It’s May and we’re back on Mull, one of our favourite UK wildlife spots.  Last week, when we weren’t here, the weather was amazing, this week less so – 10c lower, a mixture of sun, light cloud and heavy rain so not brilliant for wildlife photography.  However, Mull is such an extraordinary beautiful place that we can forgive the weather and make the best of it.

On my very first morning I met an otter face to face.  I’d seen it at the water’s edge and I sat behind a rock to try for a decent picture.  Then I lost it.  It left the water and I had no idea where it went until it popped up right in front of me.  So I got my photo and it will appear on this post as soon as I get home.

We’re in a cottage by the side of Loch Na Keal called Kellan Mill Lodge and we’ve had siskin, yellowhammer, robin, great tit, chaffinch, pied wagtail and hooded crow in the garden, feeding on the seed and fat ball we brought from home.  The cottage is highly recommended, in a good location, warm, comfortable and well equipped.

We’ve seen buzzards, more otters, golden eagle and white tailed eagle and on our trip down the east coast we had great sightings of a hunting male hen harrier.  There are loads of cuckoos about and we managed to spot one on a wire at Devaig.  On the water and beaches are northern divers, red breasted mergansers, shelduck, oyster catchers, sandpipers, wheatear, rock pipits and a single Iceland gull with a flock of herring gulls and kittiwakes.

We are here with friends from California so we had to see puffins.  We managed a good weather day trip to Lunga on the Treshnish islands to see hundreds of puffins, razorbills and guillemots, shags, kittiwakes, fulmars, common and Atlantic grey seals. A must for anyone wanting a close up encounter with these amazing birds.

The other encounters of note are of the human variety.  Mull is awash with wildlife lovers who are invariably delighted to share their experiences and sightings and that makes the trip so much more fulfilling.  I think Mull will continue to be on our trip list for a few years to come.