Monday 13 October 2008

Kerrera




Kerrera is a small island just off the coast from Oban, on the west coast of Scotland. It's a very short ferry trip from the 'ferry port' on the mainland (see the first photo). The day we were there it was raining steadily but not too heavily and there was no wind and it was quite warm so it was okay! The scenery is stunning and we saw loads of birds, including herons, cormorants, black guillemots (in their winter plumage, not looking as spectacular as they do in summer as seen in the photos in the link), loads of blue tits and great tits, and a large number of goldfinches. When we were waiting for the boat back to Oban, we saw an otter, just poking its head out from the water then diving down and showing its tail then back again. Lovely sight. I've never seen an otter before, despite all our trips around the Highlands, Islands and West Coast of Scotland, so this was a very exciting moment, especially as it stayed round for a while. No photos, sorry, I was more interested in watching than snapping, though my partner is pretty sure that the otter can be seen somewhere in the second photo.

10 comments:

Art and Poetry said...

Nice post! I like the bird links and also the photos they say the west coast of Scotland has some beautiful views.

Anonymous said...

an otter... cool. :O

Scot said...

looks like my kind of place

Susan Richardson said...

Wonderful to have seen an otter! I was thrilled to see one on Skye a few years ago - we were in a hide and it was quite some distance away, but it was still the highlight of the trip for me!

Anonymous said...

What a beautiful place. We're lucky in that we get to see otter a lot. They are such fun creatures!

AscenderRisesAbove said...

it looks like a very chilly day. i have never been on a ferry before which sounds like fun all by itself

Dave King said...

Went there once. Your post makes me want to go again. Thanks.

d. moll, l.ac. said...

Congratulations on your otter sighting. We have a lot of sea otters here, though at one time they were an endangered species. They are quite wonderful......

Tommaso Gervasutti said...

In Lerwick, Shetlands, I was tying my laces, bending down on the waterfront when I almost stumbled back and fell and also yelled with surprise -my wife got angry for me for this lack of control- when I saw a huge dark head in the water staring at me near a boat, five metres or less in front. It was a grey seal. First time I I have seen one so close. Huge and marvellous but also scaring so suddenly.

Janice Thomson said...

Beautiful photos. Love your banner Juliet - what a gorgeous scene!