Last Nature Explorer of the season

Weather: a drizzly start eventually brightened into another calm, golden light day.

Theo and group started with great views of an Otter enroute to our first stop, fishing close to shore from the van before popping up onto a small rock for a preen.

Next the local WTE eventually flew into their usual perch in the spruce. Great-northern Divers, Slavonian Grebes and 2 Velvet Scoter were out in the loch.

Onto the next sea loch we had another more distant Otter out fishing, a few Seals, Black guillemot, a brief flyby WTE and a couple of scarcities in the form of a Black-throated Diver and a Long-tailed Duck. Back in the van and checking some shoreline there was Dipper! Likely forced out by the high water in the burns from recent rain.

2 Mandarin duck seen on Mull, not on this tour

On the drive round to lunch we had another WTE lift off some high ground and fly along the ridge and lovely views of Fallow Deer in the fields.

Over lunch, we watched a family of Otters, mum and 2 cubs out fishing and playing and a larger dog Otter hauled and went to sleep on a more distant island.

A quick toilet stop rewarded us with distant scope views of 2 perched up Golden Eagles on a rocky outcrop. Buzzards everywhere throughout the day.

Onto moorland habitat we had hundreds of Red Deer out on the grassland, hills and high ground. Over a cup of tea, a Golden Eagle was sat up in the sun on the hillside and a very distant Hen Harrier over the hills. 2 more Golden Eagles soared over more distant ridgelines and an Otter briefly appeared on the far side of the nearby loch before heading for shore. To finish the day we saw a couple of Greenshank, Kestrel and a Hen Harrier perched up on a fence post before quartering the grassland in golden light.

Into November, we move onto our winter tours over the next couple of months, as well as more 5 day trips on offer.