I think it's generally accepted that the Morvern peninsula is rather under-watched. I decided to take the round trip from Glasgow, up and across to Morvern, returning via Mull on Saturday 14th.
Morvern is a beautiful and particularly quiet spot. On the assumption that both Ardnamurchan and Mull are said to hold good concentrations of Golden Eagle, the same must surely be true of Morvern. The landscape is very much a combination of the two.
The coastal drive from Ardgour to Kingairloch is superb. I had countless buzzards, merganser and a particularly obliging little grebe in winter plumage. I'm no expert on grebes and was a little disappointed to discover it was one of our more common variety! The feral goats that wander the coastline are a nice bonus and make you feel quite detached from typical city life.
My first (and arguably best) sighting of the day came close to Loch Uisge. I had pulled over to scan the hills when I saw a fair number of ravens on the lower hillside close to the road on my right. They were quite vocal so I put the binoculars on them to see what the fuss was. Several ravens were on the ground and they appeared to be gathered round something...and there it was, a young sea eagle just sitting there. It was actually fairly camouflaged against the autumn colours. Always such a treat to see an eagle so close, let alone sitting on the ground. The ravens were giving it a hell of a time and it wasn't long before it was up in the air. The wing tags were visible - white L - one of last year's birds from Mull.
Moments after the bird was up, a second young sea eagle lifted up from behind a rise. This bird was darker and was without tags. I wondered whether it might be Mara, a radio tagged bird being tracked on the RSPB website. The two birds were talon grappling only metres above the ground. The ravens continued to hassle the birds but they didn't seem too bothered! To cap off the sighting, a young golden eagle then flew over from the ridge on the opposite side to join the two sea eagles in the air. Unforgettable stuff, and only an hour or so into the day trip!
The rest of the day was almost incidental but I suppose you never know when you're going to get that priceless sighting. I continued on to Lochaline for the ferry over to Mull and picked up an adult sea eagle over Torr Molach, heading in the direction of the Sound of Mull. I'd arrived a little early for the ferry. I waited for around an hour at the pier and saw another sea eagle flying in exactly the same direction, across the bay at Lochaline in the direction of Mull. It's clear that Morvern presents a pleasant day break for the Mull sea eagles as well as me.
On Mull, I drove the lower loop from Salen round to Craignure. Plenty of soaring birds of prey due to the high winds. A sea eagle at Bheinn a Ghraig. Buzzards were particularly conspicuous too - floating effortlessly along the ridges of Creag Mhor. A peregrine gave a brilliant example of its speed, hanging in an updraft before closing its wings tight and disappearing from view in a few seconds. I was pleased to see a decent number of kestrels over the course of the day. At least 5 birds hovering by the roadside, which wouldn't previously have been of note but I've found them scarcer to come across in recent years.
The drive round Loch Scridain and on to Glen More was surprisingly quiet on the bird front. The sun was slowly setting by now and it was disappointingly clear that my day was coming to an end!
On the return to Craignure I took a last minute gamble (the light was fading by the minute) and headed on the winding hilly road to Lochbuie. I pulled over to scan a ridge of Cruach Ardura having caught a glimpse of a large bird. I soon picked up two buzzards enjoying the last of the day's sunlight. Just as I thought this was to be my last bit of birding for the day, a stunning adult golden eagle soared over the ridge and joined the buzzards for a minute before heading off towards An t-Sleagach.
The birds weren't quite finished though. I picked up a female hen harrier across the road on the way to Lochdon and an adult sea eagle being mobbed by a buzzard soaring above its territory.
And then it was over. The light was gone and it was time for steak pie and chips on the ferry back to Oban!
I would thoroughly recommend the round trip for anyone planning on heading to the west coast of Scotland. Morvern is a place worth spending some time and I'll be heading back for a longer stay soon. And what else can be said about Mull, for eagles there's no beating it.
Excellent report Dave!
You certainly got more than your quota of Eagles. I'm surprised there is still a hen harrier around....thought they'd all come south. I spent a week on Mull last summer; had a fantastic trip. Report is here:
http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=120494
Joanne
Nice report Dave, not familiar with Morvern maybe its time I did!
Again a great read and some superb birds
Stewart