Mull trip episode 3; double-dose of Eagles

Every year, I always end up wishing I'd done 'just one more' White-tailed Eagle trip with Mull Charters. So, this time around, I'd booked up for a double dose, spending the full day on the Lady Jane for both the morning & afternoon session. 

The journey round from Pennyghael to Ulva Ferry is always a pleasant one. I tend to take the scenic route, which offers lots of possibilities to bag some sightings on the way round, passing as it does a range of different habits including high crags, moorland, marsh, broadleaf woodland, wildflower meadows and of course, the clear waters of Loch na Keil. This time was no exception, with Fallow Deer near Gruline and a large flock of Rock Doves on the crags. Always interesting to see non-feral pigeons. I also spotted several otters on my way around the Loch, as well as the usual Sanderlings, Oystercatchers & Geese.

Fallow Deer

One of the great things about this trip is how close the Eagles come to the boat. As anyone who knows me will testify, it's hard to prise my beloved 500mm out of my grip, but even I'll concede that it is just far too large for this occassion (well, unless I'm after extreme close ups of beak & talons only!). I normally use my 300mm with good results, but I've also been known to use a 200mm too, coupled with my 1DX and/or 1D4.

The morning session was great - nice to revisit my old friends, the pair of Eagles nesting in the pines towards the river outlet. The chicks were obviously clamouring for their lunch, since both birds met us well down the Loch, long before we got anywhere close to the nest site. You can really see the size difference when both birds are in the air together - the huge females make the males look positively puny by comparison! Both birds fished well, and we had 4 passes.

Pair from the 'Wilderness'

On the way back to Ulva Ferry, we passed through the Seal colony & as it was low-tide, had great views of lots of Common Seals & pups hauled out on the reef. It was interesting to get a good look at how much variation there is in their colouration, with some being very rufus, others more buff & creamy, and some very dapple grey. There was also one solitary Grey Seal, plus Cormorants, Black Gulliemots and assorted gulls - including one adult Icelandic Gull. We also heard & got a glimpse of a cuckoo on one of the skerries.

Common Seal

Common Seal - looking pregnant

Grey Seal

Shags

The afternoon session was a return visit to the second pair of Eagles nesting on the crags in the Wilderness. Again, both birds flapped out to meet us well before we got near their usual fishing area. Although both birds came out, only the female fished today; the male seemed content with supervising! After a couple of passes, we moored up for a coffee and a quick spot of pollock fishing, further along the loch to let the birds have a bit of peice with their catch. There were several Gannets fishing further out, as well as the usual assortment of gulls. After a final pass from the Eagles, we headed back to Ulva feeling very satisfied. Although the route again passed through the seal colony, by now the tide was high & there were a lot fewer seals present. 

 

 

All in all, a fantastic day... although I have to admit, I am still thinking that maybe just one more trip wouldn't go amiss!