Wednesday 26 May 2010

Magical Mull

SISKIN



RED DEER
CHAFFINCH
We have been going to the Isle of Mull for about five years now. It's never failed to charm, captivate and excite us and this year was no exception. We stayed once again in the lovely hamlet of Dervaig in a superb house situated about thirty feet from a large reedbed dissected by a small river and with views to the hills from the front and the head of Loch Cuin to the side. This of course makes it a fabulous spot to watch the birds and other wildlife almost twenty four hours a day as the nights hardly get further than dusk at this time of the year. Some of the more common visitors to the area were Siskins and Chaffinches (above), but more unusual was the Grasshopper Warbler (below) which 'reeled' in the bushes just in front of the house on our first evening and for several evenings after. The picture was taken at about nine in the evening so not too great but this was a first for me and i'm pleased to get any picture of one of these fascinating birds.



GRASSHOPPER WARBLER


Soon after the excitement of the Grasshopper Warbler we had one of many visits from Red Deer. The one below was a particularly fine example who was happy to let me take his picture from the balcony of the house not fifty feet away. Again the photo is not great due to the light, it was now about 10pm so I had to push the ISO on the camera very high.






OYSTERCATCHER


RINGED PLOVER

I think the Gull above is a Common Gull, she was sitting on eggs on a small rocky outcrop and wasn't too disturbed by us stopping to picture her.

HERRING GULL (I THINK)




Thankfully the weather was pretty kind to us so we were able to take a trip to the Treshnish Islands to the West of Mull. Heading out from the tiny port of Ulva our first stop was Staffa, home of Fingal's Cave and inspiration for Mendelssohn's Hebridean Overture I believe and the amazing basalt columns known as the Colonnade or Great Face.




Next stop after Staffa was the island of Lunga, home to thousands of sea birds including Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags and that most photogenic of birds the Puffin, which return to the islands from their winter home on the sea in March and April to breed in small burrows along the cliff edges. I took quite a few pictures here as you can see below. Well it would be rude not to really, wouldn't it!

Tomorrow, more sea birds, Seals, Otters and the magnificent Sea Eagles.




























4 comments:

Warren Baker said...

Nice photo's Phil. What a paradise!

Now get back to newhythe!

Ken. said...

Hi Phil.
I thought you and Carol was going to have a great time, going by what you told me about it before you went, and you certainly did. What a lovely place it is, and your accomodation is the sort of place one dreams of living.Well done with the Grasshopper Warbler.
I for one don't really want to see any more photo's from there, especially the Eagle's, because I am already green with envy :-)Just kidding.
I'm pleased you both had a lovely holiday..

Sharon said...

Looks like you had a fantastic break Phil - am so jealous of the Puffin photos! Can't wait to see the next batch of photos, especially Otter & Sea Eagles!

Greenie said...

Phil ,
As you say , a magical place .
Looking forward to next post and pictures .
Great Puffin shots .