The Sad Sentinel on the Isle of Mull, Scotland

Heron on a loch on Mull, Scotland

Happy Wild Bird Wednesday :0)

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More from my trip to Magical Mull, one of the small Inner Hebrides Islands off the West Coast of Scotland.
At the start of this amazing holiday, I reached dry(ish!) land at Tobermory and found a B&B for the next few nights. Nice and early, so set off in search of the Otters I had travelled so far to see.
The weather was awful, so I decided to drive around the island making notes of where to visit if and when the rain stopped. A small Island, so after one circuit, I did stake myself out in the rain for a few hours to find these elusive creatures, but no luck.
I was joined by this Grey Heron. I am a huge fan of these guys and they always remind me of rather comical, grumpy old men all hunched up.
There is no denying that the surroundings were beautiful, with the Kelp covered Granite and the calm, Loch water, even in the misty rain, and I enjoyed his company very much
I have broken the rules by placing him centrally, but I have never been a great one for rules and for this shot I think it works and I am happy to break them :0)
I do adore the hugely therapeutic time, just me and wildlife, and on this occasion I felt particularly at one with the heron – cold, wet and bloody miserable!!!

Beautifully Camouflaged Otter On The Isle Of Mull, Scotland, UK

 

Mull Otter among the Seaweed

You may have seen my last posting, An encounter with the magnificent White Tailed Eagle on Mull, but here is the real reason I went to Mull, to fulfil a childhood dream of seeing a wild Otter!

This is a photograph of the European Otter, Lutra lutra. I drove from Kent, England to the Isle of Mull, Scotland with the aim of seeing these beautiful, but shy and elusive animals from the Lutrinae subfamily of the Mustelidae family which includes Weasels and Wolverines. On the last day of my 10 day trip, searching for an Otter for several hours a day, I came across this male, foraging among the Kelp Seaweed on the edge of a Loch, and what a wonderful experience it was. You can see how well camouflaged they are against the brown of the Seaweed and the granite rocks, which make them such a difficult animal to spot, certainly worth the long drive and the huge amount of patience on my part :0)