The little things that run this planet need our help! #NoMowMay We are currently living through the sixth great mass extinction event on this planet and insects have managed to survive the previous five episodes. Will they survive this one? If they don't, they will be taking us with them! I recently visited a couple of local #Mull gardens who are taking part in #NoMowMay and I was shocked by the amount of life in these wilder areas! Common Carder Bees feeding from Bugle and B
"I have waited 87 years to see my first Cuckoo" After a memorable encounter on yesterdays #Mull Nature Explorer this quote by one of the guests will stick with me for a long time. Ewan Miles (Mull, 2020)
A nice feature on BBC Springwatch last night with Iolo joining Ewan at the end of an #Adder survey. They chatted about the snakes beauty, habitats, predators, threats and how to watch them responsibly... #Mull #IsleofMull #Springwatch #ReptilesRule
We have enjoyed seeing Adders on some of our #Mull Nature Explorers in recent week. They are currently sloughing their skins and leaving some magical natural treasures behind! A huge highlight during the recent Iolo Williams package expedition was watching five separate males in one area through the scope and binoculars and when we moved on, every animal was still in the exact position as when we first found them. Ewan Miles (Mull, 2020)
The King of the Coast... An adult White-tailed Eagle patrolling the coastline of #Mull. We are enjoying some privileged views of this apex predator on recent Mull Nature Explorers. www.naturescotland.com
These fascinating brood parasites have returned to #Mull as we had a singing male on our Mull Nature Explorer yesterday! This declining red listed species is disappearing from parts of the UK and the BTO British Trust for Ornithology is trying to discover why this is the case with their fascinating 'Cuckoo Tracking Project' ... https://www.bto.org/our.../projects/cuckoo-tracking-project Ewan Miles, Isle of Mull (2020)
The little things that run this planet need our help! #NoMowMay We are currently living through the sixth great mass extinction event on this planet and insects have managed to survive the previous five episodes. Will they survive this one? If they don't, they will be taking us with them! I recently visited a couple of local #Mull gardens who are taking part in #NoMowMay and I was shocked by the amount of life in these wilder areas! Common Carder Bees feeding from Bugle and B
"I have waited 87 years to see my first Cuckoo" After a memorable encounter on yesterdays #Mull Nature Explorer this quote by one of the guests will stick with me for a long time. Ewan Miles (Mull, 2020)
A day in the mountains was long overdue so on Friday I gave myself a rare day off to explore the high tops of #Mull. On the ascent up I saw my first Redwings on the season, with 6 birds feeding on Rowan berries in a nearby ravine. As soon as I reached the summit I heard the rippling sound of Snow Buntings overhead and counted 5 birds (photo is in the comments). Bellowing Red Deer stags were providing soundscapes throughout the day and at times I felt like I was on the set of
The sun has now set on our #Norfolk Wildlife Expeditions... We now focus our attention on #Mull day tours and up and coming package expeditions on the #Solway and the #Cairngorms. Ewan Miles (Norfolk, Sept 2021)
The waterfalls came to life on yesterdays #Mull Nature Expedition to provide some spectacular wild scenes on a wet tour of the island! We managed to see White-tailed Eagles and five Otters with some great perseverance and hardiness shown by our guests to brave the elements and get rewarded with some wonderful wildlife.
The mighty Hen Harrier! We have loved introducing our guests to this majestic species again this year! Along with being an important breeding area, the Isle of #Mull is also a key wintering site for this graceful raptor.
Lovely to see Short-eared Owls on recent #Mull tours! It has been another really poor breeding season for the species on Mull but it appears that there have been a few breeding attempts on the south of the Isle.
THE ISLE OF #MULL WILDLIFE EXPEDITION with IOLO WILLIAMS We had a wonderful encounter with this male osprey during the second experience and this was one of three sightings we had of the species during the ten days! An increase in osprey sightings summering on the north of the island this year has provided promising signs that this majestic migrant will continue their recovery and perhaps soon be breeding on Mull again in the near future.
THE ISLE OF #MULL WILDLIFE EXPEDITION with IOLO WILLIAMS A stunning Sooty Shearwater on today's Sea Life Surveys, Staffa Tours wildlife cruise! These seabirds cross the equator twice a year in pursuit of an endless summer and Sooty Shearwaters can fly 65,000 km (39,000 miles) in an annual round trip journey. It is one of the longest recorded animal migrations!
THE ISLE OF #MULL WILDLIFE EXPEDITION with IOLO WILLIAMS On our first evening excursion we managed to see three Mountain Hares in the fading light!
The following day we had some great encounters with some of the islands 'spotlight species' including a stunning close view of a male Hen harrier and a glimpse of a Short-eared Owl. A mother and cub Otter bringing prey ashore was also memorable to see along with White-tailed and Golden Eagles soaring overhead!
THE ISLE OF #MULL WILDLIFE & MEDIA EXPEDITION with GORDON BUCHANAN We had a memorable tour with Sea Life Surveys where we managed to encounter 200 plus Common Dolphins, Minke Whales, Harbour Porpoise, Storm Petrels and large rafts of Manx Shearwaters!
A capsid bug caught in the carnivorous Round-leaved Sundew on a recent #Mull #wildlife experience. We also spotted a damselfly trapped in these insectivorous wild flowers at the weekend! Nature is amazing !