Twelve members of the club spent a superb week on the Isle of Mull in May. A full report will appear in the Bird Club Newsletter in due course but here is a short summary. We stayed in self-catering accommodation at Salen Pier House - a superb location right on the coast overlooking the Sound of Mull. The house itself was very comfortable and well equipped and the twelve of us and all our kit had plenty of room.


From the living room window, conservatory and balcony we were able to watch a wide variety of wildlife, often at quite close quarters. Birds included:
Gannet, Great Northern Diver, Red-breasted Merganser, Eider, Black Guillemot, Common Sandpiper, Curlew, Hooded Crow and Rock Pipit.
Mammals:
Otter - up to 3 seen every day; Harbour Porpoise - 3 seen close in on one day; Common Seal and Irish (Mountain) Hare.


We also ran a moth trap and recorded some good moths:
Puss Moth, Yellow-ringed Carpet, Pebble Prominent, Narrow-winged Pug.

Close by on the hillside behind Salen we watched two White-tailed Eagles being mobbed by a pair of Buzzards. The eagles settled in a conifer on the corner of a plantation and we were able to get good telescope views. The deciduous woodland on the northern edge of Salen held singing Wood Warbler and we watched a couple of immature Ravens calling from a tree just above our heads. On a smaller scale, the ground beetle, Carabus granulatus provided macrophoto opportunities as it wrestled with a slug by the side of the path. About a mile up the road, the bridge at Aros made a good place to watch a pair of Spotted Flycatchers hawking insects over the water.

Out and about round the island we managed to see most of the wildlife we hoped for. A day over on the Isle of Iona was spent searching for Corncrakes. We heard a lot but seeing them was much more tricky. Eventually we had glimpses of them in an iris bed behind the fire station and a couple of the group had excellent views of two males fighting briefly.

The road to Fionnphort, where we caught the Iona ferry, crosses a wild mountainous area and here we saw Golden Eagle, Peregrine and Merlin. On the return trip we took the scenic route back to Salen and were able to watch from the roadside a pair of White-tailed Eagles in a forestry plantation. We also saw a single Black-tailed Godwit on the shore - an unusual bird for Mull.

On another day we drove up to the North-West of the island to sea-watch from Caliach Point. Although there was a strong wind blowing in a few showers, we had excellent views of seabirds. A lone Great Skua was sitting on the sea and later flew past us. A large feeding flock of seabirds just off-shore contained many Manx Shearwaters, Kittiwakes and Razorbills as well as a few Guillemots, Black Guillemots and a single Puffin. Fulmars, Shags and gulls were regularly passing by.


On the South Coast at Uisken we had a large party of Whimbrel on the beach, many Manx Shearwaters offshore. There was also a pod of dolphins, probably Bottle-nosed Dolphins, seen briefly just off the small islands in the bay.

At the Northern end of Loch Frisa we watched for Hen Harriers and had a brief view. A Cuckoo sat on a telegraph pole singing and showing itself very well. Better views of Hen Harrier were gained on the Dervaig - Glen Aros road, where three White-tailed Eagles were seen at one point. Also Golden Eagle and Raven were noted in this area.

A visit to Tobermory produced excellent views of Dipper as a pair were feeding young under the bridge next to the distillery. At nearby Aros Park Wood Warbler was showing well.
  
This was a very enjoyable trip. Mull has a wide variety of habitats and beautiful scenery which are accessible to wildlife enthusiasts. I strongly recommend it and Salen Pier House as a base.