20 to 27 May 2017 Scotland Trip

20th to 27th May 2017
Scotland
Brian, Graham and Harvey, my Cumbrian birding friends.


Just 2 days after returning from Poland I was off again - this time to Scotland with Brian and my Cumbrian friends Harvey and Graham.  Oh - and Jess, Harvey's dog!  We hired  Laga Lodge, a purpose built apartment by the shores of Loch Sunart on the magnificent Ardnamurchan Peninsula, within easy reach of the ferry to Mull.

• On my way up to Cumbria, I made two detours, one to RSPB Burton Mere, in Cheshire, to twitch the Buff-breasted Sandpiper that had just arrived that day and the other to Buttermere, in Cumbria, to twitch the Spotted Sandpiper that had been there for some time.

The weather early on in our trip was not conducive to birding, with overcast conditions and some rain.  Nevertheless, we made the most of the things and saw some good birds.

• Around our accommodation, there were good numbers of Wood Warbler and we saw and heard them at regular intervals.
• There were also Spotted Flycatchers to be seen around the apartment.
• We didn't have to wait long for our first sighting of White-tailed Eagle.  On Sunday, over the high ground west of our lodge, we stopped the minibus to watch one as it flew past us down the valley.  Our views were excellent.
• Ardnamurchan Point, the most westerly place on the British mainland, provided us with some excellent sea watching.  The shelter, adjacent to the lighthouse was our haven as we watched  Black Guillemots and other staples.  The highlight for me, however, was the steady flow of Manx Shearwaters passing close to us. 
• We managed to see Red-throated Divers and Great Northern Divers in superb summer plumage but we did not find any Black-throated Divers, despite our best efforts.

We visited Mull on two occasions, each time using the ferry from Kilchoan to Tobermory.  Thankfully we planned the visit to coincide with improved weather conditions.  The sun shone brilliantly for us on both days and we were rewarded with some stunning views of the eagles. 


On our first visit, we arrived too late for the first organised, Eagle Watch.  The next session was by prior booking only so we moved on  This proved to be to our advantage as we were to experience our own special viewings of these magnificent raptors.

• At Loch na Keal, we were directed to a Golden Eagle nesting site and soon had really cracking views of one perched on a branch near the nest.  We even had flight views, albeit very brief ones, as the bird moved to a position nearer the nest. 
• While we were enjoying this spectacle, a pair of White-tailed Eagles could be seen flying over the hilltops on the opposite side of the loch.  After a while, amazingly, these same 2 eagles flew down the loch, past us heading towards Loch Ba.
• The other notable sighting on this day was a superb Whinchat some 30 metres from our minibus and showing really well.
• On another visit, we were to get other views of the eagles, including a superb flight view of a Golden Eagle carrying prey and a perched White-tailed Eagle.
• On our last visit to Mull, we finished up on the A849, just south-west of Glen More, at the junction of 2 roads in a setting not too dissimilar to the bottom of the Findhorn Valley.  Here we saw 3 Hen Harriers, all ringtails.

Another excellent trip, this time with a modest species list of 90 but including the all-important eagles, our target species.

A most enjoyable experience with my fellow Cumbrians!

• On the way back to Sussex on Sunday I made a long detour to RSPB South Stack on Anglesey to add Puffin and Chough to my year list.  This was not a good idea - this reserve was inundated with bank-holiday visitors and it extended my journey distance from 380 miles to almost 600 miles.