Isle of Mull

 We left Oban to catch the ferry to Craignure on 13th September. The crossing was poor for birding because of the torrential rain. We drove the short distance to our accommodation at Ardnadrochet Cottage. The cottage was in an excellent location looking over Loch Don. The rain eased off a little & we saw a ringtail Hen Harrier & 3 Red Deer towards dusk.

The view from the garden.

The back of the house.

The walk went through beautiful woodlands.

Looking back into Loch Don.

The 14th September dawned bright & sunny, we set off to walk the road to Grasspoint. It was a lovely walk through some mixed woodland with nice views over grasslands & the distant loch. 

Birding at Grasspoint.

It is a very scenic area.

Hooded Crow is common here.

Grasspoint itself was a lovely spot, with good views both out to sea & into the mouth of the loch. We eventually saw an adult White-tailed Eagle, which gave good scope views but too distant for photographs. A juvenile Little Gull was a good find here. 

In the afternoon we drove along Glen More & stopped at the viewpoint for twenty minutes. Eventually we saw both Golden & White-tailed Eagles, but both were very distant.

Spectacular!

Dervaig.

The centre of the village.

Grey Lag Goose.

On 15th September we drove to Loch na Keal but it was dark & overcast & we quickly moved on. We made a brief stop at a local waterfall & then drove to Dervaig. The drive was very scenic but there were few birds, a distant Golden Eagle being the best.

The eccentric but wonderful Tobermory.

In the afternoon we drove to Tobermory & enjoyed a look around this interesting town. Delana had work to do so we returned home & I birded from the garden. A pair of White-tailed Eagles with a well grown immature bird sat in distant trees. But yet again too far for photos. We enjoyed prolonged views through the telescope though. A ringtail Hen Harrier was also seen. It was a very enjoyable afternoon in the garden with 37 species seen.

Looking across the loch from Craggan

A skein of 100 Pink-footed Goose.

This is what we came for!

Delana scanning for Otters.

And we eventually found one!

European Otter

16th September saw us driving to the extreme south east of the island around Croggan. This is quite a remote area & the scenery was spectacular. A hundred Pink-footed Geese flew high overhead, heading south. But best of all was an Otter on the loch. It wasn't very close but we had great views through the binoculars. 

Fallow Deer

Red Deer

We then drove to Loch Buie which was equally scenic, before heading home in the afternoon. We both enjoyed a lovely day out.

White tailed Eagle

At last! One came close enough for a photo!

These photos were taken from the garden.

Spent most of the afternoon birding in the garden. Saw two adult White-tailed Eagles, but only managed to photograph one individual.

Loch Beg.

We didn't see any this morning.

Whimbrel

Grey Heron

Oystercatcher

On 17th September we drove to Loch Beg & then the coastal road around Loch ne Keal. It was a beautiful day & the scenery was amazing. We saw around 20 Common Dolphins in the bay, but they were too far out for photos. 

Otter watching.

European Otter.

Found at a high density on Mull.

We also spotted an Otter which gave us great views.

Common Buzzard

Golden Eagle

On 18th September we drove up Glen Aros towards Dervaig. it was wonderful weather but we didn't see much until close to Dervaig, when a distant Golden Eagle showed over the ridge. It was a lovely day out though.

The Cairngorm Area

Unusual but very nice inside.

We arrived in Kingusie on 4th September & settled into our little cabin. It is tiny but well appointed & it has a fire which makes the nights cosy. 

Loch Ruthven

There are some lovely silver birch woodland here.

On the 5th September we drove to Loch Ruthven, one of the more reliable places to see Slavonian Grebe. We were a little worried that they might have left their breeding loch, but after a bit of searching we found an adult bird, but it was quite a distance away. It just had a few yellow tinges to its tufts left, otherwise it was in full winter plumage. We also had an Osprey complete with fish in its talons. It is a lovely area & it would have been nice to spend a little longer walking the birch woods.

Common Buzzard

Meadow Pipit

We then drove into the Findhorn Valley via the Farr Road. An interesting journey but we didn't see much apart from 3 Red Grouse exploding away on the moor & lower down 7 Common Crossbills flew over.

Spent the next couple of hours at the raptor viewpoint in the valley. It is quite a nice spot & we saw 2 Golden Eagle; 1 Red Kite; 8 Common Buzzard; 1 Peregrine & 5 Raven. Most birds were distant though.

Male Chaffinch

Female

Coal Tit

Adult Scottish Crossbill

Young bird with poorly developed bill.

We found ourselves at Loch Garten on 6th September, but everything was closed! We didn't see many birds but four Scottish Crossbills were very welcome, although they were high in the pines. It is a lovely area though but this time no sign of Red Squirrels.

Birding here does have

 its drawbacks!

River Spey.

European Robin

Signs of autumn.

We then moved on to the Abernethy Forest & walked along the track to Forest Lodge. Birding was quiet although we did find a few Crested Tits, although I didn't get any photos. It was a really nice walk & we enjoyed good weather.

Looking over Loch Morlich

Drove to the Cairngorm Car Park on the way home. Distant Golden Eagle spotted.

View from the lookout over the Insh Marshes.

Great Tit

Blue Tit

Young bird.

Red Admiral

Rook

We visited The RSPB Reserve of Insh Marshes on 8th September. The scenery is quite lovely as was the sunny weather. We went up to the lookout & then walked along one of the trails. The most surprising thing was the lack of birds, best being 3 Common Buzzards!

Part of a flock of 300 Barnacle Geese

that flew down the valley.

European Wolf.

Thinking about a re-introduction scheme in Scotland.

Forest Reindeer

Have already been introduced to the Cairngorms.

Visited the Highland Wildlife Park on 9th September & what a great place it is! Animals have lots of space, sometimes in very large enclosures. 

Our final day in this superb area was on the 10th September when we explored the woodlands around Glen Feshie. It was a cool & overcast day, birds were at a premium, but we did manage to see a male Capercaille. This species has really declined in this area & we were lucky to see one.