The Cuillins.

It was another day of hunting eagles but, today we didn’t get a sniff of one. Bowing to the inevitable, we jumped species and went after otters. Yesterday, our guide swore blind that he saw one in the distance, but the rest of us couldn’t even make out a speck on the horizon. What we did find was the very fresh and glistening otter pooh in the extra.
 
So this is what wildlife watching is all about then – finding otter pooh. We were invited to smell it (slightly floral); we were invited to disassemble it to find the fish bones and scales; we were invited to observe the circles of luxuriant growth right on the tops of all the surrounding grassy mounds. Otter pooh is incredibly fascinating when you have nothing else to look at.
 
As an escape from all the excitement, we made for a bog a mile or two north of Sligachan, learned how to pronounce Sligachan and Blipped the Cuillins with the crepuscular sun rays behind them and the frozen bog pools in front of them.
 
Finally, we made our way back to our various lodging houses and said our “Goodbyes.” I wonder if I’ll ever see any of them again.
 
Just so that I remain on speaking terms with our guide: his wildlife knowledge and tracking skills are phenomenal, as are his photographs. You can find out about him here.