Isle of Skye U3A Walking and Nature Groups

Leitir Fura and Kinloch Forest

On 12th March 2013 three of us met up in rain and sleet with the aim of seeing what was about in an early and rather wintery spring.

We were expecting to see a few lichen and weren't disappointed.

Note the white, blister-like structures on the underside of the "leaves".

The leaves seem to be oak but the trunk perhaps something else?

Another lichen - should know what this is as it's all over Skye.

Some of the lichen had a dull red colour.

The primroses were out despite the harsh weather.

A moss which again I should know the name of.

Lesser celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)

Isleornsay (I think).

Coming in sight of the Scottish mainland across the Sound of Sleat.

Beinn Sgritheall (pronounced Ben Skreehell) (3045 feet - making it a Munro).

A flock of wigeon on Loch na Dal

Kyleakin and the Hill of the Red Fox

12 February 2013. We started in the village of Kyleakin, near the Skye side of the bridge.

Skye Bridge, looking north from Kyleakin.

Walking along An t'Ob, a strange little backwater in Kyleakin.

Common redshank (Tringa totanus)

Grey heron (Ardea cinerea) family at the Ob.

European herring gull (Larus argentatus) family, youngest on our right.

West end of Loch Alsh

Raft of common eider (Somateria mollissima) with Kyle of Loch Alsh in the background.

Eider gang.

Looking East from Hill of the Red Fox towards Skye bridge and the Scottish mainland.

These two show offs thought they'd go the long way round and still get there before us.

Broadford Bay in the distance.

U3A cold, grey, and grim bird spotting day in Broadford Bay, 22nd January 2013

It was a cold, bleak day. The lighting was poor and so was the photography.

Common redshank (Tringa totanus)

Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus)

Common ringed plover (Charadrius hiaticula)

Dunlin (Calidris alpina)

Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)

(Ruddy) turnstone (Arenaria interpres)

Eurasian wigeon (Anas penelope)

At this point we stopped for a coffee break at Linda's place and met her canine behemoth.

The hills of mainland Scotland.

Eurasian curlew (Numenius arquata)

Red-breasted mergansers (Mergus serrator), I think.

Pair of wigeon

Hooded crow (Corvus cornix) watching a European otter (Lutra lutra) tucking into his fish and chips.

Black-tailed godwit (Limosa limosa). Can be differentiated from the bar-tailed godwit by its straight bill.

With a dimming sun and a cooling wind we left Rubha Ardnish for another day.

December 2012

5th

A bunch of naked apes (Homo sapiens) scrutinizing one of their machines.

Just minor abrasions.

Winter comes to A Chorra Bheinn (1509 feet).

7th

Looking into the interior of our galaxy, The Milky Way, from Uigshader.

The Pleiades star cluster at the bottom left.

Orion hovers over the reflected glow of Portree's street lights as Jupiter passes through the Hyades star cluster. One can see Betelgeuse which was the subject of two questions in the recent Skye U3A quiz. As regards the fate of this red supergiant one team answered that it would explode and I only gave them half a mark which, in retrospect, I think was rather mean.

11th