The 304 miles from Leigh to Oban is approx a 5hour drive

The sailing from Oban to Lochboisdale is another 5 hours 15 minutes

On arrival at Oban you will without doubt see a variety of common gull species, but the bird to look for in the harbour is Black Guillemot if you have a wait for the ferry it will be worthwhile setting up you scope to scan the harbour and sea, you will be unlucky if you don’t see a least Shag and Gannet as well.

After boarding the ferry take with you all you will need to endure the 5 hour + journey to Lochboisdale, South Uist, because returning to your car is not permitted. So wet weather / warm clothing is essential, so are your camera, various lenses and binocs.

First of for me is up on deck to decide where to perch for most of the way but of course this position will no doubt change with the direction of the wind as the ferry moves up through the sound of Mull and out into the open sea.
Birds usually encountered would be Black & common Guillemots, Shags, Cormorants, Eider ducks and drakes. Gannet, Fulmar and again gulls are definite and Razorbills, Puffins and Shearwaters are about especially Manx but I have seen Sooty shearwater.

For those that like to travel in comfort or need to rest then get a move on in fact send some of your party ahead to bag your seats, communicate by mobile phone and find them later. Having said that there is plenty of comfortable seating but some people don’t half like to spread out. The food on board is quite good and also reasonably priced; we have found the staff to be very friendly as well.

There are lots to see as you sail, the sound of Mull is only a couple of miles wide so good views of birds and scenes are all around, a camera is a must but do make a note of the shots you take on the way out because you will probably want to take the same ones again coming back. Grab the shots while you can if the weathers good, because it sure wont be the same coming back.

Scotland’s Solway coats Posted 26-02-2009 at 08:46 PM by Davy Crockett The club i'm a member of has an annual Winter Trip, thought i'd share this info with you. A long weekend away in the south east corner of Scotland’s Solway coats is a worthwhile winter break for anyone whose passion is wildfowl & waders. The following is a résumé of what can be achieved with careful planning which was ably done by our organiser Phil Tosh. The group enjoyed good weather, good birding and good company, On behalf of everyone, Phil, thank you. The... Continue reading... Davy Crockett Officer of the Wild Empire

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Just an abbreviation? Posted 24-02-2009 at 06:09 PM by Davy Crockett I was sent this by e-mail what do you think? Am I right in thinking that PAKI is short for Pakistani? Just an abbreviation? Prince Harry calls a mate "Our little Paki friend" and is forced to apologise two years later. This guy was a mate of his for heavens sake! Am I right in thinking that "Brit" is short for British? Should the Sun Newspaper be forced to apologise every time it prints the word Brit or The Brits are coming?... Continue reading... Davy Crockett Officer of the Wild Empire

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Ruddy Ducks Posted 21-08-2008 at 08:13 PM by Davy Crockett Dear readers what are your feelings on the Ruddy Duck Situation: the Government has instructed Defra, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs to carry out the destruction and total eradication of one of Britain’s breeding wildfowl it is the species, Oxyura jamaicensis, common name Ruddy Duck. Studies on the species show that these birds causes no problems at all to any other British ducks either by inter-breeding, depriving them of their food source or habitat. ... Continue reading... Davy Crockett Officer of the Wild Empire

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Bird List Posted 10-08-2008 at 08:25 PM by Davy Crockett Red-throated Diver, Black-throated Diver, Great Northern Diver, Little Grebe, Fulmar, Manx Shearwater, Gannet, Cormorant, Shag, Grey Heron, Mute Swan, Whooper Swan, Greylag Goose, Shelduck, Gadwall, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Common Eider, Red-breasted Merganser, Goosander, White-tailed Eagle, Hen Harrier, Common Buzzard, Golden Eagle, Osprey, Kestrel, Merlin, Corncrake, Moorhen, Coot, Oystercatcher, Ringed Plover, Golden Plover, Lapwing, Dunlin,... Continue reading... Davy Crockett Officer of the Wild Empire

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My trip to the Outer Hebrides part two Posted 10-08-2008 at 08:20 PM by Davy Crockett The group of Islands known as the Western Isles / Outer Hebrides are 14 in number as far as can be ascertained the main ones are: Isle of Lewis Its capital Stornoway is the largest town in the Western Isles and is less than 3 hours by ferry from Ullapool and a plane ride away from many UK airports. The island has lots of unspoilt sandy beaches and is home to the famous Callanish standing stones (second only to Stonehenge). Offshore is the beautiful island of Great Bernera with an... Continue reading... Davy Crockett Officer of the Wild Empire

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