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!