Keep your eyes on the sky.

Thursday started well with the previous days low cloud and rain just starting to clear and two WT Eagle opposite the shop.

The trip down to pick up the guests produced a couple of good sightings with a Stoat crossing the road and a Merlin dashing in front of the motor too. We started the tour in fine form with 6 Mountain Hare dashing about, a couple of Redshank, a lone Peregrine surveying the land, Snipe, Fulmar, Red-throated Diver and a flock of Twite.

The next stop continued in the same vein with cracking views of Wheatear, Rock Pipit and Willow Warbler before we picked up the first of 10 Golden Eagles! The first Goldie was viewed in the distance, cruising a ridge before it changed tact and started displaying. As a rule they don't display for nothing so a scan around was worth a go - a distant juv WT Eagle was picked up. We drove further up the road to try for a better view and as we tried to relocate the WT Eagle a closer eagle was picked up...this time it was a juv Golden Eagle - stunning!

Yellowhammer can be a difficult bird to find so a singing bird sitting on the fence was a nice find before we had lunch. The warmer weather is certainly bringing the trees into leaf and also a few more flowers appearing - Wood Anemone are out in force now.

The flowers had to take a back seat as another Golden Eagle put in an appearance. This bird made a beeline for us and then started displaying above us - I wonder if he was trying to see us off!

We found a nice Adder that was well photographed but not by me - I'd left my camera behind! We had a superb sighting of 3 Otters after lunch with the 2 cubs putting on a real display as they splashed around in the water and chased each other across the rocks. We did a bit more flower stuff to calm things down with a good display of Dog Violet...

...with Wood Sorrel.

A Great Northern Diver showed well just offshore from where we photographed the flowers so the idea of trying to calm things down wasn't working.

Next stop was the WT Eagle nest - good views of the bird sitting but another distraction was fast approaching. We heard a Raven in full attack mode, not a happy bird at all. I looked up to find two Golden Eagle circling only to find the guests looking in a different direction saying the same thing - four Golden Eagle in the same air space!! I managed to get two of the Goldies in one photo.

We did mange to get another Otter on the return journey but best of all was this Grey Heron doing the right thing and keeping it's eye on the sky - you never know what's up there!!

As if by magic.

After the weekend trip away it was straight back to a tour on Monday. As I arrived to pick up the guests for the day the heavens opened so we hung on until we could see the end of the shower. It was a cracking day after that with plenty of good sightings along the way. The best of the mornings sightings included Ringed Plover, Redshank displaying and mating, 4 Mountain Hare including a white one, stunning Yellowhammer views and a displaying Golden Eagle. The showers continued to push through but we still managed to stay dry. The damp conditions were probably to blame for the absence of Adders but we did find a Slow Worm. We found two Otters asleep on a seaweed covered rock but they soon woke up and headed into the choppy water. It was good to see how difficult it was to track of them in the sea and realise how lucky we'd been to pick them up on land. Plenty of small birds were seen through the day too but the camera never came out until we located another Otter and there was a Stonechat...

...and a Wheatear...

...parading around in front of us. You can guess where most of the attention was being directed but these colourful birds were appreciated. The WT Eagle was sitting tight on the nest but there was no sign of the other adult bird despite a bit of waiting around. Most of the Red deer stags have dropped their antlers now but the new ones are growing already. They look a bit strange without the head gear but you can see the growing points on this one.

Tuesday had a lot more showers but a bit less wind. Different day, different guests and different sightings but what a day we had! We bagged two Otters before everyone was on board but that happens sometimes. With everyone on board we started with the WT Eagle, again, it was just the bird on the nest so we moved on to Golden Eagle instead. A Raven flying around almost caused a stir but it wasn't too long before a Golden Eagle appeared and dropped into the nest - good views! As the birds changed over the departing bird put on a tremendous roller-coaster display before heading off - absolutely awesome! We headed back to see if we could relocate the Otters but we failed on that count before getting distracted by a large bird flying towards us. It was like a bomb had went off in the motor as everyone exploded out to get a good look at this.

