The island
of Mull
The habitats of the Isle
of Mull are varied from mountains and moorlands to sea lochs and hill lochans,
damp boggy marshes to sandy beaches. It supports a good range of resident
and migrant birds, many passage birds call in to re-fuel en-route.
Raptors include Golden
Eagle and White-tailed Sea Eagle, Hen Harrier, Peregrine Falcon, Kestrel,
Merlin, Sparrow Hawk and Buzzard. Barn Owl, Long-eared Owl and Tawny Owl
are resident and Short-eared Owls visit to breed. Corvids include Ravens
and Hooded Crow are plentiful .
The Isle of Mull has a coastline
of some 300 miles long and the tidal lochs are very attractive to many
waders and birds of passage which stop to feed whilst en-route to their
summer and winter feeding grounds. Whooper Swan, Bar-tailed Godwit, Greenshank,
Redshank, Snipe and Whimbrel are just a few.
Large flocks of Teal and
Wigeon over winter with Shelduck, Goldeneye and Merganser. All three Divers
can be seen at different times of the year. Great Northern and Black-throated
Diver in winter on the sea lochs and Red-throated Diver in fresh water
lochs in spring and summer. Slavonian Grebe and occasional Red-necked Grebe
can be seen on the sea lochs in the winter months
Corncrake have made a remarkable
recovery due to sensitive and friendly farming on Iona, and whilst
not easy to see they arrive on Iona in late April. Your best chance of
seeing tis elusive bird is in early May before the iris beds have
grown to make Corncrake almost invisible.
All the sea lochs on Mull
hold otters and there are excellent opportunities to see Mulls otters along
many of the coast roads.
There are many good and safe
vantage points from which to watch sea birds, including, Guillemot and
Black Guillemot, Shag, Cormorant and occasional Gannet and Great Skua.
Boat trips are available
to take you to the Treshnish isles during the summer where you can get
close to nesting birds, Puffin, Shag, Kittiwake, Guillemot and Razorbill.
Mink are a very serious
problem on the islands of Argyll and ground nesting birds are suffering
because of lack of controlling measures. These problems will have to be
addressed if we are to protect them. A programme is in operation to protect
Arctic and Common Tern colonies and this is proving to be very successful,
and we need more such programmes operating.
Mull has lots of red deer
and a small herd of fallow deer, hedgehogs, polecats, mink, rabbits, and
Mountain Hare. There is a good population of otters which can now be seen
regularly around the coast and sea lochs.
There are no badgers, foxes
or squirrels on the island and we do not have any Magpies resident on Mull.
 
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This is the web site
of Alan Spellman, 'Maridon' Lochdon, Isle of Mull. PA64 6AP
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