The wild life!
Wednesday 17 October, 2018
After the washout of yesterday, we were looking out the window at dawn to see what the weather would be like and, thank the Lord, it was fine. We knew that showers were forecast amidst the sunny periods, and things are getting cold, but out wildlife tour was one. We started out photographing the things we had missed the day before, but then it was down to the harbour.
It’s quite impossible to describe the cruise, which was a hit for both us. The group of ten was pretty eclectic, with some dedicated twitchers and a couple from Germany with a very engaging pair of children (three and four). They were the best prepared group on board, with the two kids perfectly equipped with rain pants, tops, beanies and gloves. They were totally engaged, which was great.
I finally got a chance to use my new lens for the intended purpose, because we saw not one but four sea eagles and two golden eagles. The learning curve was pretty steep as I realised that I needed a really fast shutter speed to catch the eagles as they whizzed around after fish or, in one case, after a cheeky herring gull that pinched it’s snack. They are big birds with a wingspan of 1.5 metres and it’s hard to know whether to watch or to photograph. Oohing is mandatory.
We saw a pod of common dolphins fishing and playing around the boat, although the seals were determined not to cooperate. We missed the puffins, to Paula’s disappointment. For the rest, you’ll need to watch the slideshow!
The see-eagle in the photograph above has tags as it was partially hand-reared and released. She was incredibly bold and watched the boat until a monkfish was tossed over (inflated with a syringe!). Then those wings were extended and we all were just jumping up and down. The mate (a male) was far more timid, but a smaller fish tempted one of the gulls and it was on for young and old, with the eagle grabbing the fish and taking off to the nearby trees. Great entertainment!
Then it was on to the Fairy Pools, which took us into the Cuillin Mountains – stunning volcanic remnants. The pools are beautiful, turquoise and freezing. The only mermaid we spotted was possibly sufficiently upholstered to survive the plunge, but god along knows why anyone would sit on a rock in a bikini in 7 degrees being photographed.
We came home via the scenic route – the nav seems to believe we’re driving a panzer, not a Passat – and walked down to the Ferry Inn. It was seriously good and Paula nearly had a conniption choosing between 60 gins. The food was just amazing and the owner has the best playlists on Spotify. We spent the evening surrounded by vintage portraits of the Stones (Rolling, not standing) listening to Sixties and Seventies stuff that we were forced to Shazam whenever we couldn’t get the track.
WE also got talking about the famous wedding with the owner. Well, wasn’t that as funny as? It turns out that the bride and groom were actually already married in the US (they would have failed the mental fitness test in any European country) and were doing a “trothplighting” on Skye because the bride was a wedding photographer and wanted to have photos in the romantic Islands. I hope she wore a wetsuit yesterday… We asked whether it was inspired by Four Weddings and our host grimaced and said that by 3 am, it was about time for his funeral. Too funny!
A truly magical and memorable day. My only reflection which I may take up tomorrow is that Skye in particular is struggling to cope with the influx of tourists. The paths to the Old Man is basically destroyed and the number of people at the Fairy Pools was a joke. My suggestion would be to come in winter (and self cater if you can), or be prepared to do the hard walks and get away from the hordes. I would love to do a January here with the glens and hills snowbound. Maybe one day.
Enjoy the photos.
