Inner Hebrides, Scotland. Day 21 , 19th July.
Heading back for Oban in very still conditions. We are passing Neist Point near the north-west tip of Skye. You can just see the lighthouse. It looks very different here from when we saw it on land.
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For a time the mist descended and we could hardly see anything. It seemed the sort of weather where one might encounter the Marie Celeste. We didn’t see her but were soon to make other sightings and the sea was amazingly still….
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An orca dorsal fin (not the flipper of a whale).
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Female orca.
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Male orca. The birds appear to be ringed plovers.
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Fishing boat (dredger) in the distance.
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Ringed plovers.
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There are three orcas altogether. A bull known as “John Coe” and two females.
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Common gull.
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Common gull.
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Lesser black-backed gull.
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Lesser black-backed gull.
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Gannet.
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Dolphins.
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Altogether, an incredible display in remarkably calm conditions.
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Murray Foote 
Nice shots! I’d be interested to know which lenses you used for the Orca and Dolphin shots.
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Thanks Ernie! They were all with a 300mm f2.8 on a Nikon D800.
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Oh these images are wonderful. The reflections of the seagulls in that glassy sea, the orcas and dolphins – how lucky can you be – nature at it’s best, thank you for this glimpse, Murray.
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Thanks very much Lee. Lucky indeed. I’ve never seen conditions like this at sea before.
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Wow, that glassy sea is amazing. Great conditions and wonderful shots! Especially the second common gull and the second lesser black backed gull shots – though I also loved the second shot – the one that’s just ocean and mist and you can hardly see the difference.
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Thanks very much Jeni. You don’t often get opportunities like this.
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[…] Glassy seas, Inner Hebrides […]
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