Snowball Earth Geology Weekend on Islay 20-22nd October 2017

An exciting weekend to come with the Islay Natural History Trust's Snowball Earth Geology Weekend! 

Here are some more details of the geological events this weekend. You can come to as much or as little as you like. Events are free but donations to the Islay Natural History Trust are welcome!

If you don't fancy the walks then please come to talk on Friday night!  

Friday 20th: An illustrated talk on Snowball Earth and the evidence for it on Islay and the Garvellachs. We are fortunate to have good evidence here for a 650 million-year old climatic mega-disaster and how the Earth recovered from it. Come and hear about it and why it's important! Start 7:30pm at the Nature Centre in Port Charlotte. Followed by short discussion on finalised plans for those coming on the Saturday and/or Sunday walks. Tea and Coffee supplied. 

Provisional Excursion Plan for Saturday & Sunday: 

Saturday 21st: Excursions to Loch Lossit and Fionn Phort. Meet 10 am at the Nature Centre in Port Charlotte. Finish by 5 pm 

Sunday 22nd: Excursions to Port Askaig, Caol Isla and Bunnahabhain. Meet 10 am at the nature centre Port Charlotte. Finish by 5 pm. 

Final plans dependent on weather, estate activities etc. Alternative pick up points at bridgend and ballygrant can be arranged along with any car sharing. Bring packed lunches, flasks, full waterproofs and preferably wellies. The ground is rough in places and has the usual collection of Islay bogs. 

For more information please email David Webster at  islaygeology@gmail.com 

Pearly Underwing - new to Islay

For the second time this year, I have caught a moth which has not been recorded on Islay before, or on Jura or Colonsay (which together make up vice-county 102, the South Ebudes, the division used for a lot of biological recording). It is called the Pearly Underwing and is unusual in being a migrant from the near-continent which can turn up in pretty much any month of the year. Numbers arriving in Britain vary enormously from year to year, sometimes being abundant and reaching as far north as the Shetlands but in most years only coming to Scotland in very small numbers while, in other years, there may only be records from southern England. Anyway, a few nights ago, when it was rather cold and windy, I caught just three moths overnight, two common and this one completely new. It's certainly not a spectacular looking moth, but once you expose its underwing, it is obvious where it got its name.

Malcolm 

Illustrated Talk Friday 13th October

Above and below the oceans

Although the Islay Natural History Trust has now closed the Nature Centre for the season we are still actively busy and have events on through the month of October.

Join us for an exciting talk on oceanography, discovering lost ship wrecks, sea exploration and life on the ocean wave, as told by Leighton Rolley.

We have a really fascinating and exciting talk on Friday 13th (October) by an expert oceanographer.  Leighton Rolley will be presenting an illustrated talk entitled “Above and Below the Oceans”.  Leighton is the Chief Technician with Schmidt Ocean Systems, and having just completed his 100th oceanographic expedition, he will be giving a talk on oceanography, discovering lost ship wrecks in particular the early polar exploration vessels and sunken warships, like Scott's ship the Terra Nova and the USS Indianaplois and studying deep sea vents in the Indian Ocean and operating remotely operated submersibles off Hawaii.

His career has taken him from the tropics to the edge of the ice sheets visiting every ocean and every continent. Come learn about the world below the ocean and life on a modern research vessel, this will be a great insight into a fascinating topic, a rare treat in our talks schedule.

As always everyone is welcome.