Last Day on Mull

 Bit of a delay on this post due to having to go back to work 😢 and having to sort out loads of pics!! Our last full day on the Island, we decided, with a decent weather forecast, that we would re-visit all the hot spots we'd been to before in the hope of more success in better light, things started well with a White-tailed Eagle flying in off the sea at Salen and this time we were in good position!

Couple of Red-breasted Mergansers, one of the small regrets I've had on this holiday is not getting close enough to these for decent pics, saw loads but always distant

Curlew, these taking off in panic alerted me to the incoming Eagle

Greylag Geese also in panic mode

White-tailed Eagle, fantastic views of these to be had on Mull!

We headed to the spot on Lock Na Keal where we had previously seen the White-tailed Eagles in the tree. They wouldn't be there again would they? Yeah they would!! Whoop!!😂

White-tailed Eagle

The light was far nicer for Margie's scenery shots and it is amazing scenery

Margie's pic of a Grey Heron, the Egret invasion doesn't appear to have reached Mull as yet!

Raven

Oystercatcher that have appears to have caught some kind of non-oyster

Common Gull

Grey Heron

Last look at the Eagle

We headed around to the southern bank of the Loch on the way spotting a flock of Redwing and 7 Fallow Deer

Redwing, saw quite a few on our drives over the week

Fallow Deer, most of the Deer we saw around the place were Red Deer but we saw Fallow on a few occasions.

We reached the first pull-in on the Loch, this was the site of our first Eagle a few days ago, I scanned the mountain top, now pretty cloudless, there were seven birds soaring, "they can't all be Eagles" I thought to myself, however they were!!! Not sure what the name is for a Flock of Eagles, if it's not a "Magnificents of Eagles" it should be, I thought there were a couple of Goldies in the group, but the pics show most were White-tailed Eagles, though I didn't get a pic of all seven together!! They were very high up!!

Another amazing experience on Mull. We toured the Loch, stopping every now and then to scan the foreshore for Otters without much joy, though a Song Thrush entertained at one of the stops!

Another couple of Eagles

Oystercatchers

Curlew

Friendly Song Thrush

Some bright Seaweed from Margie

We continued on, our Otter luck changed!! Once again we bumped into a couple of guys staring at the rocks, turns out it was the same guys who'd spotted an Otter a couple of days ago and guess what they'd found another one today!! Hurrah!! One of the guys called Daniel, I think is basically the Otter whisperer of Mull. He took us down to the foreshore,  advising us on the wind direction, the quietness required and the best position to be in to get good views. We could hear an Otter calling and  eventually had great views, then we heard another Otter calling and the sound of the mother transferring food to the cub, we never actually saw this, but Daniel's translation of the Otterspeak we could hear was most illuminating!!   A few pics of the action below, but really it was the sounds we could hear that were amazing!

Played hard to get in the rocks for a while

Eventually showing quite well

Got all the angles covered

A cracking experience with fantastic creatures, a real privilege, massive thanks to Daniel for his excellent fieldcraft in getting us closer than we would have attempted ourselves!!

I was almost distracted from the Otters by a winter plumaged Black Guillemot that was in the proximity of the action!! 

Great Northern Diver, plenty of these about today

Black Guillemot, one of my favourite birds and I think I prefer this plumage, stunning!

We headed on. I was hoping to see some Twite, pretty much the only target we were missing from the trip, despite some potential sites suggested by Daniel, I couldn't find any😢 on the plus side we had more good views of the Barnacle Geese and a ringside seat as a shepherd moved his flock about using a couple of dogs, always amazed to see the control they have. 

Barnacle Geese

We continued around to Loch Scridain, stopping to scan at suitable locations, a few birds on the Loch, several Great Northern Divers, a few Red-throated Divers an Eider and at the far end  3 Whooper Swans!

Juvenile Eider, I think!

Great Northern Diver

Red-throated Diver

Action shot, this is about as active as I get

Four Great Northerns

Seal having a cruise at least 5 in the Loch

Red-throated Diver

Common Gull

Hooded Crow

Whooper Swans

Whilst watching a distant  GND, it suddenly starting flapping like mad and looking very panic stricken, suddenly an Otter popped up right next to it!!! Looked like it had made an attack on the bird, whether in an attempt to kill and eat it or having a bit of a laugh nipping it on the bum just for kicks😲😂 The Diver seemed ok afterwards and stayed in the area so maybe was just a wind up!! Sadly the pics I took were rubbish, too far away to make anything out, but interesting behaviour to watch!! The Otter showed well but always along the far bank which was a bit frustrating but considering the views we had already had, I wasn't that disappointed!

We headed back via Loch Ka Neal, another brief Otter view and a pair of Goosanders flying down the Loch. The best of the action as the Sun started to dip!

Male Goosander

Male and Female Goosander

Another Otter

Teal

Another great day, though no Hen Harriers, perhaps they only come out in gale force winds!! Eagles, Otters, Divers awesome stuff!!! Scenery not bad either!!