very good bird day a Cuckoo really
close a first sighting for a lot of my guests who had heard them many times
but not seen one. We saw 2 Red Throated Divers after lunch and then 4 beautiful
Twite on telephone lines just above where we were standing at the time,
some guests did not believe there was a bird called a Twite until I showed
them in the bird books I carry, oh ye of little faith. We saw Whimbrel
again today and out came the bird books again and for me a special view
of a Stonechat that seem to be very scarce this year.
May 2nd
Weather scorchio - Pam did
the tour today and I did my breeding bird square around Ardrioch, the birds
seen included Lesser Redpoll, 5 different Yellowhammers, Bullfinch, Blackcap
Sparrowhawk, Treecreeper and Song Thrush, in all over 40 species of breeding
birds were seen in the one kilometre square around Ardrioch, we are so
lucky to live here.
May 1st
Weather the same as yesterday
but even more windy - The only place to start this blog is with the White-tailed
Sea Eagles which today put on a real show. We turned up at a spot I know
and we saw an Eagle in her usual spot, before I could put the scope up
3 more White-tails appeared above her 2 with talons down, this got her
up as one of the three disappeared behind the trees. We now had 3
Eagles circling very close to us giving us great views when low and behold
2 more appeared on the scene and we witnessed a White-tailed Eagle ballet
in front of our eyes, even I was impressed and I see them most days. now
and we saw at least 4 today, we also heard two distant calling Cuckoos.
As well as the Buzzards, Eagles and Kestrels we are seeing more Peregrine
Falcons and Merlins this spring. In the hills the sound of spring is all
around us as we look for the Eagles with calling Curlews, Skylarks and
Meadow Pipits, it is perfect to be out there listening to these evocative
sounds.
2010 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.
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