This field course is based on the Scottish island of Mull, one of the Inner Hebrides group. We will travel via Oban to take a ferry to Mull, then onwards to our accommodation on the southern part of the island.
Mull is a fantastic place for an ecology field course. It has a range of habitats from coast to mountains; it has a high density of breeding birds of prey, such as Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and Hen Harriers; there are colonies of seals and a large number of Red Deer; seabirds such as Puffins breed on nearby offshore islands and there is a reasonable chance of seeing Otters in the sea lochs. The course focuses on a range of current ecological issues such as impacts of land-use, human-wildlife conflicts and seabird conservation, while also providing the opportunity to gain some field skills in identification and sampling methods.
The week is spent exploring these habitats and becoming familiar with the key plant and animal species in the context of their wider ecology and conservation. In previous years we have had excellent views of Golden Eagles, White-tailed Eagles and Otters, we also heard Corncrakes on Iona and came within a metre or so of Puffins and other seabirds on the islands of Lunga and Staffa.