3rd
Under the north eastern shadow of Duntulm Castle: Tulm Island in the centre; to its left Tulm Bay, to its right Duntulm Bay, and the headland Rubha Smellavig on the far right.
Red spidery mitey thing.
6th
Hus Mus (Mus musculus) on the peanuts.
11th (U3A walking group coastal walk from Milovaig Pier to Neist Point
Before we set out David showed this rather gruesome picture he had taken on they way there.
Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis)
Bit of an uphill slog.
Common Frog (Rana temporaria)
Waterstein Head in the distance, south of Neist Point and the venue for a subsequent nature walk with sightings of white-tailed and golden eagles.
David spotted a pod of Common Dolphins (Delphinus delphis) and photographed this one?).
If you look carefully you can just see the lighthouse on Neist Point, sticking out from the headland, right of centre.
Sea Campion (Silene maritima)
22nd
Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) under bird feeder at Uigshader.
24th - St. Kilda
Leaving Skye a little after 07.30, under grey leaden clouds, on a 4-hour journey to St. Kilda.
The water was so calm this Fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) was admiring its reflection.
On board the Maighdean Mhara.
Passing Leverburgh on the southern end of the Isle of Harris.
Shortly after this we passed through the channel separating Harris from North Uist to the south and we suddenly realized we were no longer in the Little Minch but in the Atlantic, with the boat's hull starting up a violent jumping and face-slapping contest with the waves that went on for hours and made it difficult for those of us at the front of the boat to walk the few feet back into the shelter of the cabin. The crowd inside was gabbling animatedly and I thought "What is wrong with these people?" as I pressed on my sea bands with increasing desperation. Though I gratefully accepted the sea sickness tablets offered by Gill, it was too late.
The two of us on the left had been ushered outside for a breath of fresh air, but minutes later I was throwing up over the side. (photo by Joy)
Transferring by dinghy to the shore of Village Bay, Hirta, the main island of St. Kilda.
Final disembarkation. (photo by Joy)
A Soay Sheep (Ovis aries). This "primitive", neolithic breed is apparently not exploited by humans but allowed to live a safe and peaceful existence on St. Kilda (and three cheers for that!!).
The small community of military and heritage site personnel live hereabouts.
Back from the pub.
A cleit (sort of pantry).
Lots of pantries 'n stuff.
Wheatear (Oenanthe oenanthe) spotted and photographed by Joy and Stuart.
Village Bay and the sloping sides of the island of Dun in the background.
Arctic Skua (Stercorarius flavirostris)
The village, which was evacuated in 1930, bringing to an end at least 2000 years of permanent habitation.
There was also a small cemetery in the village and I was surprised to see a gravestone for a woman who was born in Ireland just five years before the village was finally evacuated in 1930 but buried there in 2010!
Fulmar family.
In 1918 a German submarine shelled the village, targeting and destroying a Royal Navy signal station, after which this 4-inch gun was installed, though it was never used.
Cleat City
More Soay
Back on the boat for a tour of the whole archipelago, which outlines the base of a massive volcano that erupted many tens of millions of years ago.
Guillemots (Uria aalge)
Puffin (Fratercula arctica)
Guillemot
St. Kilda houses the largest Puffin colony in the UK.
Shags (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) and Cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo).
Natural arch on Dun.
Razorbills (Alca torda) at the bottom of the picture.
Great Skuas (Stercoraria skua) mugging a Gannet (Morus bassanus) for food. (photo by Gill)
The island of Boreray.
More muggings.
(photo by Joy)
Gannet City.
The biggest Gannet colony in the solar system.
High-rise, des-res Gannet accomodation.
At this point point I took a small video which somehow caused the camera to malfunction and the remaining 100 pictures, though still on the camera in some form, are seemingly inaccessible.
26th June
Small Heath butterfly (Coenonympha pamphilus) in the garden at Uigshader.
Waiting for ever for a basking shark.
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