Wednesday 25th June - The fastest animal in the world and the return of Klay

Klay is back on the Isle of Mull, and he had a fantastic start with a Mull Nature Explorer tour today. The day began with a white-tailed eagle perched on top of a pine tree, surveying its territory. As the tour moved around the loch at low tide, rocks appeared in the middle of the lochs, providing a great opportunity to see white-tailed eagles perched on them before they hunt for fish. The guests were very lucky to see both an otter and a white-tailed eagle on the same large rock, which was incredible. All the guests managed to get great views and could not believe what they were seeing.

Continuing in the van, the tour reached a golden eagle nest. There was a great display of two adult birds soaring above the cliffs, and through the scope, you could see a small juvenile bird perched on the nest. As if this wasn't enough, seven common dolphins passed by in the sea loch behind the nest all at the same time. No one knew where to look at this point.

The next stop was a white-tailed eagle nest, where two stunning parents were in the area. Today was turning into an absolute eagle fest on Klay's first day back; it was like he had never been gone. Then, another otter was spotted hunting in the swash, making it two otters for the day. Because of how incredible the eagles and otters were this morning, the tour shifted their attention to the grassland and rolling hills to try to find short-eared owls and hen harriers.

Ewan’s photo of a short eared owl

As quick as a flash, a surprise appeared—the fastest animal in the world flew past the guests with some wader prey: the peregrine falcon! A very rare breeder on Mull, there are said to be only three pairs. Most people are used to seeing them on cathedrals and skyscrapers, so it was amazing to see them in these dramatic mountainous landscapes. This was definitely the highlight of the tour, given how rare a sight they are on Mull.

Moving to the grassland area, everything just seemed to be going right today. The luck continued with both a short-eared owl and a ringtail hen harrier quartering low over the grassland, giving wonderful views for everyone to see. To wrap up a fantastic day, there was a small herd of red deer stags, still in velvet at this time of year. The guests got some brilliant pictures, and it was a wonderful way to finish the tour and a great way to welcome Klay back.

Short eared owl feather