Photographing Otters, or at least trying to, is something I've been wanting to do for a very long time. In fact, a trip like this has been a couple of years in the making. It was great to finally get to the Isle of Mull, after a 6 hour drive...
On every trip I've been fortunate enough to do around the world I've come to really appreciate the importance of a guide and local knowledge of the area. So I got in touch with a Andy Howard, a photographer well known in Scotland, who knows the island very well and has a wealth of knowledge on looking for and tracking Otters. I felt in safe hands.
The Isle of Mull is the second largest island in the Inner Hebrides, the largest being Skye, off the west coast of Scotland. It is very popular for naturalists and photographers with good reason... it's a haven for wildlife and a top photography destination not only in the UK but in the world. Not only does it have a thriving population of Otters (my main reason for visiting), but it's well known for White Tailed Eagles, Hen Harriers, Short Eared Owls, Basking Sharks, whales and dolphins and migrating birds.
I arrived in Mull late afternoon after taking the ferry from Oban to Craignure and checked in to my base for the week, the Craignure Inn. I was welcomed instantly and never have I stayed in a more friendly place. More on that later...
The Isle of Mull has become famous through programmes like BBC Springwatch and Coast. Anyone familiar with BBC Natural History documentaries will know the name Gordon Buchanan - Mull is his home.
As I am from England it is only right to mention a bit about the weather, and I couldn't have been luckier. While the week started out with everything from cloud, high winds, rain, hail and snow, after a few days it turned into wall to wall sunshine and crystal clear nights. With very little light pollution star gazing here rivals that of when I visited the west coast of Mexico - stunning!
So on the first night in the Craignure Inn I was keen to find out more about Mull and where we would be going to look for Otters. It was on this first night that I heard a rumour about Otter behaviour that was completely new to me - apparently I'd arrived in 'frogging fortnight'! Otter sightings had been fleeting for the last week or so and the theory is for a couple of weeks a year, around April, many disappear up into the hills to look for and eat frogs. With this news my first week on Mull and the hope of photographing Otters didn't bode well...
Otters are one of the UK's top predators. They feed mainly on fish, waterbirds, amphibians (damn frogs!) and crustaceans (I was lucky to watch one with a lobster - see further on in this blog). As already mentioned Mull has a very healthy population of Otters, and while we didn't have much luck for the first few days we saw plenty of evidence of their presence - namely sprainting sights noticeable for their bright green tufts of grass, thanks to the nitrogen in the Otter's droppings.
They're voracious with high metabolic rates to keep them warm, so they're constantly on the hunt for their next meal. We did manage to spot one with a Dogfish catch and were able to get relatively close to watch...
I was buzzing after this and thought my luck had finally come through, content that if I didn't see anything more for the day or the week I'd go home happy. Things only got better...
Travelling between different Lochs on the island often gave great opportunities for other wildlife and landscapes. Having said that, I don't think the Buzzard below was too happy with me being around! He flew off soon after this photo was taken.
We got to play 'spot the Otter' with one hiding in rocks covered in seaweed. The Otter had actually been spooked by a boat fishing for mussels so went into hiding. It wasn't long before he was on his way along the Loch again.
Apparently the view the panorama shows below is a famous viewpoint on the island, but I can't find the name of it. Stunning nonetheless, especially with the snow capped peaks after a cold night...
They came quite close and the two cubs were left once again to rest. It was fantastic to watch them together, especially when they settled down to have a snooze, oblivious to us nearby...
The Isle of Mull is a haven for bird life and in particular birds of prey. Safe from persecution they thrive here with a plentiful food source. While I did get a glimpse of the island's famous bird life, White Tailed Eagles and Golden Eagles, as they soared high up in the sky, I did manage a few close encounters with Buzzards often seen at the side of the road...
Not only is there an abundance of wildlife but the landscapes are spectacular. Driving from Loch Scridain to Loch Na Keal brings you past Balmeanach, a stunning view of sheer cliffs meeting the coastline.
A couple of close friends, Sally and Hannah, came to visit near the end of my trip and so we went on an explore around the island. This led us to the island of Iona. It is a tiny island off the southwest coast of Mull. It is only 1.5 miles wide by 3 miles long, with a population of roughly 120 permanent residents. We didn't have much time to spend there, but I managed to grab a panorama of the island.
Near the end of my trip, on the second to last day in fact, we had a beautiful sunset over Loch Don. I had moved to stay in a B&B with the sunset view you can see below from my bedroom window. It was a tranquil place off the main road. With the glorious weather we were having we managed to squeeze in kayaking on the Loch without even a whisper of wind, the only ripples caused by the paddles of our kayaks...
So the last full day on Mull came - and what a way to finish...
I can't take credit for spotting the Otter below, as Hannah had spotted it out fishing in Loch Na Keal. We quickly pulled the car over and watched from the roadside. All of a sudden we noticed he was swimming for our direction, with a lobster in his mouth! I quickly got my camera together and we moved as quickly and silently as possible to get a decent vantage point where we could hide in the rocks.
We managed to get to a great spot to watch him crack open the lobster and chew away, such an amazing sight! As I've not worked with Otters before I hadn't realised watching an Otter with a lobster for a catch is apparently quite rare, so once again our luck came in!