Mull 15-23/06/2018
08-15/06/2018 - Smithy House, Bampton Grange
15/06/2018 (Friday) - Drove to Arrochar - Ben Vane
16/06/2018 (Saturday) - Drove to Oban; ferry to Craignure on Mull and then on to our cottage at Pennyghael on the Ross of Mull.
17/06/2018 (Sunday) - Walk along the shore from Carsaig towards Lochbuie
18/06/2018 (Monday) - Iona
19/06/2018 (Tuesday) - Loch Ba
20/06/2018 (Wednesday) - Carsaig arches
21/06/2018 (Thursday) - Croggan and Lochbuie
22/06/2018 (Friday) - Tireragon Nature Reserve
23/06/2018 (Saturday) - Back to Oban and on to Killin
24/06/2018 (Sunday) - Ben Lawers
15/06/2018 (Friday) - Drove to Arrochar - Ben Vane
16/06/2018 (Saturday) - Drove to Oban; ferry to Craignure on Mull and then on to our cottage at Pennyghael on the Ross of Mull.
17/06/2018 (Sunday) - Walk along the shore from Carsaig towards Lochbuie
18/06/2018 (Monday) - Iona
19/06/2018 (Tuesday) - Loch Ba
20/06/2018 (Wednesday) - Carsaig arches
21/06/2018 (Thursday) - Croggan and Lochbuie
22/06/2018 (Friday) - Tireragon Nature Reserve
23/06/2018 (Saturday) - Back to Oban and on to Killin
24/06/2018 (Sunday) - Ben Lawers
Mull has the largest density of Golden and White-tailed Eagles in the UK - but we spent a week here without seeing either. In fact it was generally poor for birdwatching overall - we had a summer plumage Great Northern Diver at Carsaig, Black Guillemot in the harbour at Oban - and that's about all that's worthy of mention. We did have several sightings of Otter: on our first night at the Old Church one ran along the shore with a crab in its mouth just in front of us; we saw another one and then two together from the Old Church later in the week; we also saw one while having our picnic lunch at the far end of Loch Ba. Atlantic Grey Seals were seen on several days. The only cetacean was a Harbour Porpoise from the boat back to Oban. Red Deer were seen at Lochbuie and on the nature reserve (which is supposed to keep them out) at Tireragon - but only singles on both occasions. We did rather better for butterflies and moths - though the weather was not ideal (cool breezy nights). We saw many Dark Green Fritillary and a few Small Pearl-bordered Fritillaries; Transparent Burnet at Carsaig. I obtained ~100 species of moth in the traps 5 of which were new for me (Phyllonorycter klemanella, Coleotechnites piceaella, Ancylis badiana, Mompha raschkiella and Platyptilia isodactylus) - but the main target species "Grey" evaded me. I also nearly trod on an adder at Tireragon before it slithered away.