It would be hard not to have noticed that much more barley has been grown on Islay during the past two summers - largely because Bruichladdich have created a market for it. They wish to make as much whisky as possible using barley that is grown on the island. Growing barley for distilling is quite a high-risk business, but things have actually gone rather well so far, and the hope is that this year the yield from Islay should top a thousand tons.
The harvested grain is being shipped to a new drying and storage facility at Octofad, and inevitably this has led to small spillages en-route, which have in turn led to increased numbers of birds, particularly House sparrows feeding on the roads. The entrance to Octofad has a seriously impressive flock at the moment!!
Just like the old days when grain was taken into every distillery and the regular spills supported large flocks of House Sparrows at them all. The clever birds moved indoors and fed on the malting floors!
ReplyDeleteMalcolm