Creel fisherman Lorn MacRae saw the Arctic animal basking in the winter sun on Cairn Na Burgh Beag, a small island which is part of the Treshnish Isles in the Inner Hebrides, on Monday.

Marine conservation charity, the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust (HWDT), described the walrus as “massive” after seeing photographs.

HWDT, which has been been monitoring wildlife for 25 years, said Monday’s sighting was the first record of a walrus on its database, meaning it is “significant” for the region.

One of those moments when I start thinking about finishing my remaining retirement years back in the Hebrides where so many of my Canadian kin were born.