Pages written
and sponsored by
Isle of Mull
Wildlife Expeditions
The
island is a great place
to see Eagles; however, it is also a very good bird watching destination, if you
want to see other birds of prey, such as the Peregrine Falcon and
the Hen Harrier. The
Short Eared Owl, Buzzard, Kestrel and Sparrow hawk are also seen around the
island. The Short Eared Owl is quite unusual as owls go, because he only hunts
during the day. It is a bird which will give you really close views if you are
looking in the right habitat, which are small conifer plantations bordered by
undulating moorland. Our other owls are usually
nocturnal, though you can occasionally see newly fledged young owls sitting
around during the day. These include the Long Eared Owl, Barn Owl and the reasonably common Tawny Owl.
The most common owl
to be heard late at night is the Tawny Owl.
One of our more spectacular wildlife sights, must be the food
pass of the male and
female Hen Harrier.
The male is a truly handsome bird, and
many would argue that he is the most attractive British Bird of Prey, with his
grey white body and black tipped wings.
There is a pattern to sightings of Hen
Harriers, in that in April and early May, you might
see the 'sky dance' of the male, as he swoops up and down,
just above the ground, for perhaps a few hundred metres.
You might then see him
circling around and fanning his tail to the bigger and
browner female. From then on, you will see only the male quartering the ground as
he hunts for prey to feed the nesting female. It is at this time when you will
see the food pass, as the male calls the female from the nest and throws the
prey to her in mid flight, she turns over and catches it in mid air and the male
continues on, to hunt for more prey.
After a few weeks of this behavior, you
begin to see the female hunting also, and both take prey back to the growing
young. By early July, you may see perhaps three or four young Hen Harriers
rising to meet the male or female, and most of them have to be disappointed
because either bird will only have one item of prey.
However, Hen Harriers have
quite a good success rate in rearing young, and all of the young usually survive
to fledging.
If you want to see a Peregrine Falcon, you have to be
quick (!!) because he is the fastest bird in the world. He can be noisy near the
nest, which is usually on sea cliffs, and if you hear a shrill and
screeching
call, watch out for a fast grey falcon! From then on it is a good idea to
retreat from the area, as you may well be near their nest,
and all birds of prey are easily disturbed and can desert their eggs or small young on such
occasions.
The Merlin is a rare bird on Mull, and they can be overlooked
as they glide low over the heather in search of prey. They are also small; in
fact, the male is only the size of a mistle thrush, and he has a blue back and red
speckled chest. The female is dark brown and the size of a Kestrel, which is reasonably common on Mull. All birds of prey have their particular hunting
technique, and the Kestrels' style is to hover motionless on the wind, while waiting
for an unsuspecting Short Tailed Vole to make a move below.
The Buzzard is
our most common bird of prey, and your first sighting will almost certainly
be of a bird sitting on top of a telegraph post and looking like a small eagle.
In fact, many visitors to
the island are convinced that they have seen an Eagle
on these occasions.
It is such a common claim, some people now refer to the
Buzzard as the tourists eagle!
If the information that you require is not listed above, try
a Google search
|
