South Lochs

Saturday, 31st May 2008
Although the sun came over the clouds shortly after dawn the weather closed in again for a little while and a heavy mist rolled in from the sea.





After calling at the chemist in Stornoway GB took me out to South Lochs this morning. The weather was clear skies one minute and cloudy the next (literally) until we reached Balallan at which stage it cleared up for good.




Our first port of call was Marvig - this is the old post office there.



Then we went round Calbost, Gravir and on to Lemreway. On the way we passed a Redshank picking at the edge of a loch.







At Lemreway there were lots of black Rabbits running around - one ran in front of the car and nearly became an ex-black rabbit!







After calling at Orinsay we dropped in on Steve for a coffee.

Down to the shore

Friday, 30th May 2008
The tide was high and the wracks were mostly under water as was much of the Cladophora rupestris (the dark green one) and an Enteromorpha species (the pale green one).





Some odds and ends on the shore. Some more odd than others!











A couple of Common Terns were around and one perched on a rock not too far away.



On the way back up the croft I paused to admire some Polytrichum commune or Common Hair-cap Moss. (Actually the pause was to get my breath but it’s nice to have an excuse!)




In the evening the inshore lifeboat paid us a visit.

On the croft

Friday, 30th May 2008
I walked down to the shore again this afternoon and en route photographed some of the flowers to be found on it including Tormentil, Buttercups, Primroses, Marsh Marigolds, Cuckoo Flower, Lesser Celandine, and Thrift.






As always I could not resist photographing Bayble Island. What is it about islands that gives them such special appeal?




One of my ambitions is to photograph a Skylark singing in flight. I haven’t managed it yet but at least today I got some photos of one sitting on fence posts and trying to distract me - presumably its nest was nearby.

Around the garden and across the sea

Friday, 30th May 2008

This morning I had a wander around the garden with my camera on macro for a little while and photographed some Rhingia camptesris hoverflies, Green-veined White butterflies and pond snails. As a sign that the weather has really been spectacular the midges came out and bit us as we gardened. Don’t they know it’s still early in the year? Mind you, it didn’t help that we were pulling up grass around the Honeysuckle hedging. (It’s called Honeysuckle hedging by Muriel at the Shrub Stall but it’s not like any honeysuckle I know.)






I reckon it was the warmest morning so far and the sea was just so calm and ‘flat’.