SeaXplorer

GREY SEAL PUP

Well as you know we have had a group of Atlantic grey seals in Loch Linnhe that have been amusing passengers onboard Seaxplorer over the summer months. Yesterday a pup was born much to the delight of our passengers today who had the first glimpse of the newborn pup.

We shall keep you updated of the pups progress over the next few weeks.

October has been a good month for porpoise sightings, today on our two hour coastal adventure trip we had a fantastic show by some very curious porpoise. Our passengers had a great show as they swam round and under the boat.The weather was perfect for porpoise spotting and we also had amazing views of Ben Nevis and the surrounding mountains of Lochaber .

We will continue to run our daily wildlife adventures untill the end of October. Seaxplorer is also avaliable for private charter for that special occasion.

Wildlife sightings

Well despite the bad weather we have still been busy spotting wildlife onboard Seaxplorer in and around Loch Linnhe on the west coast of Scotland.

The porpoise have been putting on some great interactive shows close to the boat over the last few days. They have been swimming around and under the boat much to the delight of the passengers onboard Seaxplorer.

The grey seals are still on the island and have actually been sharing the common seals dedicated island.

The ever popular goats are still either lazing on the beach or scrambling over the rocky outcrops. Deer have been coming down from the mountain tops in increasing numbers.

Balnagowan has seen most of the nesting birds disappear now with only a few residents left. However we have been still seeing Eider, Razorbills, Guillemots, Gannets, Shearwater and also Red Breasted Mergansers.

THe mighty Sea Eagle has been a regular sighting all season and we have been lucky enough to see this magnificent bird on even some of the more inclement days.

Wildlife

Well despite the wet August! we have still been busy out on Loch Linnhe spotting wildlife. Passengers onboard Seaxplorer have had great sightings of the sea eagles, porpoise, seals, grey and common, deer and the ever popular wild goats. Most of the gulls have left the island of Balnagowan now and headed further out to sea. Gannets are still a common sighting on our longer two hour wildlife coastal adventure trip along with the occasional Manx Shearwater.

Monday was a busy day on Seaxplorer as we entertained a party of guests on behalf of Visit Scotland. The group were collected from Port Appin at The Pierhouse and then returned to The Isles of Glencoe Hotel. For many of them it was a first time experience on a fastboat trip, and although a little damp, everyone had a fantastic adventure.

The Creel Pot has been proving very popular with the young and old! Todays catch included Langoustine, Squat Lobster, Starfish, small Cod and a Dogfish!!

GREY SEALS

We have been very busy over the July/August period on Seaxplorer. The ever popular 2hour Wildlife Coastal Adventure on Loch Linnhe has also seen some new visitors.

A group of Atlantic Grey seals have taken up residence on one the small islands in Loch Linnhe that we visit daily. It looks like two male and two female and hopefully they will be around for a few more months and also have their pups here? They have become used to the sound of our engines and the people dressed in blue!  

A Wee note from a Happy customer

Dave & Simon, Thanks for the exhilerating trip, it was excellent. Have a great Season and hope to see you again soon!

Jim (The Diver) Sticks an' all!

Smiling

Smiling is infectious

You catch it just like Flu!

Someone smiled at me today

I started smiling too!

I passed around the corner

And someone saw me grin

When he smiled I realised

I’d passed it on to him!

I thought about a smile

And realised its worth

A single smile like mine

Could travel round the Earth?

So if you feel a smile begin

Don’t leave it undetected

Let’s start an epidemic quick

And get the World Infected!

Jim Bland 1994

Sea Eagle update

Well the nesting sea eagle chicks have now fledged the nest and taken their first flight. On a private charter earlier this week we stopped to view the progress of the eagle chicks. Both  chicks looked healthy and relaxed perched close to the nest in nearby trees. Only one adult was present further down the coastline. According to Dave Sexton the RSPB officer for the area said that the chicks had been ringed a few weeks earlier allowing them to monitor the birds as they mature.

On our daily 2hour wildlife  coastal adventure on Loch Linnhe we have had regular sightings of another sea eagle. The eagle has a white tag with a letter A on it. According to the RSPB this is a female born in 2007 at site 27 on Mull.This bird has been seen flying regularly with aanother adult eagle in Loch Linnhe and has given many of the passengers on Seaxplorer their first sighting of this rare and magnificent bird of prey.

Along with the eagles we have had great porpoise sightings and also a host of new born seal pups. The artic terns have also had chicks and they are growing very quickly.

Our private charter was a family from Holland who earlier in the week had been out with us on our daily 2hour wildlife tour, they enjoyed themselves so much they chartered the boat for the afternoon! With sunny skies and calm seas we set of for the Ardnamurchan lighthouse, from here you can see all the islands Coll,Tiree,Muck,Rhum and Eigg along with some stunning scenery as you round the most westerly tip of the UK mainland. Heading back we stopped at Tobermory and gave the family chance to explore the harbour and enjoy the sunshine in one of the many sea front cafes. With the guys refuelled we headed back along the coast of Lismore and dropped them back at Appin where they were staying for the week. Agreat Day!!

Sea Eagles

After a week of fantastic weather our Friday sea eagle watching trip on Seaxplorer was also bathed in sunshine and calm seas.Leaving Ballachulish with passengers our first stop was the Boathouse at Kingairloch where we would collect the remaining passengers. Our sea eagle trip allows the serious bird lover to appreciate the birds in their natural surroundings seen only from the water.

Scouting the coastline and remote ridges above we soon came across our first eagle high on the tree line. Leaving the adult in peace we carried on to the nesting area.

We have been following the nesting sea eagles closley over the last few months and we were keen to see if the chicks had fledged yet. Keeping a good distance from the nest it was clear to see one of the young chicks eagerly stretching its wings in anticipation of its maiden flight. Both adult birds were close by high in the trees. Allowing the passengers on board time to observe this fantastic sight we left the birds in peace and continued our journey.

Pearl and the Puppets

Seaxplorer Fast boat Wildlife Adventures had a very special party on board last week in the shape of up and coming indie band Pearl and the Puppets.

 The guys were up for the Fort William mountain bike championships. Party in the Fort entertainment had been arranged by Fired-Art and Pearl and the boys were performing to the thousands of spectators on the Saturday night.At special request the band had been treated to a trip on Seaxplorer in the afternoon.

They are now known as Pearl and the Porpoise!

Seal pups

The colony of common seals that we visit in Loch Linnhe on our two hour wildlife tour have now produced the first pups of the season. Over the last two weeks we have seen new pups almost everyday. Seaxplorer is the only commercial boat to work this area in Scotland and the seals are quite used to us now. The young pups are very curious of us and all the people dressed in blue!

As we are a WISE acredited operator we are very aware that this is a very stressful time for the seals  and we are careful in our approach and also how close we get to the seals.

Wildlife sightings have been very good this year with regular sightings of porpoise, otters,eagles golden and the white tailed sea eagle to name but a few. Also gannets have been a regular sighting on our longer wildlife trips into Loch Linnhe.

What's in the pot?

Seaxplorer's wildlife coastal adventures offer more than just a boat trip. We also give our passengers the chance to interact with the sea creatures living on the seabed in Loch Linnhe near Fort William. Our creel pot is now a firm favourite with our passengers giving them an oppurtunity to get hands on with the amazing sealife that lives in Scotlands west coast waters. We catch many different species including squat lobster, langoustine, dog fish, crabs and more recently starfish or sea star.