Urban Birding Comes to Mull!

Last week, we welcomed David Lindo, also known as "The Urban Birder" and photographer Russell Spencer to our Island.  Some of you may have seen David on Spring Watch, The One Show or read some of his articles in the RSPB's Birds magazine, BBC Wildlife Magazine or BirdWatching.  David lives in London and his patch is Wormwood Scrubs which some of you may be familiar with as the prison!  For David, its his piece of birding paradise - an area of scrubland with young trees and shrubs and a welcome oasis for a huge variety of birds.  It is probably just about a year ago when I invited David to Mull to see the wildlife and of course, our eagles as well as fit in a talk to the Mull Bird Club.  Finally, after months of planning,  on Tuesday morning, Dave and I waited at Craignure pier for the ferry to dock.   Our hearts were in our mouths as we watched the ferry attempting to dock in strong cross winds and a very high tide.  Thoughts of the ferry turning back to Oban and the whole trip falling apart were pushed to the back of my mind!  At last the ferry made it and David and Russell strode down the gangway and stepped on to Mull for the first time.  We went for quick cup of coffee to discuss our plans for the week and as we walked out into the car park, what should fly past?  As if on cue, one of our young sea eagles.  Wow, they had been on the island about half an hour and already they had witnessed one of our magnificent eagles.  That really set the tone for their trip.  The Island was still covered in some snow and lots of ice and some roads were still impassable.  However, we managed to show them a huge part of the island and for David a big tick was his first Scottish golden eagles.  We were treated to a fantastic display from a male and young female in Glen More playing tag against the backdrop of a snowy mountain.  Who could ask for more?  Otters, red deer and a whole host of different birds were on great form and David and Russell could see them in their natural habitat looking just stunning.   

 The two David's spotting eagles! - photo Debby Thorne

David also gave a talk to the Mull Bird Club about his patch and the amazing variety of birds he has seen.  Sometimes it's easy for us to forget that wildlife is all around us - you don't have to visit the countryside to see it - it can be right in the centre of a city - the secret is to just look and listen - you just might get a surprise.  Here is the link to David's website http://www.theurbanbirder.com/home/  Look out for his article in the Spring edition of Birds magazine.  Also take a look at some of Russell's stunning photography http://www.flickr.com/photos/remove-before-flight 

Some of you may have caught Snow Watch which was shown on BBC2 in the week.  It included a clip from Gordon Buchanan during his visit to the island - in case you missed it you can catch it on the

BBC IPlayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00qcjzh/Snow_Watch/

Don't forget to make a note to watch Bill Bailey's Birdwatching Bonanza - the episode filmed on Mull is scheduled to air on 28th January at 9pm on Sky1/HD.

Debby Thorne

White Tailed Eagle Information Officer, Mull