A trip to see the eagles on Mull was arranged back in March with accommodation, ferries & White Tailed Eagle trip booked and with the weather not looking too bad we set off. A 5-30am start with Bob K driving, Kevin C, Steve B and myself on board with a very full boot headed up the M6. At Tebay services I was unfortunate enough to put vinegar in my coffee, mistaking the container for milk, it was a costly error. Passing through Glasgow, onto Dumbarton and stopping for a comfort break near Loch Lomond the weather was quite nice. As we neared Oban we turned off the main road and headed for Glasdrum N.R. to search for a very rare butterfly, the Chequered Skipper. The sun began to shine as we searched the area and it wasn`t long before Steve B found the first of many nice looking Chequered Skipper`s. A real joy to watch and photograph these dainty butterfly`s, also present were lots of Small Pearl Bordered Fritillarys. We all had a really nice hour trying to get some good pictures of the butterfly`s, including Kevin C with his new equipment! We pressed onto Oban and enjoyed fish & chips near the harbour. Our sailing time was 17-10hrs so we had to be on the quayside by 16-40hrs, we made this time easily and were told that the ship was sailing early? After a trip to the quayside office to talk to a most unapologetic lady, who told us that Everybody had been informed about the early sailing apart from the people stood in the queue alongside us, we were placed on the 19-40hrs sailing to Craignure, Mull. We all adjourned to the local Weatherspoons hostelry and enjoyed a few beers! We boarded the ferry and in 50 minutes we were on Mull heading for Duart Castle to possibly see Marsh Fritillary. The 2 hour delay getting to Mull cost us any chance of seeing the butterfly`s though. A Goshawk and Hen Harrier made up for the disappointment though. We finally reached our tented accommodation at 21-15hrs as the cold wind blew under the tent sides, so this is Glamping then. After an abortive attempt to light some form of fire we all went to bed. A trip to the toilet at 04-00hrs by myself and catching a glimpse of a freezing Steve B with a blanket around himself whilst stood up, stamping his feet to get warm just reminded of how cold it was!
29th May
The early morning comments about the overnight conditions cannot be printed here, but after a good breakfast of bacon & eggs and numerous cups of tea, we headed along to Ulva to meet our boatman Martin for the White Tailed Eagle trip. The driving conditions on Mull are a real joy with nearly all the roads being single track one`s so, a more leisurely approach to driving has to be made. Our boatman, Martin (originally from Burnley) has been organising these trips out for quite a few years now and understands the eagles requirements very well. As we headed out along the loch he pointed out 2 White Tailed Eagle`s, then threw a fish into the sea and within 20 seconds the eagle came and gathered it. The photo opportunitys had to be seized as it happened with the bird only 15 yards from our boat. It was fantastic! We headed out towards the open sea and saw lots of seabirds, seals and a couple of Otters. Another pair of White Tailed Eagle`s flew over us on the way back and more close encounters were had, quite stunning really! Back on dry land we headed for what Steve B described as A trip over the tops. It was typical Scottish highland with Ben More the centrepiece, we saw quite a few fellow birders around waiting for a sighting of Golden Eagle`s, we managed a distant bird, but later we were treated to two birds near their eyrie, now that was a real treat! We also managed to see 2 male & 1 female Hen Harrier along with a beautifully marked Whinchat that sat and posed for us. A cracking day`s birding finished off with a nice meal and a couple of pints in The Craignure Arms We all seemed to sleep better by all wearing woolly hats!!
30th May
A reasonable night`s sleep was followed by more bacon & eggs and numerous cups of tea, before heading out to catch the ferry to Iona at Fionnphort, which is situated at the extreme west of Mull. The drive from Craignure can take over an hour but we managed to stop at a few locations to enjoy Black Throated Diver, Siskin, and Hen Harriers on the way. The weather had turned a little wet by now which might have dampened our spirits as we wanted to see the Iris bed loving Corncrakes that breed on Iona. We first tried to see/ hear the Corncrakes behind the Fire Station on Iona as the rain lashed down without any success. Next stop was on the seaward side of the world famous Abbey on Iona (£9 to look around) guess what? Iris beds have been removed so, after searching around us, we noticed a sign telling us that this is the area where the Corncrakes breed. We began to explore this damp under/over foot area (complete with a few Iris beds) and were soon rewarded with at least 2 calling birds. Unfortunately we didn`t see any but the rain was getting to us all, so we adjourned to a welcoming café for some sustenance & tea. As the rain began to ease on the way back via Glen More we again called into admire the pair of eagles still present, what cracking bird Golden Eagles are. A family party of 5 Ravens were also noted wheeling about in their perfect habitat. We called into Grasspoint on our way back to Craignure and managed to see a Cuckoo perched on the wires above our car, talk about being close. At the end of the road a White Tailed Eagle was seen and on the way back a fairly young stag Red Deer gave brilliant views in the failing light. After checking the weather forecast for Friday we all decided that our best course of action was to head for home, we had all had enough of this Glamourous Camping for the time being. The trip to the pub for food and beer had us all in good spirits after a cracking break in Mull, seeing both eagle species native to Britain. Between us we managed to get the fire going by various Boy Scout methods back in the tent and Steve B decide to dry his socks out by placing them on top of the fire stove, luckily he managed to reach them as they began to smoulder causing the smoke alarm to wake us all up, talk about hot footing it!
31st May
After our standard breakfast the rain could be heard belting it down, tidying and packing our gear into the car began in earnest and we were soon away to catch the ferry back to Oban at 08-10hrs, thankfully no delays or re-scheduling taking place. We followed the reverse route towards home calling for a couple of breaks and it was still raining, only stopping around Lancaster as we hit the regular Friday afternoon traffic. We reached home around 18-00hrs. I must thank Bob K for doing all the driving and the rest of the crew for gelling as well as we did in what can only be described as poor accommodation.
Great report, we have been out with Martin before, great trip.
Must have passed you on the motorway, we are doing Ardnamurchan, Morvan, Mull for three weeks, already seen most species on your list, but can add a very unexpected American Black Duck at Strontian, Black/Red Throated Diver, Great Northern Diver and Pine Marten, there is a spot on Mull at Loch Don where we have had Marsh Fritillary before, so hoping to relocate if the weather holds.
