June 2012

2nd

A white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) circling over Uigshader.

3rd

                                                                                                          5th

Lichen on rocks at Glenelg.

Lichen are very colour conscious.

The rocks too like to sport the most fashionable of wigs. Suggested on i-Spot it may be an Enteromorpha alga, synonymous with the genus Ulva.

 A lonely Greater Sea Spurrey (Spergularia maritima) - an unconfirmed ID on iSpot.

Unconfirmed iSpot ID of red velvet mite (Genus Trombidium)  but this one seems to have 10 long appendages rather than the 8 displayed by those on the internet!

8th

Cloud disco

9th

Cloud tsunami

17th

Shepherd's delight

18th

Little Minch and Harris from Uigshader.

20th

Starling youths (Sturnus vulgaris) loitering menacingly outside the chip shop.

22nd

Goldfinch (Carduelis carduelis) with cool Mohican hairstyle.

23rd

Baby wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe)



May 2012

Imaged by David on the island of Rona.

Porpoise spotted by David on Rona trip.


23rd

In the garden. I think it's a dark-veined white (Pieris bryoniae).

28th

Juvenile white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla) across the valley.

A young May moon.

29th

The U3A invasion force hits Raasay beach. The landing was achieved with few casualties but no one was prepared for the army of midges that lay in wait up on the moors.

Over the first ridge, with the island of Scalpay in sight.

Piggy inhabitants

Scalpay on the left, Skye on the right.

U3A platoon having lunch, merely seconds before it was routed by a massive midge (Culicoides impuctatus) ambush and retreated briskly back to the beaches.

Awaiting ID

Awaiting ID.

Awaiting ID.

Bracket fungus awaiting ID.

Great northern loon (Gavia immer)

 Stragglers limping back into Inverarish.



Existentialism

Waterloo

14th May 2012

Broadford Bay looking south west from Waterloo.

The rain let up and the clouds parted just in time for the start of the event. The nine participants were armed with 2 telescopes and a plethora of binoculars which helped to reveal dunlin, shelduck, oyster catchers, curlews, ringed plovers, herons, red-breasted mergansers, and a great northern diver.

Then we encountered the highlight of the event, a female European otter (Lutra lutra) and her cub. Photo by Bruce.

Another one from Bruce.

And one from David.

Sadly David returned here a few days later and found an otter cub, dead with a broken leg.

Looking north west to the small island of Pabay. By this time the rain had returned.

The ground was littered with numerous mossy mini-pools.

Looking across the inlet to Breakish.

Has a sort of English feel to it.

Early purple orchid (Orchis mascula), according to iSpot expert.

Bluebells (Endymion non-scriptus) of Scotland.

I wonder if this is thrift (Armeria maritima), not fully opened.

Part of a mixed flock of Dunlin (Calidris alpina) and Ringed Plovers (Chiadrius hiaticula).

April 2012

4th

Still snow on the mountains of Harris.

12th

Wood anemone (Anemone nemorosa) at Talisker Bay.

22nd

Whooper swan (Cygnus cygnus) straggler having a snack at Uigshader before flying on to Iceland.

24th

A beech tree coming into leaf on Allt Dearg Beag (little red river) which flows down from Loch Bhasteir.

The grim face of Druim na Ruaige, with Beinn Dearg Mhor hovering beyond.

According to Chris Mitchell this is caused by light diffraction through "a thin surface film of insoluble ferric hydroxide" deriving from iron seeping "out of a peat moor".

Marsco

Multicultural lichen village (notice the Vegan Society logo at the bottom).

Choire a Bhasteir with a human (Homo erectus).

Sgurr nan Gillean