A whale of a time in Mull (September 2003)

Click here for animation of Risso's dolphin

The Minke Whales of Mull tour offered by Discover the World begins at the ferry port at Craignure on Mull. It is up to the individuals to get themselves to Craignure. We flew into Glasgow airport and took the train to Oban followed by the ferry to Craignure. There we were met by Pam Brown and transferred to Tobermory and our accommodation for the duration of the tour. We stayed in the Carnaburg Hotel right on the seafront. Our room had an ensuite shower room and was of adequate size for a short stay such as ours. That evening the 12 members of the tour group met up with the guides, Alexa, Pam and Arthur. The schedule for the week is flexible with the main aim being to see whales and dolphins, this means that the 2 days on the boat usually get the best weather conditions and the land safari makes do. There is a day at leisure which allows for a little more flexibility in the schedule. In our case we joined 4 other members of the group for the land safari the next day while the remaining six members chose to take their rest day.

Pam and Arthur Brown run Discover Mull and guide the land safari day of the tour. The key aims of the day are eagles and otters. Our first stop was for White Tailed Sea Eagle and we were not disappointed as Arthur spotted the bird sitting on a rock by the waters edge. After a few minutes the bird took to the air, a fantastic sight. As we walked back to the landrover we passed by a herd of Highland Cattle, an impressive sight with their long horns and long shaggy coat. Next we set off to one of the known otter locations and after a short stop to watch another Sea Eagle fly overhead we settled down for a long stop watching a single Otter hunting and feeding close to shore, a stop made even more comfortable with the tea, coffee and homemade biscuits provided by our guides. On route to our lunch stop we glimpsed a herd of Red Deer on the hillside below us and at the lunch stop we watched Common Seals basking on rocks just offshore. Just before we left one of the seals appeared in the water just in front of us and showed us just how fast and agile these animals are. After lunch we took a short walk further along the coast to another Otter spot and again were rewarded with a view of this beautiful creature. Last on the list was Golden Eagle but we got side tracked by yet another Otter which we watched for quite a while as it fished, very succesfully, and ate. Unfortunately the sighting came to an abrupt end when another car pulled up alongside us and greeted Arthur a little too exuberantly causing the Otter to abandon its fish and disappear back into the water. Apparently the cars occupants had been on a previous land safari with Arthur the week before and so should have known better than to make a sudden noise, a fact that Arthur and Pam had stressed to us at the begining of the day. So next stop was for the Golden Eagles and again we were lucky enough to see a pair gliding high above a ridge. And Finally the last stop at a well known raptor location and true to form we were entertained by Buzzards, Kestrals, Sparrowhawks and a group of Golden Eagles circling high overhead. With yet another superb view and beautiful rainbow, what better way to finish the day. Without Arthur and Pams knowledge I doubt we would have seen much wildlife at all but at the end of the day we had all seen everything we could have expected and more.

In the evening we got word that we would be out on the boat, the next day, for our first day of whale and dolphin watching. Unfortunately this information had to come from other members of our group as we did not get our message from the hotel staff. Anyway the six of us, who had been on the land safari, decided to eat at the Lochinvar Restaurant, noted for its fresh fish. We obviously picked a bad night as there was no fresh fish left, it had been a busy weekend! The food we had was very good and they also have some very good bottled beers, Red and Black Cuillan (Not sure about the spelling).

I was up at dawn the next day and was rewarded with a beautiful red sky. After going out and getting some photographs it was back in for a full breakfast and then down to the meeting place ready for a day at sea and hopefully some whales and dolphins.

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