West Coast Islands Blogs
Blogs (web logs) provide an ideal opportunity to explore the traditions, culture and wildlife of Wild Lochaber. We have put together a collection of local blogs and provide the titles and text snippets to give a taste of each entry with direct links to the main blog entry on the host website. We hope you will find time to explore the full articles and further information on the host blog sites.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions for blogs you would like to see here.
Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles
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A trip up Beinn Edra with Neil, Seth and two of his friends allowed us to show them, and refresh records for, Epilobium alsinifolium (Chickweed Willowherb), Gnaphalium supinum (Dwarf Cudweed), Juncus triglumis (Three-flowered Rush), Koenigia islandica (Iceland-purslane), Salix herbacea (Dwarf...
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I had another look at images of this moth from the same period as those shown in my last post: Udea decrepitalis I realised it looked like Udea decrepitalis (Scotch Pearl) and this was confirmed by Mark Young. Another local rarity!
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In the past couple of days I have found five moths that I have not knowingly seen before. All were on Raasay but only one here at home to add to my list of West Suisnish moths. Clouded SilverNeofaculta ericetella (Heather Groundling)Red Twin-spot CarpetSmall Argent and SableStriped Twin-spot...
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It is still cold so plants are late in flowering and insects on the wing are few in number much of the time. However, it has still been possible to find interesting things….. A single leaf of Dryas octopetala (Mountain Avens) from Gualann na Leac on Raasay had a gall and leaf spots....
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On Skye last week I spotted some impressive flies which turn out to be Empis borealis, a species of Dance Fly or Dagger Fly. Thanks to Tony and Seth for i.d. This particular species of fly exhibits sex-role reversal in its mating process, with female flies aggregating in swarms to compete for...
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Micromoths have continued to provide interest though it has turned cold in recent days which is limiting what’s about -not just in terms of micromoths. This one is Philedonides lunana (Heath Twist), not a rare moth but one with very few records locally. I spotted two in the Manish area of...
Treshnish Farm
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Several opportunities for walks through the fields yesterday and along the coast. Just magical!
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A couple of errands took me down to the Ross of Mull today. It was a beautiful day. I spent time on Uisken beach. A place of childhood camping trips and intense Cowrie shell hunting. Thrift or Sea pinks growing on rocks, catching the intense sunlight. Flag irises...
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The day turned wet, and when the rains had ceased it was evening and the evening sun lit the jungle of Cow parsley and a solitary Red campion growing within the walls of the garden round the farmhouse.
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Herb robert, roadside below Druimgigha This evening we walked into the graveyard field and down onto the shore by the mouth of the Ensay burn.The Thrift was flourishing on the rocks. A late Early purple orchid. Burnet roseWild thymeThe first Yellow rattleSea...
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A walk in Aros Park after the mornings rain. Rhododendren ponticum is highly invasive and well established in the woods around Aros Park but there is an ongoing eradication programme, although this one right beside the loch seems to have been missed. Water lilies are a novelty for...
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I had a job to do near Ulva Ferry in the afternoon. I stood between 2 fields listening to Snip drumming and watching Peewits dipping and soaring and calling. The combination of the two sounds were magical. There is lots of Rowan blossom this year. Under the Sycamores...
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This time of year again. I am not sure I will manage to do a post every day but I will try! Mountain everlasting An unspotty Heath spotted orchidMountain everlastings Heath spotted orchid with unusually dense headZigzag cloverCommon cotton grassEarly purple orchidBloody...
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Treshnish was graced with the presence of a Common crane on 4th May. What an experience! We watched it in the field by the Ensay burn as it walked and fed and walked, before it was disturbed by some Greylag geese. It then flew off towards Scoma and Haunn. Sorry for the poor...
Marc Calhoun
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After leaving Scarba we head south into the open maw of Corryvreakan. Sounds pretty dramatic, terrifying, and death defying, doesn't it! Actually, the whirlpool is usually asleep. And that's how we find it as we stop off at the little island of Eilean Beag, on the south side of the whirlpool, at...
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Sunday morning, after leaving Eilean Righ, we motor down to the Dorus Mor to set course to the northwest. Our destination: The Gulf of Corryvreakan. After rounding Carrig Mhor, the north tip of Jura, we enter the Gulf itself where, a mile in we enter a vast area of turbulent sea. There is not just...
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After our Luing leaving we motor south to enter the Dorus Mor, the sea passage between Crinan and the Inner Hebrides. A turn to port then takes us up into Loch Craignish. After passing Island Macaskin we find a sheltered anchorage off the west side of Eilean Righ, the King's Island. Eilean...
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From Seil we set a course through Cuan Sound to steam down the coast of Luing. It happens to be a Friday, and for fish Fridays I installed a deep fryer in the galley so we can have fish & chips. The chef complained that if the ship pitched and rolled he'd get splashed with hot oil. But since...
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Leaving Kerrera in our wake we set a course to the southwest. Our next island-fall is only four miles away, and so after a short half hour of motoring we drop the anchor near Puilladobhrain - the otter's pool - a sheltered spot on the northwest corner of Seil Island. Ships like Hjalmar Bjorge...
