Mull Charters Blog

Hi Folks

Sorry for the lack of updates recently, I have been busy keeping things going, usual plate spinning at this time of  year. The weather has been mixed, some mornings have been foul then the afternoons great! The forecast for the next few days is good so fingers crossed. Our regular WTSE have been excellent last week 4 trips and  4 successes, only 1 failure recently so the score is now 60 to 9 not bad in any wildlife circle. We have also been visiting another site in the last year and gradually gaining acceptance and trust. These birds are in a remote location and rarely see much human activity so we have only recently been taking a  f ew trips to this nest area and the results have been spectacular. We have witnessed the well developed chick begging and fighting for food, adults vying to be the first to grab a fish from the sea and talon tangling between adults. Some truly memorable sights with a spectacular back drop – stunning. We will keep running trips as long as we have a good success rate and will decide on the day where we are going. Times vary day to day and the only way to be  certain is to book a trip in advance.

Our last basking shark trip was on a bright and blustery day but our intrepid guests were insistent despite my forebodings. I needn’t have worried  as we were soon amongst a mixed pack of sharks and watching them feed on the plankton. Usually bright days and  swell mean limited visibility but this day we had  5 baskers within close range, a great sight for all aboard. Sadly birds apart from Gannets were in short supply, it seems the Puffins etc have moved out to see again. One evening I saw a mixed flock of gulls flying direct and quickly over the Inch Kenneth reefs, their strange behaviour was soon explained when a Gt Skua caught and harried a tailender to the ground, the outcome was lost to sight but I can only guess. Red Throated Divers are still being seen, last trip one flew over the boat as we loitered in the Ulva Sound  waiting for the pier to clear.

I mentioned in a much earlier post that we were having some new toys fitted to lady Jayne. Last winter we had a Vetus electric bow thruster fitted. This  device means we can ‘’steer” the front of the boat without having the boat moving forward through the water. It makes coming alongside much easier when shorthanded.

Cheers for now.

Skip

Hi Folks

Glad to report we had an excellent trip to the WTSE on Tuesday. The female was sat on one of her ususal perches and watching with interest as we arrived but showing no sign of taking to the wing. We headed away from the nest area and suddenly there was an obvious change in the surrounding seagulls behaviour. This usually means one thing and sure enough our male bird was winging in from the head of the loch. A few circuits of the boat giving everyone fantastic views and then a perfect pick up of an offered fish. The bird headed away and we could hear the chick calling clearly despite being quite a distance from the shore. After a short while the male went and sat very close to the female, possibly even sharing food? He soon decided that there was more room for fish and headed our way again for another free feed. This was fantastic news for us and all aboard, the previous week we had two consecutive no shows, the first ever and we were worried. It might have been that the chick had flown some distance from the nest and the parents had followed but we will probably never know. Only last night as we waited for the sky to go dark so we could watch the annual Perseid meteor shower we saw a group of three WTSE heading west. They could have been our family group or just juvenile birds, they were too high to distinguish. My sons and I had a great time laying on a tarpaulin on our lawn  watching these meteorites as they burned up in our atmosphere – spectacular!

The fishing is continuing to improve with good catches of pollack, most larger ones about the 5/6lb mark with plenty of smaller fish. Mackerel are plentiful and shoals seem to be surrounded by smaller fish. Last weekends trip saw us head North to try a few known marks and find a few new ones. We managed some terrific long drifts of up to 40 mins each, perfect from a skippers point of view and I managed some fishing myself. We also had Cuckoo Wrasse Coalfish Greater Launce Mackerel Ballan Wrasse and a Gurnard

On the stean North we had great views of basking sharks close to the boat. Up to five at a time were clearly visible in the calm waters. Let’s hope for more of the same, the weather looks great for the next few days.

Our annual shopping trip to kit the kids out for school meant a short week but we were glad that things with the eagles are back to normal.

Cheers for now

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Hi folks, just noticed the date and thought I had better update you on how things are going. We have been out most days and had some great close encounters with our local wild life. Our WTSE family are thriving, we have seen them all on the wing soaring high over the ridge. The male is still coming to the boat for fish and sometimes the female is accompanying him. She is still to take a fish herself this year but she is showing more interest lately.

On a recent trip we had a Gannet close to the boat. We all noticed a length of blue rope hanging out of it’s beak. Concerned it might be having difficulty feeding I tossed a fish in the sea and we were rewarded with the bird diving for the fish and fighting off the gulls to claim it’s prize. Hopefully it will rid its self of the rope some how. On Lady Jayne all discarded lures and line go in the bin and then get brought home for disposal. Recently while fishing with my sons at Gribun I noticed a mass of monofilament line lying around. I gathered it up and stuffed it in my bag to take home and bin, when I turned round there was a brand new ABU Toby lure lying on a rock, it would have cost several pounds at the local tackle shop, I considered it a just reward for my efforts. I wish all anglers would be more responsible and take their litter home with them, it saddens me to see places marred by discarded cans, bottles and rubbish by people I share my sport with. 

We have a mixture of bookings for this week, some to go and try to see the Basking Sharks, I will let you know how we get on later.

