Other Mull Highlights

There's so much to see on and around the Isle of Mull and I was so glad that Bob and I had two weeks to make the most of our time there. I've already written about some of the main wonderful experiences we had - Duart Castle, Iona, Lunga and Staffa, and Otterly Fabulous - but, there was so much more I could have shared. Unfortunately though, that would simply take too long. So, in this post I wanted to share some of the other highlights from our trip.

WEEK 1

During the first half of our stay we were based in Dervaig. We had several trips in to Tobermory, partly because it was the closest place for us to buy any supplies we needed, but also so we could enjoy sauntering around the pretty harbour. The weather was very changeable the whole holiday, so I was grateful we had at least one sunny morning in the town, when the tide was in. The colourful row of buildings look so bright and cheerful. I don't seem to tire of this view. It makes me smile!

From Dervaig we had great access to the areas not only east and west of us, but also to the south. The island is small enough to easily enjoy spending a day in the lower half, which we did on our first otter experience with Brian. On our way back, we drove along the western side of the island passing lots of dramatic and beautiful scenery, like this point in the Glen More area, Loch an Eilein and Loch an Ellen.

We also loved staying at the cottage and enjoying what was on our doorstep, quite literally. It was a fabulous cottage, with a large window that overlooked the reedbeds by the river and the forest and hills beyond. There was a lot of bird activity for us to enjoy every day, including an active pair of Great Tits that were coming and going frequently to a nest that was beneath a concrete slab just outside the window. Then one day, we spotted a fledgling, then another and another. We must have seen at least four as they took it in turns to venture out into the world. Oh, the joys of spring!

Of course, a blog about the Isle of Mull is not complete if there isn't at least one photo of a Highland Cow! We saw these on our walk on the Glengorm Estate. We also saw a pair of White Tailed Eagles soaring in the sky, then one gradually flew down and along the river on the hunt for food. We saw it dip down, only it wasn't a fish, but an unsuspecting seal that seemed quite perturbed by the sudden plunging eagle. Needless to say, the eagle flew off empty handed. We had a fabulous walk, even though we did have to take shelter from the rain a few times. The only disappointment I had was the fact the cafe was closed that day! They sell really good cakes!

Last year, when visiting the island for the first time, I was chatting to a couple on the ferry who were frequent visitors to the island. They shared some great tips on places to visit. One such recommendation was Langamull Beach. I didn't have time to explore it then, but did with Bob this time around. What a gem!

We parked in the car park on the side of the road at precisely the time the heavens opened. It was suddenly chucking it down. We even had hail! We sat tight and waited for it to pass, which thankfully it did within about 20 minutes. It was a very windy day, so the weather changed quickly and frequently throughout the walk.

We hardly passed a soul along the way or down at the beach - probably only partly because of the weather. When we reached the sand, we found a few Ringed Plover wading along the water's edge looking for any tasty treats they could find in the sand. I was able to lie down low on the other side of the water to watch it.

There was also one solitary Dunlin that we saw and a couple of Oystercatchers. We whiled away quite a bit of time watching and photographing them. I stayed low or hidden behind rocks as much as possible, so as not to disturb them, sometimes waiting quite a while for them to walk my way.

The bay was very picturesque and the water looked inviting, when the sun was out. But, I had no intention of going in for a swim on this cool windy day. It takes a lot to get me in the water even down in Worthing on the south coast of England!

Springtime is such a wonderful time for spotting birds, especially fledglings. Throughout our time on the island, we were treated to lots of wonderful encounters. I saw more fledglings on this trip than I've ever seen before in one spring. On the grassy area behind the beach we'd seen a Wheatear and later, on our walk back, we managed to spot a couple of Wheatear fledglings, still looking quite fluffy. On another day, I saw more of the same species on the beach around Loch na Keal (second photo).

It was probably a pair of Whinchats that stole my heart on that day coming back from Langamull Beach. It was the male we saw first, very close to the path, posing beautifully on the ferns. With an insect in its beak, it was clearly on its way to feeding some young hiding in a nest nearby. This is a species I've only seen possibly once before, so I was thrilled to have this fairly close encounter.

We stayed in the vicinity for quite some time making the most of the wonderful opportunity. Then we spotted the female, further away and lower down the bank. The markings on her head and wings weren't quite so dark, so it made it a little easier to distinguish between them.

Despite it being so windy, I attempted to take a few short videos, since they were coming and going fairly frequently from the nest, perching on small branches. I was just watching the male, when the female flew into the frame. Lovely.

Not much further along the track we spotted a male Stonechat, looking equally handsome. This is a species I've seen a lot of, but never get bored with. We turned the corner and then we noticed a small group of juveniles. At first a few were on an old tree stump, but then they moved into a nearby tree. It's lovely when you're lucky enough to see a small family group like this, watching how they interact and stay close together.

There were perhaps two things we were disappointed about on the holiday. The first was that we didn't see a Golden Eagle. The second, was that sadly our boat trip to photograph the White Tailed Eagles was cancelled. Surprisingly, it wasn't on account of the weather, which was certainly a consideration with all the strong winds. It was actually a technical problem that meant the boat couldn't go out for several days. This isn't something that happens often, so we were just unlucky. The following week the boat trips were fully booked, so we couldn't get on to another. They did try to put on another trip for us, but the weather prevented it from happening. Oh well! Such is life! Hopefully, we'll have another opportunity to photograph these impressive birds diving for fish in the future sometime.

On the morning we were due to go out in the boat, we were sitting in front of the large window eating our breakfast, when all of a sudden a White Tailed Eagle flew overhead, not very high above us. It totally took us by surprise! Amazing! It headed directly towards the forest on the far side of the river. What a treat! We didn't have to be on a boat to appreciate this amazing species that is recovering so well on Mull, due to long term conservation efforts. Since the boat trip wasn't happening, we decided to spend the day looking for White Tailed Eagles at Loch na Keal, which I knew was a good place to see them. As we drove around the corner and followed the road along the north side of the loch, the view was very dramatic and impressive.

