May 12-26.
Great Skua over Staffa
We flew Philadelphia to Glasgow and took a 4 hour train ride to Oban, an attractive little port city on the west coast. The harbor, which opens out toward splendid views of the Inner Hebrides, sheltered Common and Herring Gulls, some Mallards, a single Eider, and a small flock of Black Guillemots. Clearly accustomed to the many passers-by on the walkway around the harbor, the guillemots could be quite confiding if you sat quietly: swimming up to preen or roost nearby or chasing each other around in love-play.
From Oban looking toward Kerrera and Mull
Tystie love play
Not many steps away from the the Guillemot's favored haunts was our favorite spot for a late morning café au lait--and you can see alcids and eiders from out the window!
Other birds in the Oban walking area included Whinchat, Meadow Pipit, Skylark, Robin, Wren, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Blue, Great and Coal Tits, and Hooded Crows .
After a couple of days in town, we took the 45 minute ferry ride across to Mull's Craignure and then the bus up to Tobermory, the island's main town. Bird-wise, first impressions were very positive: a White-tailed Eagle seen( from the bus!) winging over the loch and, near the bus stop in Tobermory, a Dipper in the fast moving stream that emptied into the harbor. The harbor held a single Black Guillemot as well as an anomaly among the more expected gulls:
Iceland Gull
Plumage as well as eye color (generally dark, but appearing somewhat light-irised in some photos) have me guessing that this a second-year bird. I do not know if spring-summer lingerers are unusual or not in the region. The stream also held Grey and Pied Wagtails and a Robin.
Near the stream were establishments designed for celebrating gulls or Dippers. "Terror of Tobermory" is quite good.
Tobermory's gardens and green spaces were adorned with what you might call the usual suspects, common-enough birds but a delight for me to see again. Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Siskins, Linnets, Wood Doves, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, and (heard) Willow Warblers.
Blue Tit
There are some good walks around the fringes of the town. Some led to fields and sheep and Skylarks, with Common Buzzard, Rooks and the occasional Raven overhead.
Especially pretty is a 40 minute trail north from the harbor. The loch is on one side, often hidden by the trees that grow on the steep slopes to the water's edge, and the path itself was bordered with a profusion of ferns, bluebells and other flowers. Tits, Bramblings, Chaffinches, Siskins, Blackbird, Robin and Song Thrush are all present.
Above photo by Heesun Newlin.
We also encountered a large Slow Worm--which looks like a snake but is actually a legless lizard--on the path.
The road ends at the lighthouse. There are good views to be had of the mainland across the straits. A Great Skua flew by in the distance, purposefully northwards.
Several Oystercatchers frequented this area. I also saw a Common Sandpiper, Ravens, a Meadow Pipit, some Goldfinches and a pair of Twites.
Tobermory:
Above photo by Heesun Newlin.
One evening we joined a small tour of Mull's more southerly wild spots led by Ewan Miles of Nature Scotland. Ewan was both personable and knowledgable--I especially learned a good deal about Mull's formative geology, which led me to start looking at the island's volcanic "bone structure" with new appreciation. And we saw otters!
One unforgettable sight was an otter (not the one pictured) swimming across open water, the Ross of Mull and Iona in the far distance behind it, and a Gannet winging right overhead. The trip also yielded Red Deer, rabbits, a Common Buzzard sitting nobly on a boulder, and a Short-eared Owl in the dim gloaming, and a Tawny Owl in the nearly full-dark. A great night out and kudos to Nature Scotland on a well-designed excursion.
We ended our visit to Mull with a stay in Craignure. Rainy weather prevailed but we got outside for a few walks nevertheless. Some of the paths were very pretty:
Our excellent Airbnb had a bird feeder in the back and a few favored staging trees:
Great Tit
Our last day on Mull saw us take a boat out to the small islands Staffa and Lunga. Staffa is famous for Fingal's Cave, architecturally formed out of beautifully structured basalt, and Lunga is known for its seabirds, especially Puffins.
The trip out featured some very good pelagic birding: Kittiwakes, a Manx Shearwater, Common Guillemots, Black Guillemots, Puffins, Great Skuas, Arctic and Common Terns, a White-tailed Sea Eagle ... also good views at dolphins and seals.
Atlantic Puffin
Staffa
Staffa
Staffa
Staffa also has a (much smaller) colony of Puffins, which were out on the water when we walked up the headland, and we saw a Great Skua, several Fulmars, a Peregrine Falcon, and some Common Guillemots and Razorbills. There was a lone Eider on the sea as well.
The voyage back provided splendid views of the mainland as well as encounters with some sociable dolphins and some only slightly curious seals. The next photo is from the boat, looking toward Ulva.
We caught the last ferry leaving Mull and were back (9 pm-ish) in Oban well before dark (around 10:30 I think) . The next morning I spent just a little more time with the Black Guillemot flock:
Next was a midday train to Glasgow. The birding part of the trip was essentially over, although we did see Jackdaws throughout, some Magpies in front of the very beautiful Glasgow Cathedral and a Treecreeper in a large Sycamore at the university.
To end the Scotland blog post, a Dunnock from Mull: it was great to see them again.
