Isle of Mull

Rain also meant we spent a large time under cover. We sat in a hide watching lots of waterbirds. They didn't seem to mind that it was tipping it down. Sadly, there was no sign of any Red Squirrels, which had been the main reason for visiting the area. What we did see along the short walk leading to/from the hide were some Common Spotted and Northern Marsh Orchids, plus some very cute, and very tiny, toadlets.

The following day we drove from Kielder Forest to Oban on the west coast of Scotland. It's quite a pretty seaside town, but with the chaos on the roads from all the ferry traffic, I'm not sure I'd want to live there. I'm sure the locals especially avoid the supermarket on Saturdays. Everyone departing for the islands, ourselves included, seemed to be there at the same time, stocking up with food for the week. It was a bit like a supermarket sweep.

We arrived at our fabulous cottage in Dervaig, north of the island, early in the evening on the Saturday. We literally unloaded the car, decided which room we were each having and then started to prepare our dinner. As far as welcomes go, ours was pretty fabulous. There was a bottle of wine and locally made biscuits for us, courtesy of our hosts. Whilst we ate dinner, I happened to look outside and see a male Hen Harrier fly by, not that far away up the hill. Then later, whilst it was still fairly light, a Hedgehog was seen in the garden. I was sure we'd have a great week after such a good start.

One of the things I really love about being so far north in the summer, is the days are really long. On the flip side, we'd left the warm sunny days behind back home. Throughout the course of our week, the weather was noticeably colder, wetter and windier. But amazingly, even though the forecast was sometimes not great, it often was better than predicted or it would change quickly. I’ve never experienced such changeable weather in one day before. Rainy spells were frequent, but intermittent. There were just as many spells of sunshine. With so many mountains on the islands, there are quite a few micro climates, so if it was bad in one place, it was possibly better elsewhere. We did fairly well missing most of the rain and certainly didn't let it ruin our week.

Driving around the island was easy. Although the roads were narrow, they're generally in good condition with lots of regular passing places. Plus, unlike counties like Devon where the hedges are high and close to the road, there was mostly a lot of space to see what was ahead and to our sides. The main things to be wary of were the occasional rocks that were jutting out across the edge of the road and also some fairly big drops between the road and the gravel on the side. Of course, there were also animals to be mindful of. There were road signs warning about livestock crossing, but also for otters. I read on a flier, there are on average about a dozen otter deaths on the island's roads every year, which is really sad. To be honest, when you're on holiday, who wants to speed around? There were lots of wonderful views to admire. The island has a stunning coastline, plenty of towering mountains and undulating hills, waterfalls and picturesque lochs, and all of that can be seen from the road. I felt like a Sunday driver every day, pootling along and appreciating all the natural beauty around us.

Traffic jams only ever occurred when there were animals on the road. Even then, it never usually involved any more than four vehicles at most. There were many times we had to slow down or stop altogether for the geese, sheep or cows that were either crossing the road or walking alongside it. The latter was more concerning, since the roads were narrow. There wasn't a great deal of room for my car and a cow. When a bull crossed the road in front of us, we stopped completely. It was a massive beast. Taller than my car, I discovered, as he walked alongside us. I really wouldn't want to annoy him! The only other time we had to be patient was when we came across a calf or lamb suckling its mother in the middle of the road. The frantic wiggling of the lambs tail one time, was enough to make me smile. I was on holiday. I could wait! There was never any need to rush!

They were quite memoriable moments on the roads. There was another one that really sticks in my mind, but for different reasons. We had to wait about five minutes when a herd of sheep were being moved from one area to another. The farmer was by the vehicle in front of us. I think there must have been a dog doing the mustering as he stayed where he was. When the sheep were finally off the road, he climbed back into his truck, giving me an unexpected view of his thong. That was a surprise! It made me laugh so much. I guess you should never judge a book by its cover!

During the week, we enjoyed a few trips to picturesque Tobermory. We indulged in a little retail therapy at the craft shops, topped up with locally produced food and ate out at one of the many eateries. However, we avoided the place when the cruise ship was in port.

On our first day, we enjoyed a walk on the north east of the island. Soon after passing the standing stones (photo), we heard - then saw - two large birds of prey flying high in the near distance. They looked bigger than a Buzzard, so I took a few photos, even though they weren't especially close. I'd worry about the ID later. It turned out we saw our first Golden Eagles, which was pretty exciting, even if we didn't know it at the time!

I was also very happy that day to see a Hedgehog in the wild, in daylight. Another first for me. It was scurrying down a grassy path towards us. I'm sure it would have come very close if a horserider hadn't arrived just at that moment. The Hedgehog instinctively curled up into a spikey ball and only when it thought the coast was clear, did it open up and quickly head off into the dense vegetation.

There were also seabirds we could enjoy watching from the boat that day. Many were resting on the water until being disturbed by us appraoching. There were Puffins, Guilemots, Gannets and a large number of Manx Shearwaters (photo). They'd either dive down or fly off as we neared. I love watching them take off as they appear to run on water.

I've seen Manx Shearwaters before near Skomer Island in Wales. Apparently, their long narrow wings make them brilliant gliders. We have a very large number of them breeding in the UK - 80% of the total global population. They're actually on the UK Conservation Concern’s Amber list of at-risk species. This is mostly due to their nests being disturbed and potentially destroyed by invading rodents.

