Wonderful wildlife on Canna

[petelynn]

I spent a few days on Rum in June while my partner was kayaking between the small isles. It was really difficult arranging accomodation and I ended up with 2 nights in the bunkhouse and 2 nights in a camping pod but one night homeless. In retrospect I would have been best walking out to one of the two bothies for the night (though even then no guarantee of a space). I wasn't going to camp on Rum in June! But I managed to get a bed in a B&B on Canna for the night - and there was a ferry from Rum to Canna on Sunday and back again on Monday. So I arrived in Canna at lunchtime and decided I could do the eastern half of the Canna circuit on Walkhighlands and still be in time for my pre-booked B&B dinner.

our_route.gpx Open full screen  NB: Walkhighlands is not responsible for the accuracy of gpx files in users posts

First job was to get a spot of lunch at the cafe. Good soup, mediocre roll but good coffee and cake.

P6120121 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
View to Rum from the cafe table

The first walk objective was to get up to compass hill. As soon as I set off I heard frequent calling from some 'buzzards' circling just to the left of compass hill. Didn't quite sound like buzzards but I guess they have a different accent out here. I feel a bit of a prat getting my binocular* out just for a buzzard but I was glad I did. The two birds circling together at maybe 150 metres were golden eagles and these were doing the calling. Higher up at around 500 metres was a white tailed eagle which I suppose was upsetting the goldens. No photos as they were too far away. *I've recently taken to using a monocular after my optician said I don't have binocular vision anyway. Takes a bit of getting used to but pretty pleased with it and it's half the size. After this exciting start it was a short steep climb up to compass hill.

P6120122 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
An interesting yacht moored.

P6120123 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
The yacht with Sanday and Rum behind

P6120124 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
The Skye Cuillin

P6120125 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Compass hill covered in orchids

It was now largely a matter of following the coast round as near to the cliff edge as possible or as near as I dared. The going was always pretty good though seldom much sign of a path.

P6120126 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Cliffs and Skye

P6120128 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Back down to Canna harbour and Sanday

P6120129 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Stac Iorcail at the bottom of the cliffs South Uist hills behind.

I again heard the strange calling I'd heard after the cafe and after a long search managed to see a golden eagle flying about midway up the cliffs and its calls being answer from the cliff face. Eventually it swooped into the cliff and disappeared.

Earlier in the week we'd been on a whale watching trip out of Loch Sunart and seen nothing. The captain had said 'what we need is to see a flock of Manx Shearwaters feeding' to lead us to cetaceans. So I was keeping a look out to sea for flocks of birds feeding. Eventually I saw a wheel of gulls and gannets circling and kept an eye on them. Soon I saw a dolphin break the water and then more until there were about 20 of them feeding in the area of the gannets. The dolphins soon moved on and the gannets started diving. Moments later a Minke whale surfaced and starting feeding in the area and then a second one. I thought at this point I ought to take a bit of film of this. They were about a mile away and 150 metres below so they we a bit dot-like. But here is a link to bit of the video just showing the two minke whales.

https://youtu.be/2Row22InyoM

P6120132 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Looking back

P6120133 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
And ahead

P6120134 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Skye Cuillins again

P6120135 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Do not disturb sign

I now detoured to the highest point of the island, Carn a'Ghaill. The view all round to Rum, the mainland, Skye and the long line of the Outer Hebrides were wonderful. Thick cloud overhead and a brighter horizon all round made photography tricky.

P6120136 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
To Sanday and Rum

P6120137adj by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Western Isles from South Uist southwards.

P6120139 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Skye and the mainland

P6120141 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Back to the cliffs

After this I regained the cliffs beyond the roped off eagle nesting area and descended to the low gap in the middle of the island and crossed to the track on the south side.

P6120142 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Looking back to the 'eagle' cliffs

P6120144 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Rubha Langanes and South Uist

P6120145 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
South across the 'neck' of Canna

P6120147 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Track along South of Canna with Rum in background

P6120148 by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Crags above the track

Walking back along the track, a golden eagle made a couple of appearances soaring above the crags. One poor photo.

P6120149zoom by Peter Lynn, on Flickr
Golden Eagle

I was really surrpised to see someone attempting to launch themselves off these crags with a paraglider! After several attempts he got airborne and as he soared away from the crags he put up another golden eagle less than 50 metres away. I tried for a quick picture but just got a couple of feet danling into the top of the frame!

I cut across from the track towards my B&B via a standing stone and an ancient cross and heard a Corncrake calling in the long vegetation. The icing on the cake of a great wildlife walk and an island I'd love to come back to.

[Alteknacker]

Looks like a truly beautiful route, and with wildlife like that, it's obviously a must: on to my to-do list! Whale, eagle, corncrake - fabulous!

BTW pic 6120137 is quite sensational

[Sgurr]

Lovely stuff. Some great photos there, weren't you lucky with the weather?

Must go back to Canna on a weekday, or a Sunday and walk round the coast. We went on a Saturday, climbed the hill and went for lunch in the cafe. Cafe is closed on a Saturday, so we went to the shop where you are supposed to pick stuff, write in the book and pay on an honsty system. When I realised what date it was, I also realsied it was our wedding anniversary, so wrote that we had hoped to dine in the cafe, but had bought crisps and chocolate instead. By the time we went to catch the ferry, my husband had become the bloke who took his wife for an anniversary meal without checking (not exacly true), and saved a packet. (This was the same shop where 6 bobble hats were once stolen)