Central & North Mull on 20th May 2009

The weather was quite reasonable this day, and so, after an early start, we spent the whole day exploring the central and northern parts of Mull. As we left our cottage at Grass Point, there was a Common Buzzard on a telegraph pole beside the road - near to where the Cuckoo had been the previous day. A little further up the road were stragglers from a herd of young Red Deer.

Our first stop was to view the distant White-tailed Sea Eagle nest at Knockroy, on the north side of Loch Scridain. Unfortunately, at this distance, only vague 'record shots' were possible with my equipment.

Our next stop was by Beinn Bheag, on the south shores of Loch na Keal, where there is a Golden Eagle nest. One of the birds was in attendance, but this was even more distant than the WTSE nest, and so you have to look hard to see the bird in the centre of my 'record shot'!

We stopped for lunch at Tobermory and I took a couple of shots of Herring Gulls, before setting off to Dervaig. On the road from Dervaig to Achleck, where previously I have seen Red Grouse, we found Wheatear (not nearly as many seen as on previous visits at this time of year), Lapwing, and a confiding Mistle Thrush.

At Ballygown we found Eider (with young chicks) and Oystercatcher. We then continued to Kellan, where we spent a good half hour watching an Otter fishing and eating its catches. We were so engrossed by this that we almost missed the WTSE action going on behind us - again little more than 'record shots'.

.

Common Buzzard - Grass Point

.
Red Deer - Grass Point
.
White-tailed Sea Eagle - Knockroy
.

Golden Eagle (look hard!) - Beinn Bheag

.

Herring Gull - Tobermory

.

Wheatear - south of Dervaig

.

Lapwing - south of Dervaig

.

Mistle Thrush - south of Dervaig

.

Oystercatcher - Ballygown

.

Otter - Kellan

.

White-tailed Sea Eagle - Kellan