Calgary Bay with the Dogs - by Laurie

The Isle of Mull is our absolutely favorite place. It's a very large island, about 350 miles around, but only about 2500 people live here. It's like harkening back to a more innocent time--people wave to one another when they pass on the road, doors are never locked, stores leave items outside overnight and people pick up hitchhikers. Best of all, it's as beautiful as can be, with a wild unspoiled landscape and many diverse habitats. 

We are somewhat hampered here by being carless. The island is large but buses are extremely limited and the places we want to go are off the bus route. But we were extremely lucky. Our B&B host, Alan, invited us to come along when he took his dogs for a run on the beach at Calgary Bay, which turned into a 5-hour tour of the north island. We couldn't have had a better or more generous guide. The exuberant Mungo was generous too--he shared his seat with Dale. 

Species list for the day: white wagtail, Eurasian curlew, greylag goose, Eurasian oystercatcher, common gull, hooded crow, common raven, meadow pipit, chaffinch, house sparrow, European robin, Scottish Highland cattle (hairy cows), black-faced sheep, hares, ring-necked pheasant, common buzzard, grey heron, mallard, common wood pigeon, house martin, great tit, great cormorant, Eurasian coot, black-backed gull. The prize of the day was Dale's sighting of two golden eagles on the ground. One of them flew up with a rabbit, which it dropped, possibly because of our proximity.

In addition to wildlife, Alan generously answered all my questions so we also learned about the island, its history, the people, the language...it was quite an amazing opportunity. 

Hairy cow. A herd of these stopped us on the road. 

One of many educational stops along the way, this one to tell us about the old kelp industry here. 

Lobster traps, another local industry.

Dale and I went for a walk while Alan ran the dogs. 
 

Mungo and Fergus.