Otter families day out

Weather: Light breeze and mostly overcast with occasional light rain.

Both groups started with the local pair of White-tailed Eagles before watching a pod of Common Dolphins unusually high up a sea loch, an indicator of the huge amount of food that's around for the marine mammals lately. A Golden Eagle was perched in dead tree on the hillside and 2 Kestrels over the ridge above. We then watched a pair of adult WTE's on an offshore island before an Otter and her tiny cub appeared fishing not too far from the islands. They eventually bought a larger fish ashore giving good scope views. Out of the corner of our eyes we spotted movement below and a female Otter and her 2 cubs appeared fishing in the bay just along from us. They gave great views fishing, bringing lots of prey ashore and rolling and running around on the shoreline. Both species of Seal also around in the loch and on the rocks.

The rest of Klay's afternoon consisted of another WTE and Golden Eagle sightings, another Otter out fishing and a huge pod of Common Dolphins with seabirds feeding in with them including Gannets. On the way back they also saw a Dipper, a species we see surprisingly infrequently on our day tours.

Theo headed towards more moorland areas of the island and saw a large herd of Red Deer mostly lying down and resting before a Sparrowhawk, a Kestrel, a Buzzard and a ringtail Hen Harrier appeared over the near ridgeline!

Turning away from our binoculars, Mull's currently celebrity the Hoopoe, flew by and landed at its favoured roadside feeding areas and showed fantastically getting flushed occasionally by passing cars.

Further down we watched another Ringtail and a male Hen Harrier and a WTE flew over the distant skyline. Onto the next stop yet more Hen Harrier action with 2 more ringtails and another male and 2 distant and brief Golden Eagles plus 2 flocks of Fieldfares whizzing around the peaks probably grounded on migration. Another male Hen Harrier this time a closer view was the best of the next stop.

We finally called in at a coastal area seeing a few Bar-tailed Godwits and other waders Theo spotted a pile of Otter sleeping on an offshore island, a mum and 2 cubs dozing away before they played and rolled around together for a while, a good way to finish.

Other species: Grey wagtail, Great-northern Diver, Red-breasted Merganser.