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Charles Kinsey travelled on our 'Islay & Mull ... In Style!' holiday and submitted this entry to our writing competition.
White-tailed Eagle
Islay & Mull in Style!
The rain battered my window in the hotel on Islay as I switched on the TV to watch the forecast. What would the weather be like for our next two days on Mull? The rain had made wildlife watching difficult during the last two days on the Isle of Islay and I was really looking forward to seeing Otters and eagles on the Isle of Mull. We really did need fine weather to have any chance of seeing these iconic species and, in early November in the Hebrides, any day with a reasonable amount of sunshine would have to be considered as a bonus.
I need not have worried because the forecast for the Monday, our first full day, was spectacular – sunny with no wind and not too cold! The day started with a pleasant pre-breakfast walk to the end of the (long) drive up to our hotel from the Loch. Though the wildlife seen was not spectacular, the light was superb for landscape photography and Loch Scridain looked so peaceful. The day had certainly started as the forecast had predicted and, amazingly, remained so for the whole of the day. As we set off in the van after breakfast, hopes were high for observing both species of eagle as well as Otters. After a few days of quite stormy weather and in such excellent conditions today, surely all the predators would be out and about looking for a meal!
Yet up until midday, except for couple of Buzzard sightings, predators were nowhere to be seen. Then, as often seems to happen with wildlife holidays, after a slow start, it all started happening. As we made our way over the pass towards Loch Na Keal, Peter, our guide spotted a Golden Eagle soaring over the top of a ridge. Then there were two and then three and, could it be, there was a White-tailed Eagle up there as well? It was not too difficult to keep a telescope focused on the family of eagles as they enjoyed their aerobatics. I even managed to get a photograph of one of them as it swept over the top of a small group of Red Deer hinds who were feeding on the crest of the ridge.
They gradually became more difficult to see so we decided to move on. Coming down the hill towards Loch Na Keal, the excellent visibility allowed us to enjoy stunning views of the distant Treshnish Islands as well as the isles of Staffa and Iona.
As we came down to the side of the loch, all eyes were looking left, scanning the seaweed and areas just offshore. To start with, there were no Otters – just lots of otter-shaped rocks! Most of the time, the road round the loch is close to the shore and our van acted as an effective mobile hide so it was not too long before we spotted our first otter of the day - swimming and diving just a few metres from the shore, bringing up fish from below and vigorously devouring them on the surface. This was the first of no less than three great Otter sightings during the day. We then spotted a very distant White-tailed Eagle perched on a branch right across the other side of the loch. We decided to drive round. Stopping briefly to watch some Fallow Deer in a field at the end of the loch, we were relieved to see that the eagle was still there when we drew up. Telescopes gave us a good view of this magnificent bird - a youngster soon to experience its first winter. Then, driving up this side of the loch, Peter spotted another Otter just relaxing on a rock. We were able to get out of the van quietly and watch him as he swam back and forth seemingly just engaged in fishing and taking little notice of us, provided that we kept a low profile. He did briefly climb back on to the seaweed-covered rock - just long enough to secure a reasonable photograph and certainly the best shot I have ever managed of a British Otter.
The sun was sinking fast but, before we retraced our steps, another White-tailed Eagle flew right over us and then, not far from our first sighting of the day, we saw a female Otter and two youngsters moving rapidly along the side of the loch and playing with each other as they swam. The light had almost gone when we lost sight of them so we returned to the hotel in a great frame of mind after a day which could not have disappointed anyone. Wildlife-watching in the UK does not get better than we had experienced on that marvellous Monday.
Read more about our 'Islay & Mull ... In Style!' holiday.