Cheers

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Been an unusual week here on Mull. We started with an evening trip to get some film shots around Loch Na Keal for a production company as the sun set. While we were waiting for it to get dark we managed to persuade the film crew to do some fishing, it passed the time and we enjoyed it too. The shots were for a back drop to a musical called Mary Kates Fate, a tragedy set to music for a Belgian company. Monday’s WTSE trip the male bird sat in the tree and would not fly. We passed close by the nest and tried everything we knew to entice him but he wouldn’t budge. Tuesday he came to the boat almost straight away and came back again afterwards. The chick is still in the area but has moved further back in the trees so the male has a new if temporary perch. No sign of the female, perhaps she is having a well earned girlie break.

Weds a trip to Inch Kenneth, not the best day weatherwise for sure but the only day the passengers could make it. We also had a fishing trip which saw a few good pollack, pouting, mackerel as well as cuckoo wrasse coal fish and whiting so a summer mixed bag!

Today is the best day of the week by far and I am writing this Blog!!! No one wants to go anywhere but it is Highland Games in Tobermory so I suppose folks are off there today.

More WTSE adventures tommorrow, the weather looks good too so all the photographers will be happy I hope.

Will keep you posted on how the summer progresses, off to the boat now to do some painting! Ah the joys of owning a boat.

Cheers

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Great news! Our WTSE have successfully reared another chick to fledging. The well grown chick has been seen ”branching” for a few days now. ”Branching” is when the bird leaves the nest and hops from branch to branch, as they get more confident they venture further from the nest and are often seen sitting in the open. Yesterday the chick was seen to take it’s first flight and was flying as strongly as an adult, no doubt thanks to it’s fish rich diet!

From last years experience the adults and the chick will remain in the area for some months yet. The chick will continue to return to the nest each night and the adults will remain close by. We will continue running our popular Sea Eagle adventures as long as we continue to have good sightings. Yesterday the male bird came to the boat twice for fish and came within 25 feet scooping up fish with consumate ease. The only complaints were from photographers whos lenses were too long to focus down to such a close distance, and then were only ”tongue in cheek” remarks.

Fishing is mixed at the moment, somedays every mark is a winner whilst other days some are almost devoid of fish. On Monday a local lad on his first sea angling trip caught a whopping pollack of about 10lbs, it was great to see his face (and everyone elses) when I netted the fish and lifted it aboard for him – well done Torrran.

The sea birds which have been missing for a few weeks are now coming back. We have seen Puffins and Razorbills again for the first time in a few weeks and the Red Throated Divers have also been more evident. Possibly all the birds are busy feeding chicks ready for their first flights too.

Thanks to all those who have contacted me regarding forthcoming trips, I look forward to meetinmg you soon.

Cheers

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Since the children broke up from school our run of beautiful weather has hit the skids. A succession of Atlantic lows have tracked directly towards the West Coast of Scotland, most of them scoring a direct hit! The Azores high, a system of high pressure which sits off the African Coast is stable at present and because of it’s location ‘’steers” the low pressure systems around it’s Northern edge and directly toward the UK.

We have still managed a few trips, over the last 2 days we have been to the Eagles and had a great reception. Monday was a standard sort of a day with usual behaviour and 2 takes. Today was a strange one, we were met well down the loch and circled several times but the bird drifted toward the shore and eventually landed on the beach. We motored closer and had good views of the bird on a sheep carcass on the shore. After a while the bird took off and headed toward it’s usual area. We followed and had good views of gulls and Gannets from the boat. It wasn’t long before the bird came to the boat looking for fish and we had some fine views. We had 3 great ”takes” in quick succession as the bird ferried food back to the nest and then kept the last one for himself.

With a satisfied load of passengers we completed the rest of the trip eventually heading back into Ulva Sound. Guess who was perched on a tree waiting for us? none other than our male WTSE. It was almost as if he was saying you know where I live, now I know where you come from too. He soon took off and headed East toward the nest.

We also had some special guests on Lady Jayne today. My cousin and his 2 boys joined us for the trip, we haven’t seen each other for over 30 years and find we both run B&Bs and work with wildlife. Julian has his own successful bird watching tour company Oliva Rama Tours based near Valencia Spain. What a small world, and so full of coincidences. It was good to catch up and we have vowed it won’t be 30 years till we meet again.

No trips tommorrow so a chance to catch up on a few odd jobs and finish fitting some bits n bobs on the boat. Back to sea Friday when the weather is scheduled to calm down.

If you are heading to Mull and want to experience these amazing birds at close quarters and perhaps get the photo of a lifetime please call us in advance and we can reserve you a space to avoid disappointment.

Cheers

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I can’t believe it is already July. It only seems a few weeks since we brought the boat back to Mull yet here we are heading towards the traditional holiday period. We have had some great trips recently with the Sea Eagles being as faithful as ever, most trips have enjoyed multiple ”takes” of offered fish. Some of the photographs we have received lately have been stunning, unfortunately I am running out of web space to show them all.

