Saturday, October 30, 2021
Our last pelagic of the year gave us the chance to travel once more on the old ferry (new one in for its service) - and we were bowled over by the sense of space on the open decks and the intimacy with the sea. From the side, you can lean on the rail and look straight down into the water or forward along the ship, whereas on the new ferry there is an extra safety rail above the main one (awkward for photographs sometimes) and your view ahead from the side is obstructed by the lifeboat structure (yeah, a bit necessary, I know).
Also, the litter bins are in sensible places, unlike the one tied to the rail in the corner of the new ferry exactly where you want to stand (as Greger is doing) for as wide a view of the sea as possible! After all the moaning, has the new ferry got anything going for it? Well, it's newer, quieter, and (apparently) greener, and the outside seats are better; and although the rail on the old one is great for leaning on and seeing over it vibrates quite a lot, which I'll use as an excuse for the crumby pictures. The fact that the old ferry takes 15 minutes longer to complete the trip I saw as an advantage; I thought the slower speed would help in seeing and identifying birds. Didn't quite work like that - although it might have done yesterday, which was a beautifully still day.
We were taken on the "alternative" route, in amongst the Summer Isles; and this time I snapped a shot of Eileen Dubh and its chalet, just visible above the cove. I wonder if the owner ever goes there?
We saw one small pod of common dolphins which came leaping towards the ferry and then disappeared; while the only birds in any numbers were kittiwakes and gannets. There were certainly a few skuas, but once again I can't identify them. Greger was sure one at least was a great skua, but two birds flying away from us at a distance were pale forms, so they couldn't have been bonxies and were probably Arctic skuas.
I was disappointed in my hopes of spotting a few lingering shearwaters - but we still enjoyed the trip. Sailing into Loch Broom in diminishing light and looking back over the wake I said a silent farewell to pelagic adventures until next year.
Friday in Ullapool: Is this a genuine glaucous gull or is it our old friend the viking?
At high tide a red-throated diver was fairly close to shore.
We'd planned to go on the ferry, but I didn't feel well first thing this morning - so we missed what could have been a great trip, with a calm sea and good light. I don't suppose much is about now out in the Minch, but what there is, we would have had a good chance of seeing! Oh well.
// posted by Christine @ 2:36 PM 
