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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The pupa on Polystichum aculeatum (Hard Shield-fern) emerged last week and turns out to be Psychoides filicivora sometimes called Fern Smut. Psychoides filicivora At the time of writing nothing has emerged from the pupae from the adjacent Polypodium vulgare (Polypody), but it is highly likely...
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Pelorism is the abnormal production of radially symmetrical flowers in a species that usually produces bilaterally symmetrical flowers. I had never seen this in Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica subsp. sylvatica) until Friday when I found this plant at Garafad, Staffin. At least in...
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Similar to the Sonchus arvensis story, I spotted Eupatorium cannabinum (Hemp-agrimony) on the roadside south of Sligachan. Again, this is almost exclusively coastal locally and this is a new hectad (10 km) record. Eupatorium cannabinum by the road Recently, Joanna found the glabrous form of...
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On Friday, Skye Botany Group set off southwards from Kilmarie hoping to re-find Sorbus rupicola (Rock Whitebeam) based on some old records. We scoured the cliffs from below but failed to find any. A long-dead trunk or two may explain our failure. However, we made some additions to the plant lists...
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A return to the Beinn na’ Leac area yesterday with Joanna allowed us to re-find my Saussurea alpina (Alpine Saw-wort) record from twenty years ago. At least, we found one rather sickly-looking plant on a ledge very close to, but not exactly at, my earlier grid reference. The last...
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At Isleornsay, James has found a second Skye site for Juncus maritimus (Sea Rush), seen here with J. conglomeratus (Compact Rush): Juncus maritimus with J. conglomeratus. Image: J Merryweather Meanwhile, Joanna has found an area in Portree with several plants not normally found here such as...
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When Simon was here in June he got some really good images of our Saxifraga cespitosa (Tufted Saxifrage) in flower, like this one: Saxifraga cespitosa on Skye Image: S Harrap First spotted in 2014, we still only have one site, on the Trotternish Ridge.
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Yesterday Skye Botany Group visited Dunvegan Woods to look at male ferns under the tutelage of local pteridologist James Merryweather who recently wrote Britain’s Ferns: A Field Guide to the Clubmosses, Quillworts, Horsetails and Ferns of Great Britain and Ireland. We were particularly...
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Several recent items worth mentioning have escaped record here e.g. The striking yellow and black leafhopper Evacanthus interruptus near Glasnakille The tiny weevil Parethelcus pollinarius on nettles in the garden Mines on Chamaenerion angustifolium (Rosebay) caused by the micromoth...
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We have had several members of the family visiting recently and both young and old made interesting finds. On the shore near home we identified Anurida maritima, seashore springtail – a common enough species but never recorded on Raasay before. There were also some tiny crustaceans, probably...
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On our way back from Canna, I spotted a tree on the cliffs near Glasnakille on Skye. I was pretty sure that it was the Nationally Scarce Sorbus rupiciola (Rock Whitebeam) so yesterday I went to see. It is indeed a good specimen, though comletely unreachable. Sorbus rupicola at Glasnakille...
Treshnish Farm
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August has been a month of growing weather. Warm and damp! The fields are lush and green with so much grass, seed heads galore, and armies of finches darting ahead of you as you walk. The garden has been producing lots too.. an abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers - which we share...
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15th August 2023 - approximately 14,680 lambs sold.
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The Salen Show is always a great day out. It is held in the 'show field' at Glenaros. The distinctive show shed sits tucked in at the side of the field under the trees, and in the weeks running up to the show, the farming community get together to put up the pens for the sheep and...
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The Treshnish basket of organic vegetables The winning basket of vegetablesPreparations There was Highland dancing Farmer's jersey made with our own woolBlackface tups in the ringCheviots The sheep ringsThe Herdwicks Cheviots choice Catching yoursShowing them ...
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Today we landed on Great Bernera, at Bosta beach. Then after lunch we landed on Little Bernera where I flew the drone. We moored at Meavaig tied up to the pontoons.
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After lunch we made the journey from Scarp up to Reef on Lewis. This was very rough. But the sun was shining and it was extraordinarily beautiful at the same time as being terrifying. We went ashore on Pabbaigh Mhor.
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Day 4 we moved from Taransay to Loch Tamnabhaig, the crossing was pretty unpleasant. Day 5 We had moored in the calm waters of Loch overnight. Next day the weather was not conducive for moving out of the loch or for going ashore. We spent the day watching the landscape swirl as the boat...
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By this time we realised we would not be going to St Kilda. It was deemed after 2 uncomfortable hours too rough to make it to the Monach Isles. We settled for Taransay, and it was beautiful.
Marc Calhoun
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There is something special about an early morning, or early evening landing, on a deserted island. The slanting rays of the sun give the terrain an added dimension of depth and color. Adding to the uniqueness is that these shore trips, before breakfast, or after dinner, are few and far...
