Jeff Clarke Ecology

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North of the Border

North of the Border

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As is my norm these days I've been spending several weeks of the summer running courses for the Field Studies Council in Scotland, based out of Kindrogan. I finished my most recent course on Invertebrate Survey Techniques on the 25th August and then continued my Scottish sojourn for a few more days with the Cheshire Mammal Group. There are three blogs on the Wild Kindrogan Blog site detailing the courses and events of these tours Cheshire Mammal Group at Kindrogan, Invertebrate Survey Techniques Course & Wildlife Explorers 2012.

After leaving Kindrogan we headed for Gairloch on the spectacular west coast of the highlands. Our priority was to get out on the Hebridean Whale Cruise boat to see some cetaceans. We arrived in a gale and hoped for better weather to come. Twelve hours later calm sees greeted the dawn and we set out into The Minch. We enjoyed a good variety of seabirds, including a breathless pursuit between a Kittiwake and a pale phase Arctic Skua, we were also checked out by a Great Skua (Bonxie). Cetaceans were notable by their absence, save for a few glimpses of Harbour Porpoise until on our return we intercepted a pod of Short Beaked Common Dolphin, which played around our boat and sped along in the bow wave for several minutes. Later that day we headed for Red Point and observed more porpoises and dolphins, two close inshore Otters and a few Atlantic Grey Seals

We had missed out on the Minke Whales so the following day we took the ferry from Ullapool to Stornoway, The trip out was quiet with just a few Short-beaked Common Dolphins in view. The return leg was entirely different with 15 Minke Whales showing, including several close individuals, which I managed not to photograph, so a good reason to go back and try again. In total we managed an impressive 24 species of mammal in just a five days.

I'm running a Small Mammals Course in Scotland later this autumn. Can't wait!
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