Scotland Holiday 2018 Day 8 : 19th June 2018 Mull and Iona
After a day on the water it was back to the roads but we did have a very short trip later in the day from Fionnphort to Iona. First though there was a long road trip and you don’t get anywhere fast on Mull! But what a grea day out lay ahead and one you can only have on Mull and Iona.
We started off driving down to Craignure then further along the A849 skirting Loch Don and Loch Spelvie in the south before turning west by Loch Beg and hen Loch Scridian. It is a long road down from there to Fionphort and the ferry to Iona but we stopped every now and again as we could. We were rewarded with views of Golden Eagle and Hen Harrier as well as getting a few Buzzards tha, with Eagles about, always seems a bit disappointing.
Eventually we got to the ferry and were quickly over to Iona. We had a little look around and immediately heard Corncrakes in the field behind the fire station. We continued to hear them at several spots across the island but never did see one. We would not be the first birders in that situation on Iona.
We took the path that leads over to “The Bay at the Back of the Ocean”, hearing more Corncrakes on the way and also being surrounded by Skylarks. There were plenty of Hooded Crows in the bay and Shags as well. Common Eider were in the bay and we encountered more than one Northern Wheatear family group in the fields around the farms. There wer Siskins, Goldfinch, Linnet, House Martins, Swallows and Meadow and Rock Pipits, Song Thrushes and Pied Wagtails. It is a great little island but you have to leave eventually.
We forgot that after about 3pm the ferries drop down to one an hour rather than every twenty minutes so we had a bit of a wait for the boat but passed the time looking at Rock Pipits on Hoodies on the shore and a single Kittiwake flew low overhead.
Back at Fionphort it was in the car again and the long drive home. We were too tired to bothe with eating out so stayed at home and ate in in the comfort of our posh accomodation.
Bird Sightings : Mull 19th June 2018
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Greylag Goose | 30 |
| Common Eider | 6 |
| European Shag | 2 |
| Grey Heron | 3 |
| Golden Eagle | 1 |
| Hen Harrier | 1 |
| Common Buzzard | 3 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 6 |
| Mew Gull | 30 |
| Herring Gull | 40 |
| Song Thrush | 3 |
Bird Sightings : Iona 19th June 2018
| Species | Count |
|---|---|
| Common Eider | 6 |
| European Shag | 6 |
| Corncrake | 4 |
| Eurasian Oystercatcher | 6 |
| Black-legged Kittiwake | 1 |
| Mew Gull | 12 |
| Rock Dove | 10 |
| Eurasian Jackdaw | 20 |
| Rook | 2 |
| Carrion Crow | 2 |
| Hooded Crow | 6 |
| Sky Lark | 4 |
| Barn Swallow | 4 |
| Common House Martin | 2 |
| Northern Wheatear | 5 |
| Eurasian Blackbird | 2 |
| Song Thrush | 6 |
| Common Starling | 40 |
| Dunnock | 1 |
| Pied Wagtail | 2 |
| Meadow Pipit | 2 |
| Rock Pipit | 4 |
| European Goldfinch | 4 |
| Common Linnet | 2 |
| House Sparrow | 40 |