A WT Eagle that close is always special but there was more to come yet. We saw a Buzzard have a go at it, a good size comparison, and then we headed off when it disappeared but as we made our next stop we could see two birds circling together and then heading towards us! The adult WT Eagle was one of the birds and the other one was a youngster - superb! We got caught in a heavy shower after that but it soon cleared to give us good views of a Grey Plover, Greenshank, Teal, plenty of Common Gulls and the feeders were busy with the usual array of small birds. Shortly after that lot we picked up another Otter which clambered onto a rock and then zigzagged it's way across the water, onto the shore, along the rocks before eventually being lost to sight. One of the guests mentioned that they hadn't seen any Pheasants on the island and as if by magic we rounded a corner this odd looking fellow was on the side of the road.

Most people are familiar with Buzzards these days but seeing one hovering, like a Kestrel, at the side of the road comes as a surprise to most folk.

Lunch was an exciting affair with a pair of Hen Harrier trying their best to not to be seen, a Golden Eagle flying past us, Mistle Thrush shooting off into the trees and a Slow Worm for good measure. A trip to the beach gave me my first Gannets of the year along with a single Twite, another Hen Harrier and a few White Wagtail too.

At the last stop of the day we were fighting our way through the showers but still managed to get the target species for the area with a small flock of Golden Plover, Lapwings, Turnstone and Mountain Hare being the highlights.

Dawn raid.

Friday we were preparing for a mad dash down to Newcastle so not a lot of birding to talk about but sometimes things just come to you. First off five Whooper Swan flew down on to the loch in front of the shop but better still while I was outside chatting I heard a Willow Warbler singing behind the shop. For me the Willow Warbler epitomises the arrival of Spring - that made my day. I stood outside and waited for the bird to show itself...patience required. I had the distraction of the bird feeders while I waited so the fleeting visit of the Coal Tit...

...and the squabbling Siskins...

...kept me amused while I scanned the trees - Goldcrest, Greenfinch, Crossbill all showed well before the Willow Warbler finally revealed itself. The Whooper Swans had hauled out on the shore so I got a quick snap of them too.

With only one full day in Newcastle and family to visit there was only one option to get some birding done - a dawn raid! We managed to pick up thirteen year ticks some of which I hadn't seen for a couple of years. As soon as we stepped out of the car at Cresswell there were Linnets everywhere, Coot and Moorhen on a small pool, Tree Sparrow in the hedge, Stock Dove on the barn roof and Pink-footed Goose in the field.

That was six year ticks in about five minutes - brilliant! Another three were added as we entered the hide with a few Gadwall on the pool, 8 Pied Avocet and the first Yellow Wagtail I've seen in Britain since 2006, how good is that?! I could have went home there and then but it was still early. As we headed back to the car I snapped away at a couple of birds - Blue Tit...

...a nicely blurred Tree Sparrow...

...and the rest of the photos went in the bin. We went for a closer look at the Avocet and took a few shots through the scope - stunning birds.

Druridge next to add more to the list with Grey Partridge, Shoveler and Pintail (below).

Certainly not a year tick but this Pheasant was worth looking at...

...as were the Carrion Crows that were perched along the hedges.

The last of the year ticks were a couple of Sandwich Tern - not greatly exciting but we don't see that many on Mull. The other thing that made my day was to catch up with a bunch of local birders along the way - Rick, Chris, Andy, Tom, Graeme, Steve, Maurice, Les, Tim - what a day! 

The rest of the day was taken up with visiting the kids and grandkids - tremendous to see them again. Saturday night we spent catching up with another old friend Sarah Millican - a great show and nice to catch up with her properly after the show.
Sunday we travelled back to Mull with a quick stop to pick up Osprey along with cracking views of a displaying Red-throated Diver.