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.
Marc Calhoun
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After leaving Ailsa Craig we motored over to Campbelltown. The guide had claimed he was a close personal friend of Paul McCartney. So I called his bluff by telling him to take the guests up to visit High Park Farm. Off they went, and an hour later I got a call that everyone was in the Campbelltown...
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We were delayed getting away from Holy Island for a few weeks. Just before we were to sail, the guide jumped ship. He'd been enchanted by the beautiful Buddhist Warden on Holy Isle, and decided to join up. At first, the 'No Alcohol' rule had deterred him from joining, but he decided he could do...
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I have to interrupt our cruise for a commercial announcement. After long last—25 years of journeys, and 10 years of writing—my book on the beehive cells of the Hebrides is available from Acair.See the following link for more information: Beehive Dwellings of the Hebrides
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From our anchorage off Brodick it is a five mile cruise to Lamlash, where we board the inflatable to head for the dock on Holy Island. Thomas Pennant, writing in the 1770s, had this to say of Holy Island.The Lord of Buchanan gives this the Latin name of Molas from its having been the retreat of St...
Plants of Skye, Raasay & The Small Isles
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Prompted by Neil’s observations on Skye, I went looking for a couple of aphid species here on Raasay. I had to walk all of 200 metres from my front gate to find both: Yarrow Aphid (Macrosiphoniella millefolii) on Yarrow (Achillea millefolium) The pink ones are males. Large Knapweed...
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A sub-group of Skye Botany Group went to Loch Connan and Loch Niarsco, principally to look for Potamogeton berchtoldii (Small Pondweed), which had been recorded in the NCC Loch Survey in 1989 but not since in the 10 km square NG34. We succeeded in Loch Connan, but not in Loch Niarsco:...
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A moth trap at home a few days ago yielded five moths I haven’t had here before: Autumnal RusticDioryctria abietellaIron ProminentPale EggarParsnip Moth Thanks to Keith and Mark for some of the identifications. So far this year I have added 31 moths to my list of adult moths found here...
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Ten members of Skye Botany Group went to Loch na Crèitheach, north of Camasunary on Skye last week. We were in search of Potamogeton epihydrus (American Pondweed) based on a putative record from 1989. It was never fully confirmed and as a native plant it is only known in a few lochans in the Outer...
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Joanna found Cornus alba agg. (White or Red-osier Dogwood) in Portree, which made me re-examine plants on Raasay and at Flodigarry that had been recorded as C. sanguinea (Dogwood). They both turn out to be C. alba agg. too. It is not clear that C. alba and C. sericea, the two taxa that make up the...
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In early June I took a piece of Prunus padus (Bird Cherry) that had some leaves tied together with silk in the hope of rearing a moth form the larva responsible. So far no moth has emerged, but a few days ago I found this nymph in the pot, which is Anthocoris sp., very probably A. nemorum (Common...
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Last year a visitor to Skye reported Oxyria digyna (Mountain Sorrel) from Greshornish Point, just above sea level. This was an unusual site, this plant being found at least moderaely high up or else where it has been washed down along the course of a river. In the absence of an image or specimen, I...
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The survey of Portree for the Urban Flora of Scotland continues to yield useful results. The following three garden escapes are new to VC104: Hypericum ‘Hidcote’Lycium barbarumRosa glauca and this is the first Skye record for 52 years (though known on Rum): Astrantia major
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I see that it is nearly two weeks since I last posted. Here are a few items from that period. John has found Luzula luzuloides (White Wood-rush) by a woodland path on Eigg. This is a neophyte that is grown for ornament, naturalised in woods and by shady streams, scattered throughout most of Britain...
Treshnish Farm
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Broad leaved helleborineAugust sunset Moving the tupsKnapweed Devil's bit scabiousunidentified hawkweedRed cloverIn the Black ParkYellow rattle seedheadKnapweed Parasol mushroomProcumbent or alpine pearlwortCommon hogweed Red damselfly? Rowan - fruiting and flowering at the...
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In the last few years we have taken lambs to market in a lorry. This has been easier to arrange as it is one big sort out and that's it, the majority of the lambs gone - but with transport costs rising and to try and reduce the potential risk of having all our eggs in one basket (all our...
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Volunteer on Eigg
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The first Woodland Creation project to be planted with our own trees was carried out over spring 2020 and completed spring 2021. Now the 17,500 trees have been planted the next step is the maintenance and after care. Going in and cutting back or digging out the brambles to begin with has helped the...
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The large tunnel has served me well and is brilliant although I have found in spring especially when there is a mixture of seed trays and stock left to grow on for a further year it is impossible to get the watering right as one thing is either over or under watered… in an attempt to help...
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First seeds to germinate and be brave enough to poke their heads above the soil in the erratic spring weather was Sycamore on the 3rd of March! Roughly 3wks on they were ready for transplanting. Next up was Hawthorn, followed by Rowan and Birch. Disappointing germination considering the...
wondering wanderers
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I have one of those ‘X years ago’ type reminders on my phone of photos taken on this date. For most of the last 18 months it was the sort of thing you would not want to look at as it just reminded you of the Beforetimes when there were friends to be with, places to visit and a life...
