Duncansby Head at John O'Groats is one of the top cetacean watching places in
mainland Britain and is where
I saw a pod of orcas in August 2018. Tonight we are staying near Thurso in preparation for our ferry over to
Orkney tomorrow, so what better way to pass an afternoon than a walk along the
cliffs to the stacks and then down to the nearby beach at the Bay of Sannick.
This is as wild a place as any I have been, there is a tremendous feeling of
remoteness here. The cliffs are full of seabirds, mainly fulmars but also four
species of auk, kittiwakes and shag, and they are harassed by patrolling
bonxies.
But in my opinion it is that stretch of sea between the mainland and Orkney,
known as the Pentland Firth, where the real excitement is, because this is
where the whales and dolphins are usually seen.
It didn't disappoint today, I had a nice view of a minke whale breaking the
surface several times in amongst a large raft of auks, before finally arching
its back and deep diving. Perhaps surprisingly given how many other species of
cetacean I have seen, this was my first minke but my seventh species of whale
overall, following blue, fin, sperm, southern right, humpback and northern bottlenose.
Also today, a nice view of a Risso's dolphin which was about my fourth or fifth
sighting of the species.
