Finally… Rain!

Not a Phrase You Hear Often in Scotland…
Scotland is known for being dreich (or very wet and grey), albeit beautiful, place; on average Scotland gets between 150 and 250 days of rain a year, so it’s not often that you hear Scots complain when the weather is good for extended periods. However, the very dry and warm weather over the past couple of weeks has really taken its toll on the local landscape, wildlife, and people! Wildfires have been sprouting up around the Highlands due to the dry weather, some as close to home as Kilmuir and just outside of Inverness’ south side. The rivers have been nearly barren of salmon as they can’t get up such low water runs. Our guides have been getting sunburned! So when the heavens finally opened today and the contents of the Moray Firth (or at least, that’s what it felt like) fell on top of us, it was a welcome change.

It’s Raining… Fish!
With the really heavy rain, the river was running at full flow again, which became apparent at 12pm and 4pm this afternoon, when Kesslet appeared in style once again. As we approached her under the Kessock Bridge, Kesslet made an astounding, big breach out the port side of the boat, continuing to bounce up the Kessock Channel as she went off hunting for lunch. Though we didn’t actually spot Kesslet with a fish herself, they were flying in all directions; our seals managed to get in on the action too! Both the harbour seals and grey seals were out to hunt, splashing around and throwing some small salmon out of the water. It’s a wonder that Charlie didn’t show up to enjoy the bounty, as there certainly seemed to be plenty to go around.

Dolphin Mischief Meets Mischief-Makers!
Despite the adverse weather, there was barely a breath of wind, allowing Mischief to get out on the water too this afternoon. As she trundled carefully through Chanonry, they encountered a playful group of youngsters who came to investigate; one individual even followed alongside for a while, giving our passengers the eye, before giving a quick breach out the front of the boat and dashing off into the rain. Mischief’s sightings are generally quite consistent, and it sounds like the young groups, such as the Bad Boy’s Club, have started to make their presence known in the firth again. Maybe we’ll see more of them in the coming months; here’s certainly hoping so!