Last weekend we have a private angling trip with an overnight on Coll. Saturday was great and we had several Ling some small Cod, Pollack to 6lb and good coalies. Mackerel were plentiful everywhere and a menace when targeting larger fish. We even had a colourful Red Gurnard and some Launce as well. The Sunday fishing was curtailed by a strong S East wind which meant an uncomfortable plod back to Ulva Ferry, however with new marks found it was mission accomplished.

We are talking about offering package weekends with B&B packed lunch and fishing included. Anyone interested should get in touch and we can have a look at some dates.

More later

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That is part of the rhyme I was told to remember the Treshnish Isles by, ”Lunga is longer, Fladda is flatter and the Dutchmans cap just is”. With the Cairn Islands to the North that is the treshnish isles. What it doesn’t describe is the myriad of reefs and rocks which surround the area. On a recent private charter to Lunga by a local group we managed to explore the shallow areas inside the reefs by dinghy. Plenty of seabirds were still nesting so fishing for sand eels must be good. We only managed to fish a little as the NW wind was kicking up a big swell but successive drops found small pollack and coalfish everywhere. When we have more settled weather and time I am looking forward to exploring the deeper reefs that lie off both sides of the archipelego and will undoubtedly hold good fish.

Wild life trips are as popular as ever, this week we should be out most days as demand is picking up as the season progresses. Some people are starting to book before they arrive on Mull to avoid being left ashore. This is ruled by the weather lottery which noone can predict totally. For those wanting to book ahead remember we offer a full refund if we cancel your trip for any reason. The Sea Eagles are still enjoying a free feed most days and putting on a good show in the process. The last trip up the loch a Greater Black Backed Gull managed to drag the fish away from the boat before the WTSE caught up with it and surrendered the fish, however, it was still only 50m or so away and we had great views as the bird wheeled round and did a spectacular take.

That’s all for now, I’m off to cook breakfast.

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I have just had a weekend away, first time in ages. While I was a good distance from home I had a phone call to say that a large Basking Shark was in our local area – typical. With me not expected to arrive home till Sunday evening I was going to have to wait. Monday Tusday and now Wednesday have all come and gone and I still haven’t managed to go and look for the sharks. I love Basking Sharks, even they don’t pose any threat to humans there is something awe inspiring about being so close to these colossal creatures. Big Baskers can be 30 feet long and weigh 9 tons! They are the second biggest fish in the sea and yet very little is known about there lives. They feed exclusively on plankton, trawling back and forth through an area when they find a suitable patch. We have a private charter on Sunday which means we will be able to go further afield and hopefully see our first basker of 2010.

Our Eagles are still being pretty reliable. The chick was ringed last week and the RSPB report a healthy well fed possibly female chick. No surprise there was plenty evidence of fish consuption about the nest. The male was ”home alone” when the chick was ringed and now is reluctant to leave the nest when the female is not there. A few days ago we waited for 1 1/2 hours with him sat watching from his favourite perch. As soon as the female arrived he took to the wing within 10 seconds and was soon grabbing a fish!

Fishing is still continuing to pick up with more and more mackerel in the area. A recent evening trip to a good coalfish mark was spoiled by hoardes of fish about 6 inches long which snaffled any lure within range. Hopefully they will all grow into 5 or 6 pounders and give us some good sport.

Thats all for now.

Skip

This morning the weather was misty and grey with intermitent drizzle. A true dreich day here on the west coast. The forecast, however, was for mist clearing from the west in the morning so we were confident when we saw patches of blue sky that the worst was over. We left Ulva ferry and within 5 minutes were atching a big dog otter rolling in the sea weed and running over a small reef at the entrance to Ulva Sound. If things kept going this good it would be a good day. When we arrived at our usual spot the trees where our eagles sit were shrouded in mist and there was no sign of the birds. We circled the area for a while then headed across the other side of the loch. We were rewarded with a good close fly by of a Red Throated Diver and as we headed back across the loch a Arctic Skua followed us closely, harrying the gulls and giving the photographers some realy good close shots. After 1 1/2 hours of trying our hardest we had to give up and head away. Our first ”no show” we were devastated but thankfully the guests aboard were all true nature watchers and understood how these things go, nature can never be guaranteed no matter how reliable it has been.

As we circled the loch we saw a lone peregrine watching from his favourite perch but even he didn’t take to the wing. We arrived at Ulva Ferry saddened but hopeful as we were due to head out again immediately.

The sun was now shining and the sky had patches of blue again. As we left Ulva Sound an adult Sea Eagle appeaed and circled the boat enquiringly. Could this be the bird we had been searching for al morning? No identifying marks could be seen and the bird headed away from us so was probably another adult. As we got halfway up the loch a familiar shape appeared heading toward us. Our male had come looking for food and we got some great views before he took a fish and went back to the nest. After we had had a cup of tea he visited again and put in a great performance, swooping low acrosss the stern of the boat to snatch a fish -terrific.

On our way back to Ulva we had good views of our pair of Peregrines circling above the cliffs, one gaining height and looking for some unsuspecting prey to happen by.

As I said, 2 trips 1 day and 2 completely different results. A day of 2 halves.

Cheers

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