A Barn owl comes down a Portnahaven chimney

This Barn owl was an uninvited guest in a Portnahaven dining room last week where it spent some time before finally deciding to leave.  Like an unidentified member of the crow family that had also intruded a few days previously, it had come down the chimney. 
At least the owl had the decency to behave itself.  The crow felt the need to smash the place up, breaking a couple of rather nice decanters and knocking a number of bottles to the floor before eventually being ejected by the police.  In the middle of the night too.  No manners...
Thanks to Simon and Kat for the photo....

Hoverfly on Marsh marigold

Abundant - Portnahaven yesterday.  Any hoverfly identification experts out there?

Claddach near Portnahaven yesterday

Portnahaven

Dusk and anemones at Portnahaven

After the Gala, Lorna and I drove down to Portnahaven to do some crab fishing. We looked in some of the rockpools there (as is our want!) and were delighted to discover this Gem Anemone. Neither of us had seen it before. It is not rare, but it has only been recorded at a few locations in south-west Scotland and Shetland, including Portnahaven on another occasion! It is found on the shore in localities exposed to strong wave action but also in sheltered places. Its base is up to 25 mm in diameter and it has up to 48 tentacles, mottled in colour. We also saw a delicate Brittlestar and possibly another species of anemone, as well as the more common Beadlet Anemone.
Becky

Aulactinia verrucosa - Gem Anemone (bottom), tentacles retracted. The anemone on the top of the picture may be a different species.

Aulactinia verrucosa - Gem Anemone - tentacles extended.

Sunset over McKenzie Island.

Kingcups

Now gracing many of Islay's ditches and wet places.  These were down towards Portnahaven.

Milkshake Gully!

Two more photographs from Mary McGregor (thanks, Mary), this time of a foam-filled gully near Portnahaven which locally is known as Milkshake Gully. One can certainly see why! It almost looks solid enough to walk on! Almost....
Malcolm

Ghost Moth (Hepialus humuli) - Mary McGregor

Lovely shot of a Common Ghost Moth taken outside the Rhinns Hall, Portnahaven by Mary McGregor.

Don't hear a Cuckoo on an empty stomach

Talking of interesting Islay stories, I was told one today by my colleagues at work who were simply amazed that I had not heard it before.  We were talking about hearing the cuckoo for the first time, and one of the girls had indeed heard one down near Portnahaven a couple of days ago.  I have not been so lucky however, and I was told to make sure I always had 'something in my stomach'. 

It seems that it is well known that to hear the first cuckoo with an empty stomach is to meet a certain and sudden end.  There are still folk on Islay, I am assured, who sleep in the springtime with a digestive buscuit and a glass of water by the bed, which they eat as soon as they wake up, quickly, for fear that they will hear a cuckoo before they do so.  Once they have eaten and subsequently heard the bird, they will be just fine until next year...

Photo: John Carey

Fishermen at Portnahaven

Thanks to Bruichladdich Distillery for this photo of seals down at Portnahaven.  Being a fisherman - or even a fish, requires a particular skillset to cope with these conditions.  This is not even a particularly rough day by Portnahaven standards...

Wildlife Photography Competition - Chris Bell

Thanks to Chris for sending us this classic Islay wildlife shot of a seal lying on the rocks down in the harbour at Portnahaven.