Inspired by other people's trip reports have had a go at my week on Mull with a birding mate.
Saturday 2 May
6am start for the drive up to Oban to catch the 16:00 ferry to Craignure. Uneventful drive with short excursion to the red kite location near Callendar, only 2 seen but good views. Lunch taken in Forestry Commission car park shortly after (about 8 miles) the Tyndrum turn off. Proved to be a good choice with abundant, and confiding Willow Warblers and a lovely Tree Pipit. Then off to Oban and the quay side to await the ferry, here had a hoodie and black guillemot. Ferry across was calm but breezy and cold. Few auks, Gannet and the usual array of gulls to be seen.
On leaving the ferry turned left for Pennyghael and drove slowly along, few cars around and a lovely evening. In Glen More we had a very co-operative short-eared owl, as we were watching a couple asked what was this big thing flying above us, our first white-tailed eagle of the trip!
Arrived at out accommodation very dry so a few beers were required to refresh us, then steaks which the butcher had only removed the horns from and vacuum packed.
Sunday 3 May
The forecast had been for rain but it turned out to be a good day with a few early showers then sunshine. We had booked a day with Wild about Mull tours – excellent and a great introduction to the island (would recommend Brian). All the expected species were found and some excellent sites noted for return visits (little did we know of the forthcoming weather!). All the days birding was focussed on the southern part of the island. Highlights of the day being white-tailed eagle sat on a reef in the loch, yellow X tag (Skye 2006 breeding season I think), and ring tail harrier a particular favourite. Amazing number of wheatears around, couple of whinchats were great to see.
Monday 4 May
The forecast was for rain and it did! Had a couple of breaks during the day but all in all very wet. Anyway not to be deterred set off around the loch for a few hours to try and catch up on otter – which we did with good views of a dog otter feeding just offshore. Great northern divers doted around the loch giving good views in differing plumages and a ringtail harrier flying across the loch. This island is full of wheatears and common sands. After lunch we decided to take a drive down to Loch Spelve to see what we could find, had excellent views of raindrops! As the weather was now closing in decided to have a drive around to Salen and round the scenic route back. Excellent views and eventually it stopped raining allowing us to enjoy them and the wheatears, mipits and lapwing.
Tuesday 5 May 2009
Rain forecast today and again they have got it right, this time real Hebridean rain, very reminiscent of Islay.
Decided to again have a drive around the side of the loch to look for otters, this time we had this dog otter feeding. Stopped to tell someone else looking and he put us onto a female and cub playing, but too distant to photograph. First bird of nore was a snipe sat on top of a boulder in pouring rain. Again number of GND around the loch giving good views, gave up then and went and had lunch, the inside of the car was soaked with having the windows open.
After lunch we decided to go down the Southern end of the island and visit some of the sites there. Again the rain made it very difficult, not many birds added to the list, common tern at Uisken being a notable one. Gannets over Loch Scridain in the evening.
Wednesday 6 May
Again the weather forecast was for rain and this time they said heavy rain, hard to understand that the rain on previous days had not been hard. Anyway woke up and looked out, clear blue sky. Had a few minutes birding in front of the cottage across a very calm loch, 6 or 7 great northern divers and solitary red throated diver and guillemot. We were then ready and out on the road birding before 07:30. Still had the forecast in mind, they had it wrong, we thought.
Decided to go North up the Glen and bird the locations up that side of the island towards Tobermory. Drove up Glen More where we’d previously had SEO and WTE, but, this time only saw buzzards.
Drove down the Loch Spelve road and the birding was excellent, golden plover, ringed plover, many wheatear, the usual oystercatchers everywhere. Went all the way to Lochbuie and ominously the windscreen was getting wet and the lovely blue sky had disappeared. Managed to photograph the golden plover and raven in flight before had to move sharpish for a large lorry. An excellent move as a we quickly had a stunning male hen harrier flying towards us, quick turnaround and some flight photographs. All the time the rain was becoming worse and the day just went downhill from there as we found out the definition of heavy rain and high winds. The end of the days birding for 2 fed up birders!
We are really struggling with our list and it has many notable omissions, only positive about that is a return visit will be needed!
Thursday 7 May
We had decided last night to get up and out for 05:00 if the weather was suitable to try and make up some of the lost time. Weather no good then and eventually left at 06:15. First bird of the day was an amazingly pale buzzard. We spent some time in Glen More looking for the SEO we’d had on Saturday, with no luck, in fact we saw nothing apart from buzzards. Then on to Loch Spelve where we had excellent and close views of a small party of 3 whimbrel. No repeat of the stunning male hen harrier today. Back to Lochdon, by now it was becoming very windy. Good numbers of ringed plover and dunlin all sheltering wherever they could. A stunning red deer stag was on the head of the loch and whilst muggins was photographing it a WTE flew over us! Decided by this time to go back to our cottage for lunch and had a soaring GE in Glen More and a WTE sat on a small island in Loch Scridain. The afternoon was spent on the Ross of Mull in very high winds. At Uisken we had rock pipit, ringed plover, dunlin and a group of about 12 whimbrel.
Friday 8 May 2009
We decided to get a ferry late this afternoon, rather than wait until tomorrow, after a mornings birding. Looking at the weather out of the window now perhaps we should have gone earlier, it looks like we won’t be getting much birding in today! And we didn’t.
Weather
The weather has been pretty bad on this trip, our list is 79 for a week’s birding in a location such as this, should have been much nearer 100. Perhaps I should have known and expected the weather having lived in the Hebrides for a few years. However there is still an appeal on an island as beautiful as this even in bad weather. Whilst the numbers on our list are relatively low the quality and some of the views of the birds have been amazing, in spite of the weather. Plenty of this done though.
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Accommodation
We stayed in a very comfortable self catering cottage which adjoins the Pennyghael Hotel. The cottage was good with great views from the lounge and bedroom windows over Loch Scridain, great northern divers every morning, a couple staying had an otter hunting and feeding outside the hotel. Would have no hesitation in recommending the cottage, it was well equipped and comfortable. We had a couple of meals in the hotel during the stay and enjoyed both and had a drink, or two, there most evenings. It’s a great location for birding around here and one to which I will return.
In spite of the weather it was a good week, will post some photo's on this thread when I get from my trip to far NW Scotland and Speyside. This retirement business is good!
Phil
Nice report Phil and takes me back to my trip to Mull last summer. You saw some nice birds; shame about too much rain but I think you have to expect it in NW Scotland.
You say you could tell male from female otters; that's pretty good....I only saw otters.
Joanne
Based on the size we saw a single otter (large) and another (smaller) with a cub. Maybe a wishful assumption.
Phil