Email from Rochdale

Thanks to Stephen and Yvonne Pinnington, who sent us this entry for the blog. 

We have recently returned from our second fantastic two-week break on Islay.

We were fortunate to be able to spend some time with members of the Islay Natural History Trust; at their centre at Port Charlotte (well worth a visit! and a good place to start exploring the wildlife of the island) and on two guided walks at Kintra and Bunnahabhain.

Our highlights included an adder on our first evening at our cottage overlooking Kilnaughton Bay as well as sightings of hen harriers hunting everyday, a pair of golden eagles at the Oa, a pair of yellow hammers at Bunnahabhain and the little terns at Kintra.

We also saw lots of small birds such as whitethroat and stonechat, dragonflies, including a golden-ringed, which was a first for us, Dark Green fritillaries everwhere, and frog and pyramidal orchids at Killinallan.

We were able to use our moth trap and attracted huge numbers of Drinker and Garden Tigers plus a Peach Blossom and Lychnis, which were all new to us.

Female adder

Dark Green Fritillary

Male Hen Harrier

Peach Blossom Moth

Altogether, a fantastic variety of flora and fauna that we are sure will bring us back to Islay again.