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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I have been away but local botany continues….. A report on plant recording in VC104 from January to June 2022 is here. An expedition to collect a sample of Ophioglossum azoricum (Small Adder’s-tongue) for full genome sequencing was successful and has been written up by Max Coleman...
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I went for a walk at Aird Bernisdale with local residents interested in plants. We made a few new 10 km square records of garden escapes/planted species e.g. Anaphalis margaritacea (Pearly Everlasting), but also managed quite a few new tetrad records, including Pinguicula lusitanica (Pale...
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The past week has produced a number of good finds. On Sunday I went to Borreraig in NG15 in the hope of re-finding a 1991 record of Neottia ovata (Common Twayblade). I failed on that, but right where I parked the car there was Glechoma hederacea (Ground-ivy), new to NG15. A path has been mown down...
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Joanna has found Carex riparia (Greater Pond-sedge) at Broadford during a survey for the Urban Flora of Scotland. This is a first for VC 104 and there is a good patch of it near the shore. Carex riparia (Greater Pond-sedge) A few days ago I visited Armadale Castle to survey orchids. We...
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This diagram shows the number of vascular plant taxa recorded in each tetrad of vice-county 104 from 2000 to the present (records in my hands a few days ago): There are various minor quibbles about what is included/excluded but as a comparative indicator, it may be useful to those recording...
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Neil has been on fine form, finding Ribes spicatum (Downy Currant) in NG35, the first record in that hectad for 50 years and a new site for Pseudorchis albida (Small-white Orchid) in NG46, the only previous record being very vague and from 1954. Pseudorchis albida (Small-white Orchid) Image N....
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Members of Skye Botany Group have started to survey Broadford for the Urban Flora of Scotland project. Already, we have added Allium moly (Yellow Garlic) to the vice-county list and added Allium triquetrum (Three-cornered Garlic), Rubus tricolor (Chinese Bramble), Berberis thunbergii (Thunberg...
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Tuesday was primarily Bird Cherry day for me. I was hoping to find caterpillars of the bird-cherry ermine moth (Yponomeuta evonymella) and failed, but I did find various things on the Bird Cherry: Phyllocoptes eupadi (mite) galls Rhopalosiphum padi (aphid) Taphrina padi (fungus) gall...
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I have been away for three periods of several nights in May and most of the nights I have been here were not suitable for moth trapping. I did manage to put out the trap on one night and added two to my May list, The Engrailed and Brindled Pug, but I have had both of these in the month of April, so...
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An excursion along the side road that runs through Eyre on Skye led to a new VC record: Anchusa azurea (a garden escape) and also the third site for Pulmonaria saccharata (Bethlehem-sage) and the fifth for Allium triquetrum (Three-cornered Garlic). Anchusa azurea (Garden Anchusa) Yesterday...
Marc Calhoun
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I was fortunate to have been able to visit one of my favourite islands, Scarp, twice this year. It is a hard island to get to, and most visitors come from passing sailboats, It was a bit busier in the past, for from 1966 to 1971, the island was home to the most remote hostel in Scotland - which was...
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It was back in 1998 that I first climbed Dun Cann, the summit of Raasay. Looking south from the summit, I saw the ruins of a large village set on a grassy ledge, 300 feet above the sea. A look at the map told me it was Hallaig, but I knew nothing of its history at the time. It would take a few...
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The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar BjorgeSeason 5 - Episode 5 - Mingulay to MullExploring the Isles of the West Cruise April 18-May 2, 2022From Mingulay we motored across the Sea of the Hebrides to Heisker Rock, where we were delighted by the sight of two minke whales....
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The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar BjorgeSeason 5 - Episode 4 - MingulayExploring the Isles of the West Cruise April 18-May 2, 2022After a night at the Monachs, we awoke to a morning of golden sunshine. The engines were fired up, anchor raised, and we set off to the south....
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The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar BjorgeSeason 5 - Episode 3 - Scarp to the MonachsExploring the Isles of the West Cruise April 18-May 2, 2022After our wedding surprise in the Sound of Scarp, we set off for the Flannans. They lie 20 miles west of Lewis, and are home to a large...
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The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar BjorgeSeason 5 - Episode 2 - Isay to ScarpExploring the Isles of the West Cruise April 18-May 2, 2022After our exploration of Isay we steamed across the Minch under cloudy skies. After passing through the Sound of Harris, Charlie took us up past...
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The Continuing Adventures of Hjalmar BjorgeSeason 5 - Episode 1 - Oban to IsayExploring the Isles of the West Cruise April 18-May 2, 2022After being cancelled for two years, Season 5 has finally arrived. The cancellations were publicly blamed on COVID, but the true story is that the...
Treshnish Farm
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Fragrant orchid and Wood bittervetch Small white orchidIn to the field below the farmhouse 6 weeks ago the Herdwicks were in here lambing..Walter Ox eye daisiesA carpet of Heath spotted orchids in the field beyond HaunnEast, Middle and WestEarly morning gathersHeath spotted...
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May was about lambs, visitors on motor bikes with sidecars, tulips, first strawberries, checking sheep, sea mists, headland cliffs covered in Sea pinks, lunch break picnic and a snooze with a surprise hug from Walter, wellington boots and waterproof trousers, new hens, old hens, bottle feeding...
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I have been involved with the Tree Archive during the last year, a project inspired by the Mull Native Woodland Group who have a community run Tree Nursery in Dervaig. The Archive aims to celebrate trees on the islands of Mull, Iona and neighbouring islands - and the connection between trees...
