Wildlife watching in October
It has been said by many that, whale dolphin and marine wildlife watching, is a waste of time in October.
HUH - nonsense. Sure enough, the basking sharks have gone and there is not the quantity of wildlife about, but the quality can be superb. For instance, the last two trips this week:-
DAY 1 - Lovely calm day with the sun, now lower in the sky, highlighting the magnificent colours of the islands and heather clad hills with a brittle clarity. We steamed for the Cairns and on the way spent time with family groups of porpoise and their calves. Groups seem to be larger at this time of year. At the Cairns the usual diving gannets, a few feeding auks in their winter plumage then a pomerine and a great skua. A little later, an enormous skein of geese heading south high overhead. No sign of whale or dolphin, so headed into the Cairns to look at the seal colonies including a grey with pup. Also a very large swarm of jelly fish Pelagica noctiluca. A pretty little thing with red dots on it's head but invades fish farms and kills off the salmon..
Landed Waggy/Danny on the largest island in order to go to summit with telescope and portable VHF to scan for anything in the distance. He has wicked eyesight/gise and ability, so, he with telescope is quite lethal!! In the meantime we, on Sula Beag, drifted in shallow water for a quiet lunch.
Radioed Waggy expecting to hear he had spotted loads of stuff, only to be told there was nothing anywhere. At that very moment a minke surfaced not 20 metres away right in front of the boat. That whale had most certainly come to see us in very shallow water - as they do. Having collected Waggy, we gently followed that whale until interrupted by the sight of 2 red phalaropes feeding on surface plankton. A very rare sighting and quite unafraid of us as we drifted beside them - magic. Returning home we watched at close quarters, 2 golden eagles harassing a sea eagle.
DAY 2 - A calm grey day today but storm force winds forecast for later in the afternoon. We made it out to the Cairns in calm conditions. But as we were lunching, watching the seals and otters, or were the seals swimming to us to observe us? The wind suddenly started to gust with strength - oops!
Time to get home. Half way across, running with the rising seas, the coastguards issued a pan pan call for Ardnamurchan point not so far from where we were. So answered it. Changed course as directed and headed to the scene. Half way across there was a screaming shout from the top deck and Waggy hurtled into the wheelhouse shouting 'Orca'. And there, right enough, not 200 metres away was a very large male orca sail heading across our bow.
Oh why now? A life in danger and we have orca, a bull and cow. One quick pass to enable an ID shot between waves then off to join lifeboat and helicopter searching for a missing diver. Such torn emotions for all.
No, nothing much happens on our wildlife trips in October. POPZ
HUH - nonsense. Sure enough, the basking sharks have gone and there is not the quantity of wildlife about, but the quality can be superb. For instance, the last two trips this week:-
DAY 1 - Lovely calm day with the sun, now lower in the sky, highlighting the magnificent colours of the islands and heather clad hills with a brittle clarity. We steamed for the Cairns and on the way spent time with family groups of porpoise and their calves. Groups seem to be larger at this time of year. At the Cairns the usual diving gannets, a few feeding auks in their winter plumage then a pomerine and a great skua. A little later, an enormous skein of geese heading south high overhead. No sign of whale or dolphin, so headed into the Cairns to look at the seal colonies including a grey with pup. Also a very large swarm of jelly fish Pelagica noctiluca. A pretty little thing with red dots on it's head but invades fish farms and kills off the salmon..
Landed Waggy/Danny on the largest island in order to go to summit with telescope and portable VHF to scan for anything in the distance. He has wicked eyesight/gise and ability, so, he with telescope is quite lethal!! In the meantime we, on Sula Beag, drifted in shallow water for a quiet lunch.
Radioed Waggy expecting to hear he had spotted loads of stuff, only to be told there was nothing anywhere. At that very moment a minke surfaced not 20 metres away right in front of the boat. That whale had most certainly come to see us in very shallow water - as they do. Having collected Waggy, we gently followed that whale until interrupted by the sight of 2 red phalaropes feeding on surface plankton. A very rare sighting and quite unafraid of us as we drifted beside them - magic. Returning home we watched at close quarters, 2 golden eagles harassing a sea eagle.
DAY 2 - A calm grey day today but storm force winds forecast for later in the afternoon. We made it out to the Cairns in calm conditions. But as we were lunching, watching the seals and otters, or were the seals swimming to us to observe us? The wind suddenly started to gust with strength - oops!
Time to get home. Half way across, running with the rising seas, the coastguards issued a pan pan call for Ardnamurchan point not so far from where we were. So answered it. Changed course as directed and headed to the scene. Half way across there was a screaming shout from the top deck and Waggy hurtled into the wheelhouse shouting 'Orca'. And there, right enough, not 200 metres away was a very large male orca sail heading across our bow.
Oh why now? A life in danger and we have orca, a bull and cow. One quick pass to enable an ID shot between waves then off to join lifeboat and helicopter searching for a missing diver. Such torn emotions for all.
No, nothing much happens on our wildlife trips in October. POPZ
posted by Sea Life Surveys at
9:41 am
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