Dolphins in Loch Indaal

Sarah Roy phoned to say that two dolphins (almost certainly Bottle-nosed) were cavorting in front of Port Charlotte this morning, including leaping out of the water. Sightings in the loch are many fewer than about 10 years ago, and we're always grateful for details to pass on to the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust www.whaledolphintrust.co.uk/.
Here's a photo taken by George Jackson some years back.
Malcoln

The 'hinterland'

Last Monday I took a walk into the 'hinterland' between Sanaigmore and Gruinart. I've still got a lot left to explore there, but here's a few photos from my walk. I saw lots of Chough, but little else!
Becky

Carn Beannachd - Cairn of the blessing or horned cairn - a chambered cairn

A closer view of Carn Beannachd

Feur lochan - grassy lochans

Looking towards Sanaig rocks from 'the hinterland'

An old enclosure and a rainbow on the moors.

Loch Indaal

A more distant view of the Scaup flock

Tree - Carnain

Otter - Bruichladdich Minimarket

Scaup flock - Blackrock - Loch Indaal

Scaup seem to spend an awful lot of time asleep

Talk on Tristan da Cunha and St Helena

Black-browed Albatross!

Bob Davison was sea-watching on the point overlooking Frenchman's Rocks yesterday when he spotted a Black-browed Albatross - a wonderful sighting. This is, of course, a Southern Hemisphere species, but every so often one makes it into the North Atlantic, sometimes staying for years, like the one which turned up annually at the Gannet colony on Unst, Shetland, for more than 20 years during the 1970s to 1990s. More recently, one was seen at the Gannet colony on Sule Sgeir (north of Lewis) from 2005 to at least 2007.
This year, one was seen a number of times in the English Channel (Jersey, Guernsey, Dorset) between February and June, but in September it was seen off Anglesey and the Isle of Man, so assuming it is the same bird (really rather likely), it has been moving steadily north to arrive off Islay.
Here's a photograph of a Black-browed Albatross, not the one Bob saw, but one of many I saw near South Georgia four years ago.
Malcolm

Mute Swans - Carnain

Bonfire Night - Port Charlotte

A few shots for those who could not be there....

Rain on the way

Port Charlotte this morning.  There is snow on the Paps of Jura.

Wildlife Explorer of the Year 2012

Congratulations to Keira Gunning of Bristol. She earned over 120 points in our wildlife quiz packs, along with 2 other people, and her name was drawn out of the hat to become our Wildlife Explorer of the Year 2012. Well done Keira! Here she is wearing the prize T-shirt.
Becky

Beinn Bheigier Circumnavigation

Last Monday I did a walk I'd wanted to do for a while - I circumnavigated Islay's highest mountain anticlockwise, starting at Ardtalla and finishing at Claggain Bay. There were glorious views down Gleann Srath nam Bothag on the northern side of the mountain, and Gleann Leòra on the south side, which made up for the dearth of flora and fauna. I did hear the Red Deer rutting, however, and saw these two types of fungi on the same log just before dragging my feet the last few steps back to the car at Ardtalla!
Becky

View of Beinn Bheigier from SE at beginning of walk near Ardtalla

Beinn Bheigier's south-eastern summit

Glas Bheinn and Gleann Srath nam Bothag with Abhainn Phroaig from north flanks of Beinn Bheigier

Beinn Bheigier's north-western summit

Beinn Bheigier and Claggain River from the south

Fungus on log

Another fungus on the same log, possibly Honey Fungus?

Concrete water cistern overlooking Saligo

Thistle - Saligo

Skeins of Barnacle geese - Saligo

Ruined house overlooking Saligo

Clouds over Loch Indaal

Fungi in acidic grassland - Ballinaby

World War Two radar installation - Ballinaby