While anchored overnight at St Kilda, surrounded by hundreds of thousands of seabirds, the Emma Jane had a very small, unexpected visitor. Head guide Lynsey was woken in the early hours by Jasmin, the Stewardess on board, as she set about her preparations for the day. When Jasmin arrived in the saloon to start getting the breakfast service ready, she quickly spotted the unexpected tiny guest — a puffling! The young puffin had evidently boarded the vessel during the night, after fledging from its burrow. It had clearly spent some time exploring Emma Jane, leaving behind a trail of "evidence" on the bridge, in the saloon, and even down into the guest cabins. We assumed it must have become confused by the lights and vessels in Village Bay and lost it way on its first journey to the open sea.
A team effort was required to carefully move furniture and catch the puffling. The puffling would only be around 6 weeks old but it was clearly strong and healthy. As soon as it was safely secured, after a quick photo, Lynsey expertly released it back to sea, where it immediately took to the waves. It was a pity it was too early for our guests to see the puffling at close quarters, but it was important to release the bird as soon as possible..
Young seabirds, when fledging, can sometimes become confused by artificial lights from buildings and vessels. As a company, we make a concerted effort to reduce light pollution whenever possible, particularly during the seabird fledging season. Fortunately, in this case, we were able to safely catch and release the puffling back to sea.
Emma, James and all of the Hebrides Cruises team - thank you for the most wonderful, memorable experience aboard Lucy Mary last weekend on the Hebrides Magical Mini-Cruise. We are missing it all so much already! Every single detail was so perfect, from the minute we stepped on board and were welcomed so warmly by the crew with the lovely Prosecco and canapés to the excitement of setting sail and knowing that we and our cruise companions had all begun a unique adventure together, making lifetime memories in the most tranquil, spiritual setting that would bond us all. Everything felt familiar and like home so quickly but also so far away from our day to day reality which didn’t creep in and disturb us once. We were utterly immersed in the experience and the wildlife aspect was simply phenomenal. I still can’t quite believe we actually experienced those moments. The anticipation of a ‘spot’, seeing a beastie emerge and sharing the wonder of that experience together as a group. Those are etched memories and I know how moved and elated every single person in our group was, time and time again on our trip. Having a pod of common dolphins, followed by bottle nose dolphins bow riding Lucy Mary as we journeyed towards Ardtornish was a moment we will never forget. It was other worldly and really quite emotional. The depth of knowledge and experience James has gave us the experiences we were so lucky to have, and having a wildlife guide on board is one of the most unique aspects of the cruise. James and Bella knew exactly what to look for in the waters which led to a successful spot each time - whales, dolphins, porpoises and all manner of sea birds. We had such lovely cruise companions - we all bonded and became very fond of each other quickly, with Hebrides Cruises creating the foundation for that with the quality of the experience. I hadn't appreciated just how much we would enjoy that aspect, being around people we had never met. It really is such a special part of the experience. The accommodation was so comfortable -
Andrew Wilson: 19 April 2024Hebrides Magical Mini Cruise