Blog Archives

Islay, Ardtalla to Proaig

27/7/2017

Awakened by a sudden squall, seething rain off the Atlantic. Bright, blustery and cold. A day of sunshine and showers - we’ll remember it as a fine day.
At Claggan Bay a merry notice reads. 'Chasing cows will be our fate if you do not close this gate.' We hear of otters seen for a couple of hours last evening. Our route is poached by cattle, with ruts from stalkers’ vehicles deep in water. A pasture of cows, calves and bull heading for our ‘ footbridge over a small burn.’ Can see only a deep pool of cattle poaching through which the herd goes splashing.

Kilchoman, Machir Bay, Islay with chough

25/7/2017

Swallow at Kilchoman

At Kilchoman Farm Distillery they proudly claim the barley for whisky making is grown on the farm. Glossy black hens with scarlet combs strut at the entrance to the distillery and fields of bearded barley mark the fertility of Islay. I like to see the way agriculture harmonises with conservation. Where a burn bisects the barley field its banks are lush with meadow sweet and purple loosestrife, habitat for small birds.
Kilchoman is our base on Islay. We return again and again to Machir Bay and to Saligo Bay, in changing mood and weather. ‘Come in winter,’ says a local man strolling the beach. ‘ It’s wild and wonderful and there’s absolutely no-one.’

The Mull of Oa, Islay, with chough and grey seal

24/7/2017

Grey seal

Wild sea cliffs and moorland. First, a wealth of yellow rattle, red bartsia and bog asphodel. Grass of Parnassus is a late-summer flower and a recurring motif of the Mull of Oa.
The Oa Trail explores stunning coast. Approaching the quartzite promontory of Sgeirean Buidhe there’s a close encounter with Highland cattle who create chough habitat, their dung a source of the insects chough thrive on. They are a key RSPB management tool.
At Sgeirean Buidhe, and the bronze age fort of Dun Athad, sills reach out to the Atlantic Ocean, and sunlight illuminates and shadows headland and cliffs.
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Tarbert of the Crossings, red deer on Jura

20/7/2017

Red deer, Tarbert Bay, east coast of Jura

The fairest of fair days to make the Tarbert Crossing, that narrow isthmus where Loch Tarbert almost bisects the Isle of Jura. So, west to the head of the sea-loch, then returning along the track and east to Tarbert Bay. Walking the wilds of Jura, it’s rare to come upon a track but in the 18th century Tarbert was the most populous place on the Isle of Jura with 29 families. Tarbert of the Crossings avoided the whirlpool of Corryvreckan to the north and dangerous currents off the southern tip of Jura. Today, this is a tranquil and solitary place. We come to islands of the Atlantic seaboard prepared for anything a maritime climate can give, this weather is magnificent.

Ardfin Estate and Jura's southern coast

19/7/2017

Sunrise over the Sound of Jura

You plan to sail the southern tip of Jura, into the Sound of Islay? Watch out for Claig Castle, fortress of Somerled, Lord of the Isles . In power here in the 13th century, he held sway in the Sound of Islay.
Jura House is at the heart of the Ardfin Estate. In the 1840s the laird’s wife felt the nearby crofting township of Brosdale spoilt her view. So it was demolished, and relocated.
Our walking guide, published 2010, suggests coastal walks either side of Jura House and Gardens with ‘a welcome sign to Jura House.’ Not exactly. ‘ No access, construction site’- are the signs that greet us.

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The Paps of Jura: mountain-craft

18/7/2017

The Paps of Jura

Preparations for walking the Paps of Jura. Corra Beinn is an outlier and a vantage-point, showing the configuration of The Paps and the terrain. They’re distinctive, rising up so strikingly separated from each other by steep scree slopes. The Paps are raw and elemental. On the steep scree of Beinn Shiantiadh only patches of low-growing heather give a foothold amongst angular fragments of quartzite. I have an insight of his mountain-craft as my friend prepares for a solo walk,

Jura: The Corran River, Ardfernal and Lowlandman's Bay

17/7/2017

Heron in the tree tops

The Corran River rises amongst the Paps of Jura . We walk from Three Arched Bridge, built by Telford in 1804, following the river downstream through birch and willow. We hear lesser redpoll everywhere, see their dipping flight, but they rarely settle. From the estuary we look back across the sands toward the Paps. On a rocky reef in the Sound of Jura is Skervuile Lighthouse, built in 1865. A long peninsula shelters Lowlandman’s Bay , with houses built for the families of the lighthouse keepers. One early evening of perfect clarity, our sequence of recent walks here is illuminated.

