River Sorn - Bridgend Woods

Hector lands a fine Sorn Salmon

Watched by his sister Emily, Hector Inglis hooked his first salmon while fishing the picturesque lower Sorn near Bridgend yesterday.

After an exciting struggle lasting around 15 minutes the fish was finally netted by Hector's father Willy, prompting a quick celebratory text to alert the world...

The fish was a handsome cock salmon of 4 to five pounds in weight.  It was well coloured, indicating that it had been in the river for a week or more.  Fresh run salmon are silver.

Willy informed me that it has been an excellent salmon fishing season, probably because of the high levels of rainfall.  The Sorn, like Islay's other salmon river the Laggan, are spate rivers, with the fish only running when the water is high enough . 
Islay Estates have a catch and release policy, with over 90% of fish returned to the water.  This handsome fellow lived to fight another day and hopefully beget more of his kind.

Hazel (Corylus avellana)

A big Hazel bush covered in male catkins next to the Sorn.  Archaeological evidence from pollen analysis has shown there was a rapid expansion in the range of hazel during the Mesolithic period (from 11,000 to 6,000 years ago). Because the large nuts are not dispersed over great distances by small mammals, this has led to speculation that Mesolithic peoples may have transported the nuts with them as a food source, and thereby aided the expansion of the tree's range.

Trees for Life

Does anybody know what this is?

Because I have not got a clue...  Some sort of Lichen?  A funghi?  It is growing on a mossy log next to the Sorn....
Carl