Today in the morning there was no early otter search but instead an early breakfast, so we could arrive on the boat early, before the other boats were out. Sadly the first half of the boat trip was raining, so it was quite difficult to see the ripples of otters and cetaceans. However there were cormorants and shags close to the boat, as well as goosanders and common seals.
Towards the end of the boat trip, we stopped on the fairly small isle of Carna, which is well-known locally for the part-highland cattle that roam free all over it. The parts of it lower down are great for rare salt marsh grasses and flowers and higher up some young ,primarily birch woodlands. There are also plenty of the Scotch Argus butterflies, which are only found in the Scottish highlands and parts of north England.
After a damp boat trip, we headed west towards the village of Strontian, the capital of loch Sunart. Near to the village there is a lovely path that goes along a little stream, with lots of wildlife to see. On common plant there called Bog Asphodel, is known as bone-breaker in latin, due to its lack of calcium and can lead to weaker bones when consumed by livestock. When walking along the river we encountered a common shrew, but it quickly disappeared into the long grasses.
After the walk along the river we visited a beach very nearby to try and see some waders, but there were only a couple of Oystercatchers on some rocks far away. Although there would normally be otters in the area, the people camping on the beach probably put them off. Behind the beach, there was some nice pasture and a couple of Speckled wood butterflies could be seen dancing in the sun.
When it became dark, I watched a few Pine Martens eating outside where we’re staying and then went to bed. Late at night I woke up and went for a midnight drive to look for some wildlife. There were a couple of big Red stags and large herds of hinds and their young, but other than that not much else. A nice end to a more a better day than the one before.
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