There was quite a bit of time not seeing much, waiting for an appearance of these massive birds of prey. But, our patience was rewarded eventually. Some of our sightings were quite far away, as the eagles sit in the tops of the trees. But, every now and then, one would fly past nearby. You had to keep looking in all directions or you might miss seeing one. In fact, there was a small group of people all looking at this bird in the tree (photo), they didn't notice another one flying overhead until I called out.

Throughout the day, we spent quite a bit of time photographing and watching the birds by the water, which was when we spotted the juvenile Wheatears (earlier photo). As usual, there were also Oystercatchers, Hooded Crows and I even saw a pair of Common Sandpipers mating. It was over very quickly. They weren't especially close and they were partially hidden by a rock, so the photo wasn't worth posting! Further out into the loch, Bob spotted a Black Guillemot, and there was also a Gannet flying around and diving lots. So, there was plenty to keep us entertained.

Capturing birds on the move can be a challenge, though larger birds are a lot easier than small ones like this Blue Tit. There was a nest inside this tree, so it was seen fairly frequently. The bird was so fast! Trying to capture it flying in was pointless, but anticipating when it would emerge and fly off was a fraction easier.

Not far from the loch, we went in search of dippers (European Dipper). I'd seen an adult in the same area the year before. This time, there was no sign of an adult, but we did see a juvenile. It hasn't developed the characteristic chestnut brown band across the underside and its throat and chest aren't completely white yet. It has a very striking white eyelid, which you can see in the second photo.

You can see why it's called a Dipper.

Before we headed south to our cottage in Pennyghael, we had time to go for a short walk. We decided to follow the cliff path from Tobermory along to the lighthouse. It was fairly sheltered much of the way, which was just as well as it rained some of that time. It was lovely to see a few more woodland birds and more juveniles flying around in small family flocks. There were lots of Chaffinch around, sometimes on the ground and in puddles. I was really lucky to be able to capture this moment when an adult male came in to feed a youngster.

WEEK 2

All our accommodation during our holiday was fabulous for different reasons. I liked our cottage in Pennyghael because it had loads of character and charm. Plus it's position was so good, nestled next to the old stone bridge.

We spent quite a bit of time sitting on 'our' bench admiring the view and when the tide was low, we'd go wondering along the beaches and bays exploring.

One time, I spotted this Golden Ringed Dragonfly just resting on a blade of grass. I don't know how I spotted it! It was just luck that we passed by quite close and that I was paying attention.

Later, when we were walking back along the road towards our cottage, I spotted a Puffin hiding in the grass. I was totally surprised to see it there. It was quite out of place and not where you'd expect to see a Puffin. It soon became apparent why. There was definitely something wrong with it. We kept our distance, just in case it was suffering from Bird Flu. Later on, we found out there was someone living quite nearby who we could report it to. But when we were walked to their house, passing the spot where we'd seen the puffin, it was gone. Having looked up the signs and symptoms, it looks like this poor little bird was actually suffering from Avian Pox, because of the growths around the eye and base of the beak.

Whilst out with Brian on our second day, we had plenty of time to appreciate the other wildlife we could spot after our early morning otter encounter. Using his car as a hide worked well and we were able to get reasonably close to some lovely birds, including a Curlew, Common Snipe and Grey Heron.

A few days later, we decided to get up really early again to see if we could spot any otters around the loch. Although we didn't have success, I really enjoyed being up that early when no one else was on the road - that is, other than some Highland Cows!

The birds were also up and about. It was wonderful to have even more views of fledglings, including this fluffy looking Grey Wagtail.

 We kept passing this lovely stone bridge near Loch Beg on our way back to the cottage. So, one time we actually stopped for a short walk and enjoyed the peace and calm.

Sometimes, we didn't even need to walk far from our cottage to enjoy the wildlife. The river right beside where we were staying seemed to be home to a pair of Ringed Plovers and Common Sandpipers. For the most part, they seemed to keep to themselves and co-exist happily.

Towards the end of our week, some Common Sandpiper fledglings emerged from their nest and were seen exploring the riverbed at low tide.  It was wonderful to see them. It wasn't the first time for this species on the holiday. At the end of our first day with Brian, we'd been photographing a few very young fledglings on the beach after spotting the otter (top photo). But these ones were older. Whilst I was watching one, a Ringed Plover started harrassing it, nipping at it, I think. I couldn't see clearly. Very quickly, one of the adult sandpipers flew to its aid and there was quite a bit of noise and wing flapping. Several times the little one tried to scurry away. It's wings weren't strong enough to fly far. It happened a few times as it didn't move far enough away at first.

In the photo below, I was focusing on the adult sandpiper as I couldn't see the fledgling. But, it suddenly appeared, trying to fly away. You can see how tiny it is in comparison to the Ringed Plover that's right behind it, with its wings extended out. The little one did eventually make it to safety.

In the evenings at the cottage, we'd keep an eye on the weather, hoping for some dramatic skies. I'd also sit in the window seat upstairs before bedtime and enjoy looking out. It really was a very idyllic spot.

Sadly, we did have to leave the Isle of Mull eventually and start our journey south. At least we still had a few more days to enjoy in Cumbria as well, to break up the journey and extend our holiday that little bit more. I was glad we did. I already mentioned in my previous post that we had a lovely otter sighting on our final morning on the island, which was the perfect end to our stay. We both thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and I could easily have stayed longer! I'm sure I'll go back again in the future. There were so many wonderful highlights and I haven't even mentioned them all!

The next post in the series is Cumbria Highlights.