On the Ross of Mull, wildlife is so prolific it is difficult not to see it. Hen harriers, which are endangered on the UK mainland, fly across the garden of Achaban House, and kestrels, sparrowhawks and owls are regular visitors. Red deer stags can be seen on the moor behind the house during the day and sneak into the garden at night to trim our plants. Loch Pottie, which can be seen from the house and garden is habitat for a range of ducks and other birdlife, changing with the seasons, with an otter in residence all the year round.
Take a trip out to any of the local beaches and you may be rewarded with sightings of dolphins or a white-tailed eagle. At nearby Fidden beach, just a mile from Fionnphort, common seals can be clearly basking on the pink granite rocks
The woodland around the house attracts flocks of the more common garden birds such as goldfinches, chaffinches great tits, blue tits and coal tits with yellowhammers and tree creepers also frequent visitors and waxwings and long tailed tits a welcome sight in December.
In spring, the puffins and other seabirds arrive in the Treshnish Isles and other outlying islands to breed and the corncrake can be heard and occasionally seen in Iona and Fidden. Butterflies, bees and dragonflies appear and by June the machair is starting to flower on the grassy coastlines, while off out to sea porpoise, dolphins, whales and basking sharks appear.
Winter can be an excellent time to see wildlife, from red deer stags, otters and mountain hare to golden eagles, snow buntings and whooper swans. See our list of winter sightings 2016/17 here