June, a Great Month For Wildlife Watching

June ended on a high note on Mara Mhor with two very successful day cruises during which dolphins surrounded the boat just south of Oban.
Later, on one of the cruises, the sea eagle and her chick were seen.
The passengers were also treated to close encounters with the new born seal pups and were able to watch while a mother fed her pup.

Common Dolphins

On a cruise southwards via the Sound of Kerrera from Oban, we encountered a small pod of common dolphins, about 6 in number. These are perhaps the same ones that were in and around Oban Bay earlier in the week. They were feeding in the tidal stream near the mouth of Loch Feochan and circled the boat to play when they became aware of our presence. These dolphins have the characteristic pattern of yellowish-tan on their lower flanks, becoming pale grey behind the fin. They swam under the bow of the boat for quite some time, enabling all the passengers an excellent view of them.

Bottlenose Dolphins

On a Round Kerrera Cruise today we encountered a large pod of bottlenose dolphins. There must have been upwards of 20 in the pod including some young ones and some juveniles. They entertained us for 15 minutes jumping and surfing at the bow of the boat. When the boat was stopped to allow photographs to be taken they continued to surface and circle the vessel to the delight of our passengers.

Arrival of First Seal Pups

The first seal pups have been born on Sgeir Dhon between 5pm last night and 10am this morning. One mother and pup are very high up and exposed whilst the other is much nearer the low water line. This will make for a much easier entry into the water for the pup. There is a black backed gull hovering around and it is to be hoped that the mothers look after their pups well!

Last year's first pups were born on 24th June.

Common Dolphins

There was a small pod of common dolphins in Oban Bay in the early part of the week, an unusual sight so close to the shore. They were seen frequently over the course of 2 days enjoying bow-riding infront of the many boats coming in and out of the bay. They put on a good display breaching and wake jumping. The common dolphins are smaller than the bottlenose dolphins which are also found around our shores.

Pregnant Female Seals

The pregnant females are almost ready to give birth to their pups. The pups will be born on Sgeir Dhon in the next week or so. Hopefully they will not have too much harassment from the black back gulls which have been closing in on the colony lately. The number of pregnant females appears to be about the same as last year.

Dolphins

Due to strong wind we travelled south yesterday instead of our Tobermory and Beyond Cruise. We proceeded through the Easdale Sound and in the rough water of the standing waves, near the entrance to the Sound of Cuan, we were joined by 3 dolphins. They put on a spectacular show of wave jumping and bow surfing around the boat for some time and then enjoyed jumping our wake as we made our way through Cuan Sound.

There were no sightings near Corryvrecken.
Later on the same cruise we came across a sea eagle at the north end of the Island of Jura.

It was quite a day - enjoyed by all!