Corra Beinn and The Paps of Jura

16/7/2017

From Corra Beinn with Loch Tarbert in the distance

At the summit of Corra Beinn the wind is fierce. To the south west, the screes of Beinn Shiantaidh – toughest of The Paps of Jura. On the col between Beinn Shiantaidh and Corra Beiinn a cluster of lochan known as Lochanan Tana- silvered and mirroring the light. Mountains stark and beautiful. Finding what shelter we can amongst the summit rocks, we have lunch looking north toward Glenbatrick and the sea-loch of Loch Tarbert that almost bisects Jura. To the north, a sweep of high lochans and wilderness to the whirlpool of Corryvreckan

The Wilds of Jura, an introduction

15/7/2017

The Paps of Jura

We sail for Colonsay on a beautiful July day of vistas and calm seas An opportunity to map out islands of the Inner Hebrides. The Paps of Jura show on the horizon - sun on cliffs and sandy beaches . The island is rugged and wild. We’re almost within sight of the whirlpool of Corryvreckan off the northern tip of Jura. The brilliance of gannet fishing, the spectacle is unrivalled from the power of the dive to the white wings caught in sunlight.

Inner Hebrides, Colonsay, Pig's Paradise and seabird cliffs

14/7/2017

The magpie

We hear of sea-bird cliffs north of Upper Kilchattan, Colonsay. The approach is a prelude , mood music to set the scene, a floral motif that recurs throughout our trip to the Inner Hebrides. July is late in the season for breeding sea-birds but flowers and butterflies are a delight through weeks of fine weather- fairer than we might expect on this Atlantic sea-board.

The Inner Hebrides, Colonsay and Oronsay

13/7/2017

The Paps of Jura

Sailing to Colonsay, the whirlpool of Corryvreckan is not far off. A fine day with vistas of The Paps – a landmark of the Inner Hebrides. As prelude to the tidal island of Oronsay we explore a circuit of the south east coast of Colonsay, The Hangman’s Rock, jutting from Beinn Eibhne, could be a landmark on our return crossing from Oronsay- the weather deteriorates in the afternoon. We look out toward Jura and The Paps and toward Oronsay. We check tide times with the lady at the shop and post office.

Swans and cygnets in the River Kent

12/7/2017

Black-headed gulls screeched and dived for the bread the kids threw for the swans. ' They're called cygnet' the helmeted little lad on the bike informed us. I tried to tell him about the preen gland but he wasn't having it. 'They are waterproof' he insisted. They just are. His mother told him I was right but he wasn't having it.
We like a child with a spirit of inquiry and he biked about us beside Abbot Hall playground.

A Magical Mystery Tour

12/7/2017

Sunset on the Atlantic Coast

Sunset magic on the Atlantic Coast. Arriving on our first island we headed for the west coast to watch the sun go down.
Into the wilderness. What would the coming weeks bring? Several thousand photographs and journals recording locations visited, serendipitous experience and discovery. Here is a sunset interlude, whilst I set to work editing all those images, matching them to the journals. The wonder of digital photography is all you discover that you could not see at the time.

Flora, and ructions in the tree-tops

9/7/2017

Self-heal, Prunella vulgaris

Kestrel are not clamorous birds, so something was wrong. A magpie perched on the ridge of a barn and a young kestrel clung to the wall below the eaves. The adult kestrel was shrill in defence of its young, and I watched their aerial combat. The kestrel flew calling and came down briefly onto a wire, then launched another attack at the marauding magpie. Through binoculars, I could make out the young kestrel now on a wire with the magpie.
I can share the flowers of the morning, but little of the kestrels- the adult was rapid in flight and the fledgling now too far off. There's often a discrepancy between the experience and what the images show.

Scout Scar Nature Notes: July

8/7/2017

Dyer's green-weed, Genista tinctoria

The floral fragrance of limestone grassland In July is delightful. Lady's bedstraw is abundant, with a honey scent. A sunny morning, with common blue butterflies, fritillaries and a ringlet. Always meadow browns. Once again, I came upon the stonechat family and spent a while watching them in the bonfire bush. Last summer, I found dyer's green-weed for the first time on Scout Scar, in a single location. This morning I rediscovered it and took careful note of the spot. Genista tinctoria, the flower resembles broom to which it is related. Frog orchid are now in full bloom.
So, the story of the bonfire bush.

South Walney in early July

4/7/2017

Viper's bugloss, Echium vulgare

Bees love Viper's bugloss and in early July there are banks of flowers of intense blues, tall inflorescences whipped to and fro in the wind. Nectaries deep within the corolla yield plentiful nectar and pollen, released at lower temperatures than the white clover flowering in the grass. From May to September it offers bees a reliable source of food. Viper's bugloss buds are pink, so the inflorescence is intense blues with hints of pink.
In early July Viper's bugloss is striking, with massed ranks of tall flowers.

Goosander in the River Kent

1/7/2017

Female goosander

Goosander like the fast-flowing River Kent and they're here throughout the year. Their red feet are often visible as they swim and the slight downturn at the tip of the long bill is distinctive. The chestnut head is a feature of the female and of the tiny chicks and juveniles. During late June, the river was high after days of rain and I hoped to see how the young birds would swim the weirs along the course of the River Kent. Filming would give me the chance to study their behaviour.