Over the years I have seen numerous species of bird, animals and other wildlife at quite close quarters whilst out paddling in my kayak. In common with many other sea kayakers I thought that paddling in a sea kayak was the ultimate green vehicle. The one form of marine vehicle, which was going to cause the least amount of disturbance to wildlife, either along the shore or on the water.
On reflection though I am not so sure we are as environmentally as friendly as we think we are. I remember the indignation I felt when a wildlife watch boat off Shetland approach us and told us we were disturbing the birds. I then watched the boat approach much closer to the cliffs than we had been with no visible impact on the thousands of birds, which were in the area.
On another occasion I recall paddling off the south coast of Skye. There were numerous seals hauled out on the rocks and although we paddled out from the rocks there was some disturbance with a number of the seas entering the water. One of the small boats which operated out of Elgol passed reasonably close to us before approaching the rocks so that the passengers could get a better view of the seals. Surprisingly although the boat was closer than us the seals weren't at all concerned.
Thinking of other meaningful interactions with wildlife of various shapes and sizes many of the closest encounters have been whilst have been sitting still in my kayak. Puffins swimming close by, seals approaching the bow my my kayak, whales surfacing nearby, the list could go on.
So why didn't these larger boats with engines disturb the wildlife? One theory is that we are not a fixed shape, our paddles are rotating and at times the sunlight catches the blades. We are a moving image and perhaps the wildlife concerned becomes confused whereas a boat is a fixed shape and so the animals become accustomed to the shape and less agitated.
Of course this might be complete rubbish but I think that it is worth considering the impact we have on wildlife, our environmental credentials may not be as robust as we think they are. With the winter approaching be particularly thoughtful about those small wading birds who have traveled thousands of miles to find a regular food supply along our shoreline and then we paddle along, passing close to where they are roosting, causing them to take flight and wasting some of their hard earned energy resources.
Seeing wildlife in all its forms is one of the most memorable aspects of sea kayaking but lets slow down, give a bit more space and reduce the anxiety to those animals which call our seas and shoreline home.
On another occasion I recall paddling off the south coast of Skye. There were numerous seals hauled out on the rocks and although we paddled out from the rocks there was some disturbance with a number of the seas entering the water. One of the small boats which operated out of Elgol passed reasonably close to us before approaching the rocks so that the passengers could get a better view of the seals. Surprisingly although the boat was closer than us the seals weren't at all concerned.
Thinking of other meaningful interactions with wildlife of various shapes and sizes many of the closest encounters have been whilst have been sitting still in my kayak. Puffins swimming close by, seals approaching the bow my my kayak, whales surfacing nearby, the list could go on.
So why didn't these larger boats with engines disturb the wildlife? One theory is that we are not a fixed shape, our paddles are rotating and at times the sunlight catches the blades. We are a moving image and perhaps the wildlife concerned becomes confused whereas a boat is a fixed shape and so the animals become accustomed to the shape and less agitated.
Of course this might be complete rubbish but I think that it is worth considering the impact we have on wildlife, our environmental credentials may not be as robust as we think they are. With the winter approaching be particularly thoughtful about those small wading birds who have traveled thousands of miles to find a regular food supply along our shoreline and then we paddle along, passing close to where they are roosting, causing them to take flight and wasting some of their hard earned energy resources.
Seeing wildlife in all its forms is one of the most memorable aspects of sea kayaking but lets slow down, give a bit more space and reduce the anxiety to those animals which call our seas and shoreline home.
Paddling in Shetland. There were literally thousands of gannets plus numerous other species such as Puffins and Great Skua's. We didn't need to approach the cliffs as we slowed down the birds came closer of their own accord.
This was a memorable day heading south along the west side of the Sleat Peninsula in Skye, for several miles we were accompanied by dolphins. We didn't follow them or chase after them, they just decided to be with us.
Basking Shark off Wiay. Sitting and watching this magnificent creature swim alongside and underneath the kayaks was a very special experience.
Whilst launching after lunch two whales appeared alongside us. We sat for 30 minutes watching an amazing display and then as if they had had enough fun they just disappeared. One of the reasons why kayaking off the west coast of Greenland is so memorable.
This beautiful bird just swam past whilst waiting for some others in the group to launch.
It is always worth experimenting by pointing the camera down. This was just a lucky shot but there were so many sea lions in the area it was worth trying a few underwater shots even if I couldn't see what the camera was pointing at.
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