Yesterday I was on Mull looking for eagles like many other tourists, and today I was reading about tourists going to Mull to look for eagles in the Guardian.
Yesterday we passed two Germans who gave us a big grin and a thumbs up as they looked at a Buzzard. I looked around for an eagle to show them, but since there wasn’t one handy, it seemed right to leave them happy.
With most views, there is no mistaking the fact that you are looking at an eagle, if you are looking at an eagle. If you think you might be looking at an eagle, then it’s probably a Buzzard.
We didn’t find any Golden Eagles but saw two White-tails; a very fine adult and a scruffy immature. Both were flying barn doors of birds. Massive and looking powerful. Seeing them made us all happy. That’s largely what we had come for on our day-trip from Oban.
We would have liked to have seen Marsh Fritillaries and Otters too but it was a bit cold and windy for butterflies, and our Otter sighting was as we drive through Morvern later in the day.
We spent our tourist pounds on Mull, in Oban and with Caledonian MacBraynes and much of that was spent because of those eagles. Wildlife is a massive asset to this part of the world, bringing in money to restaurants, petrol stations, hotels and just about everyone.
I spent some time mulling on the success of the White-tailed Eagle reintroduction. This year, I read in today’s Guardian, the population is going to pass 100 pairs. That seems quite successful considering 38 years ago, when I was a student on Rhum, there were no pairs but the first birds were soon to be released.
The RSPB played a part, quite a large part, in that conservation success story no doubt Ian Botham is preparing a panegyric on the subject – to be followed by others on Stone Curlew, Corncrake, Bittern, Red Kite, preventing loss of wildlife sites, improving agri-environment schemes, influencing wildlife legislation etc etc. Or maybe his campaign, funded by the British grouse industry, isn’t.
I enjoyed Mull and mulling.
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I had to look Panegyric up. 🙁
But over the weekend I saw my first cranes at RSPB Lakenheath – fabulous. Well done RSPB indeed.
Mull is my second home. It’s a glorious place full of fantastic wildlife where raptors abound. You can even regularly see Hen Harriers hunting gracefully over the hills and heather. Shame the same cannot be said for England’s uplands.
Glac you had a nice day on Mull and I would think you probably had a big input on that re-introduction.It shows what can be done and RSPB and individuals deserve great praise but the presence of a warden on the island and co-operation of most of the landowners,tenants and volunteers of the Eagle watch are needed to make sure of their continued good fortune.Thanks to all of those ourselves and others have had hours of pleasure on Mull and it is really interesting to see the reaction of ordinary people with no particular interest in birds if they look at a Sea Eagle through the scopes of us bird watchers,it is always a big WOW.
Hope you managed to meet your friend.
Hi Mark
Glad you enjoyed your trip. We are going there in July and we can’t wait. We’ve been a couple of times before but this island exerts a pull like no other. Last time we watched a male hen harrier hunting for around half an hour, a wonderful sight. Mr Botham, stick to cricket, you were brilliant at that.
A panegyric is a formal public speech, or (in later use) written verse, delivered in high praise of a person or thing, a generally highly studied and discriminating eulogy, not expected to be critical. Thus saith Wikipedia!
Quite a few contradictions there in any publication that Sir Ian might present or have written for him!
Just back from Lewis and Harris. Watched a young Golden Eagle mob a ‘Barn Door’ . amazing. This was in an area over run with rabbits and still the local farmer told tourists that they were killing his lambs. Found 3 of his ewes dead with not a mark on them. Too many lambs to eat I presume!!!
Try the new company offering tours on MULL and ARDNAMURCHAN – http://inspirewild.co.uk/
run by my Ewan and Cain.
Currently in Lewis and Harris waiting to see eagles. Is everyone reading this blog either in or recently in Scotland??
Well I am, but then I live here so I usually am!
Mull is always a delight to visit…a very large number of people were involved in helping the sea eagles [and the local golden eagle population] survive and thrive, from the likes of Roger Broad, Keith Morton and Dave Sexton guarding the first successful pairs, through to the local volunteers who protected nests then helped educate and monitor the public..but a special thanks should be given to the late Finlay Christine, formerly PC Finlay Christine, who as the island’s Wildlife Officer did so much to get local people on side and to protect the birds from egg thieves and nest disturbers….a lesson to the rest of the UK in community involvement making economic sense as well as improving your environment and giving everyone something to be proud of…
Dave – thanks.
Anyone missing out on the various tours on Mull should not worry,the Island is full of wildlife tourists and you continually meet up with like minded people who chat and exchange lots of information about where to go for the wildlife also a very good tourist information office right opposite the Ferry exit.
I read this, a couple of days late, just after seeing my first Lesser Spotted Eagle in Bialowezia Forest. Being a barn door rather than a buzzard worked then too. Having a local guide also helped considerably. The engagement of the local people as you say is pivotal.
Besides having a wonderful time spotting birds from the ‘probably impossible’ pages of our field guides, we too are mulling the impact of wildlife tourism in the local economy and what we can learn from being here. At this stage, it seems entirely beneficial. We can see a high proton of the money is going directly into the pockets of local people – said guide and the excellent local accommodation, included. There are clear win-wins but also questions about what happens next. How far can this model develop? Can it / should it reach out to people who are not already rather passionately interested in wildlife? My impression is that Mull seems to have made that jump rather well. I hope other wildlife sites can do it too. And then I, ina selfish way I hope they don’t, or that they don’t have to.
We have also decided, maybe somewhat disingenuously, that it is important to support initiatives like this! Simon Barnes said it, so it must be true. It’s tough work but someone has to do it. Corncrake, rosefinch, white-backed woodpecker … That kind of tough. In fact, better get out there again …