In the distance, I could see jets of water spurting upwards. I became all excited. I thought there was a whale up ahead, expelling water from its blow hole. But then I realised, it was actually the splashes from diving Gannets. This was equally exciting to witness. They look so impressive with their wings fully outstretched, just before they're about to dive down.

It was great to capture a few photos to show how they fold their wings back as they plummet towards the water. They can reach up to 60mph. It's amazing they don't break their necks! But, apparently, the vertebrae lock in place before entry to prevent that from happening.

We'd been told about a Dipper that could be seen on one of the rivers near Loch na Keal. I was eager to try and locate it, having only ever seen one once before, in Wales. My friend had never seen one and didn't know what they looked like. I started describing it to her. I didn't actually need to bother. We stood on the bridge and looked down to the river and there was one, perched on an exposed rock in the water. It was doing its characteristic bobbing up and down, for which it's named.

Although it was a bit dark for photographs with all the overhanging vegetation, it was lovely spending a short while taking some images of the Dipper. I was eager to return another time, only there was no sign of it. After all the rain, the water level was much higher and all the exposed rocks from before were now submerged.

Midweek, we had a second boat trip with Mull Charters to see White Tailed Eagles up close, departing from Ulva Ferry this time. It was definitely one of the highlights of our trip. It was a small photography group with only 6 people on board. It meant there was plenty of room to move about.

Although the eagles were our top priority, there were other birds sticking close to our boat, hopeful for any scraps and making for good photographic opportunities. I especially enjoyed capturing them flying overhead. I also picked up a few tips, such as telling the difference between the Lesser (photo) and Greater Black-Backed Gulls. The Lesser ones, as the name suggests, are smaller, but also have yellow legs and a lighter grey coloured back and wings.

I was thrilled to have two good sightings of a Snipe at one particular loch. I'd only ever seen this species twice before back home. They're normally pretty shy creatures, usually hiding amongst the reeds at the edges of ponds and lakes. So, to see one standing out in the open was surprising, but a dream come true.

We also saw lots of Highland Cows throughout the week. It was great when they were close to the road and easier to photograph. They really were very docile and relaxed, and definitely more interested in eating than exerting any energy chasing my friend and I. They're such an iconic native species to photograph.

It was great to finally get a nice close up view of some Oystercatchers by the shoreline, amongst the kelp. I see them along the beach at Worthing, but they always fly off whenever I'm close. They can see me coming. There isn't much there to hide behind. But up on Mull, when I wasn't using the car as a hide, I was able to hide behind a larger rock, and I went unnoticed. On this occasion I was waiting for an otter.

On our first day, the otters were very elusive and for hours we didn't have any success. We were fooled a few times by the occasional seal popping its head up out of the water inquisitively. Thankfully, as I've mentioned already, there were plenty of birds around the loch to interest us in the interim. I’ve been on enough trips and spent enough time out in nature to know that, with wildlife, there’s no guarantees of sightings. It was something Brian reiterated to us as we searched in vain. He was surprised it was proving so difficult and he was a little stressed. I wasn't worried though. I knew we'd see one eventually. I've said it before, when wildlife sightings are hard earned, they’re more rewarding. And we were rewarded eventually that day.

Just as the otter came into sight, but still a little distance from us, the heavens opened. I’m talking torrential downpour! It was so heavy, but only lasted barely five minutes. I tucked up as small as I could, trying to sheild my camera from the rain, hiding behind the rock. Having waited five hours to see an otter, I wasn’t going to retreat to the car now.

Once the rain stopped, I peered over the rock and positioned my camera on a beanbag and watched and photographed the animal as it porpoised through the water, diving for fish and coming up to eat. A few times it came ashore with its catch. There was a quick shake off of water and it’s fur was all fluffed up again. It was so fabulous to watch, even if it was at some distance away. With the telephoto lens it helped bring all the action a little closer to me.

The otter was seen defecating in the water, which Brian said he'd never seen before. It was another reason why he believed it was a juvenile otter. Usually otters spraint on rocks to mark their territory, which this one wasn't doing.

Things became even more interesting when another otter was seen approaching – a more dominant male. The youngster clambered over the rocks and looked very agitated. For good reason, the older otter would likely defend it’s territory. It wasn’t long before the second otter was also out of the water and the two of them were having a bit of rough and tumble in amongst the rocks. It was hard to see, let alone photograph. Then the youngster ran up to the grassy bank at the back of the rocks, with the older male in hot pursuit. They both disappeared into the tall grass and we didn’t see the juvenile otter again. It ran off. It was the dominant one that returned down to the shore and slipped back into the water and vanished. Having the opportunity to witness behaviour like that was brilliant and more than I’d hoped for.

My Otter experience on Mull was by far and away the highlight of the holiday. But, there was one more special surprise in store for me on my journey back home. A bonus wildlife sighting, when I visited WWT Martin Mere in Lancashire. A Stoatally Fantastic one! (You can read a full account of the experience by clicking on the link).

Before that day, I’d only had a few fleeting Stoat sightings and one distant encounter in very poor light. This time, not only was the light fairly good and the encounter a close one, but also, I saw a whole family of Stoats. It was a dream come true for me. I saw a mum and one kit scampering along the footpath first, and the kit was happily exploring within a few metres from where I was quietly sitting down. But later, I saw six Stoats running towards me along the path and soon after I was lucky enough to see many of the kits playing around. It was such an amazing experience!