Wet walk with a happy ending

[tomyboy73]

Garmony Point

Continuing my mini series of short walks with no previous walk reports I set out from our hotel to the car park at Garmony.
It was a wet n wild morning and we were due to leave the island that day with my wife fearing that the ferry would be cancelled. Oh what a shame that would be
The main purpose of this walk was to go Otter spotting. With the wild coastline of Mull seemingly a great place to find them.
At the car park there is also a large picnic area and there where loads of greylag and Canada geese bathing in the water where the river meets the sea.
They must have thought I was getting too close and they all took off in a flappy, noisy spectacale.
I got onto the walk proper and scanned the rocks and water for any movement. Just Sea birds and hooded crows and despite the weather the views up and down the coast were a delight.

Garmony Point

Garmony Point 2

Of course the flowering purple heather adds a touch of colour and contrasts brilliantly with the green grass, blue sea and grey sky. Eventually the path leads through a pine, birch and willow forest. After walking through this for a short while and checking the route ahead I realised I wouldn't have much chance of seeing the shore much until my return. So as I sometimes do, I veered off the path, crouching low under the pine branches I managed to find my way down to the waterside again.

Forest path

Rocky shore

Walking conditions were OK although the rock was wet and there was plenty of room to manoeuvre along the way. At some raised points the waves crashed against the rocks and occasionally I had to dry off my specs.
As I passed the trees in the picture above I got a great fright as a large black shadow flew out from them and flapped it's huge wings as it rose in front of me. A White Tailed Sea Eagle! Couldn't believe it and lucky I had my camera on and shot away after my initial fright. It flew off inland before circling and came back and circled above me before gliding away back over the trees. Amazing!

White Tailed Sea Eagle

I had been out the day before with Mull Charters to see them so this wasn't the first I saw one, but for it to appear like that was brilliant. It could have just sat there and I would never have known.
I continued along the coast with no sightings of Otters but it was time to head back to catch breakfast.
I had to make my way through some ferns and short section of forest to reach the path again.
The return walk was uneventful, but I was happy and after a tremendous breakfast of oysters I eventually spotted an Otter while we waited to go on the boat.

Otter