Guest Blog - Oscar Lovell - 2 week internship with Nature Scotland

After a fortnight interning with Nature Scotland, writing this blog is certainly helping brighten the atmosphere in my gloomy bedroom back home, as what a phenomenal two weeks it was!

It was excellent to meet back up with Ewan and Klay, as well as meet Theo and Dave Sexton for the first time, and even greater to have the pleasure of touring the island in their wonderful company, providing the plethora of lovely guests from all over the world with many exciting and memorable wildlife encounters.

Lucky enough to tick-off Mull’s “big three” – White-Tailed Eagles, Golden Eagles, and Otters – on the vast majority of trips, it was gratifying to share in the delight of all the guests, for whether it was their first time or their fifteenth laying eyes on these impressive species, each encounter is no less enjoyable than the last.

White-Tailed Eagle (photo by myself)

Besides spotting many new animals for our guests, I also managed to pick up 8 lifers for myself too. For me, the most notable were Great and Arctic Skuas, and European and Leach’s Storm Petrels, spotted and ticked off the life-list with Theo on a superb day off sea-watching.

Other lifers included Sabine’s Gulls, a Sooty Shearwater (both whilst on sea-watch), Bar Tailed Godwits from Scallastle, and Sanderling – found on the first of two Ardnamurchan explorer tours with Klay.

Leach’s Storm Petrel (photo by Theo)

Speaking of Ardnamurchan, despite the perception that the area is less reliable for spotting the big hitters, Klay and I pulled it out of the bag on both occasions, with an impressive, combined total of 7 Golden Eagles, 4 White-Tailed Eagles, and 3 Otters, as well as many interesting waders, passerines, seabirds, and a few Common Dolphins from the ferries to-and-from Kilchoan.

Common Dolphins (photo by myself)

Meeting and guiding with Dave Sexton – a legend in conservation, having spearheaded the White-Tailed Eagle reintroduction to the Hebrides – was another personal highlight of mine.

A font of knowledge and eyes like the eagles’ he helped reintroduce, he was instrumental in racking up an impressive 14 eagle sightings in just 7 hours (10 white-tails and 4 goldies), as well as a pair of Hen Harriers, much to the delight and intrigue of our guests.

Golden Eagle (photo by myself)

The previous fortnight has been a truly unforgettable experience, and looking back on it now makes me even more grateful for being given the opportunity to improve my own and the guest’s knowledge and interest in the wildlife of both Scotland and the UK in general.

An enormous thanks to the crew at Nature Scotland, especially Ewan for giving me such a fantastic opportunity, and Klay and Theo for lending me their floor to sleep on during a particularly rough spell of weather that I was grateful to not have to endure in my tent, as well as all the bants!

I really hope I am to return to the ‘Scottish Serengeti’ soon – hopefully with a bigger and better camera – as the post-Mull blues is already hitting, just days after the return ferry and drive home.