Friday 17th April

A bright and breezy day with occasional longer spells of very heavy showers.

Theo and group headed straight for the sea lochs. At the first stop we had great scope views of a pair of Golden Eagles, the male perched on a tree below the nest and the female incubating up above, he flew off and did a few passes of the hill face before heading off. Behind us an Adult WTE flushed all the gulls soaring over the side of the loch. Just as we were getting in the van an another adult WTE appeared from nowhere low overhead clearly hunting the coast and showed superbly giving great views! 2 superb summer plumage Slavonian Grebes were showing well in the scope offshore.

Before we could get to the next stop an immature WTE flew by and across the loch not too far away. Driving along the coast, Theo spotted an Otter on a spit shortly joined by a 2nd, parking up we watched the Mum and cub pair fishing offshore before making it to a small island where they enjoyed several fish and crabs. Several Great-Northern Divers and Black Guillemots around here.

The next coastal spot we saw an Adult WTE sat on her nest. Curlews, Redshank, Ringed Plovers and Turnstones here.

Onto more open moorland sadly the weather came in with torrential rain but we managed a glimpse of a male Hen Harrier, Red Deer, several Stonechat, an Irish Hare and a singing Grasshopper Warbler, the first on Mull this spring.

Back to the coast we watched a mother Otter and her small cub out fishing in open water before they made it to shore enjoyed there catches and snuck off into a little hollow just above the waterline, known as a couch. A large flock of Turnstone were here and a pair of Harbour seals were fighting splashing in the water along with a Grey Seal watching on from further back.

Final stop we had great view of a male Blackcap before the real surprise of the day as 6 Puffins flew up the Sound, presumably brought in by the recent bad weather.