Robin (Erithacus rubecula)

Robins in the snow this morning at Lorgba
Carl

Port Charlotte Pier this morning

The Shorefield Project - feeding in the snow

The Highlanders are being fed barley straw, which was baled earlier in the year after the grain had been harvested for Bruichladdich Distillery.  It is loaded onto the feed trailers using a telehandler.

The bale then has to be broken open and is soaked with molasses.  The Highlanders are happy with the low nutrient content of the barley straw, it provides the bulk to fill their stomachs, and the molasses adds the sweetness while also having a high calorific value.

The feed trailer is then towed up to the hill by James in h is shiny new Massey Ferguson.

The Highlanders come swiftly when called. 

They really do look magnificent in the snow, and give the impression of positively enjoying the cold weather, snug inside their thick coats.

Rook (Corvus frugilegus)

This Rook joined a few of its companions in a raid on our bird table earlier today.  Many birds must be very stressed at the moment - facing a triple whammy of very low temperatures, snow cover and short days, all of which is  making finding enough to eat a difficult business...

Snow

Snow-covered rocks at Bruichladdich

Bridgend mudflats from Carnain

Smelly corner, Carnain

Bridgend merse

It's not often that tidal rocks and mudflats are covered in snow, but this latest fall has coincided with low tides. We've had another inch or so since I took these pics this morning.
Malcolm

Looking along the Uiskentuie strand

Herald Article

Herald Scotland

Five waders

Ringed plover, Turnstone, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Purple sandpiper face down the north wind at Bruichladdich yesterday.  Outside the distillery really is a top spot for wader watching at the moment.
Carl

Off Fishing

Paul Rennie leaves Port Charlotte pier to go to the fishing earlier this morning.  Paul was a great help to us at INHT last season, providing us with sea creatures for our aquariums and the Touch Tank.

We have had about two inches of snow overnight in Port Charlotte and snow showers are set to continue through the day.

Latest BTO Newsletter

British Trust for Ornithology

Shooting Star - James Deane

James finally got his shot of a meteor hurtling across the Islay night sky after two long cold nights of trying.  Now that's dedication for you folks!  Nice one...... 

James has a great Facebook page where you can see a number of his other images of the night sky here.

James Deane on Facebook

The Campaign for Dark Skies

 Looking north from the suburbs of Leicester

Looking north from central Spain

The Campaign for Dark Skies

Settling in at Shorefield

Dramatic shot of 21st century deer stalking on Jura

Many thanks to Catherine for this dramatic shot of a Red deer carcass about to be taken off the hill on Jura with the help of a quad bike.  The 'gralloch' is still performed where the animal falls, which is very important for carrion eating birds of prey such as eagles and buzzards, but the 'John Buchan-esque' image of the long pull down to the nearest cart track, so evocatively described in 'John McNab', is of course a thing of the past!

The Earthworm Society of Britain needs your help: are there earthworms in every compost bin in Britain?

What's wriggling around in your bin? Take part in the UK wide Compost Earthworm Project today!


More and more people now have compost bins or heaps in their gardens as they are an excellent way of recycling garden and household green waste. The resulting compost is excellent for potting and a good fertiliser for use in the rest of the garden.
In many of these bins you can find earthworms. But, have you ever wondered how they get there? Some people buy earthworms to put in their bins, others get them from their neighbours and, in some bins the earthworms just appear by themselves. As part of our dedication to carrying out research about earthworms and their environments across the UK we want to know where all these earthworms come from.
You can help! All you have to do is have a look in your compost bin or heap and see if you can find any earthworms enjoying your tea bags and vegetable scraps, then fill in our short survey telling us about what you found. It's that simple.
It's the perfect excuse for getting a little bit dirty this autumn and finding out more about what is wriggling around in your compost!

Find out more about the survey here:

http://www.earthwormsoc.org.uk/projects/compost-earthworms-project

Bunnahabhain - James Deane

James went up to Bunnahabhain to see the Geminid meteor shower the other night, and although he saw them, he wasn't able to capture them on camera.  What he did get was still pretty impressive mind you...

Shorefield - the first two beasts arrive

 James brought the Highlanders up to the shed at Octomore this morning.  The two bullocks for the Shorefield Project were separated, and dosed with a preparation to protect them from parasitic worms and liver fluke.  They probably didn't need it, but its a good preventative measure apparently.  The preparation is spread along the back of the animal, a bit like applying 'Spot-On' as an anti-flea and tick remedy for a dog, only on an industrial-sized animal.

They were they loaded into the wee 'float' and taken down to the Shorefield, which is about a mile from the shed.  They were very docile, and happily wandered off to explore their new home.  They were cheerfully grazing by the time I had jumped on the bike to head for Bowmore.

 We will try and call them to come to cake in the next couple of days.

Carl

Cracking ice

Take a small depression, fill it with water, freeze it over, allow some of the water to drain away, and then admire the effects.

Malcolm

Islay House Square - James Deane

Another nice time-lapse shot from James - this one was taken on 6th December.  The bright light is Dave and Liz' Christmas tree!!

Another Sunday along Port Charlotte shore

 It was another unbelievable day here on Islay - not exactly what we would expect in December, but as the boys were saying as we came back on the bikes this morning, the truth is there is never really any pattern to the weather here - no one year or season is ever like the previous one.  You simply never know what is going to happen next.

Anyway, we hardly saw a cloud all day following a heavy frost the night before.  A pair of Bullfinches were an unusual sighting at Lorgba as I went up to feed the chickens, their low nasal whistles drawing attention to themselves before flying off, happily in a big circle, coming back to land in the trees that Jimmy has planted on the croft.

It was quiet on the birding front as we pedalled round the loch and up to Avonvoggie.  I had a quick peek up into the pines to see if I could get a glimpse of the Crossbills, but no luck.  A Buzzard or two flapped away from us, and the odd Raven honked, but there is an eerie quiet about the place.

Back at Debbies we were able to watch divers fishing through the window of the shop as we imbibed the caffeine accorded to the righteous.

After lunch I walked along the shore and was accompanied by a Song thrush for a while.  A Reed bunting and a couple of Rock pipits made a quite unnecessary fuss as I wandered past, and a single Snipe burst out of the soggy ground making that Snipey high-pitched grunt.  I had the 400mm lens with me - hoping to catch up with an Otter, but although I carefully scanned the shore, nothing much moved. 

On reaching the lighthouse I sat on the rocks for half an hour or so, waiting for something to happen and idly snapping away at a male Eider  who refused to come close enough for a decent shot, working hard instead at fishing offshore.

There was a Great Northern further up the coast, so I scrambled over the rather slippy rocks trying to get close enough, but as usual it was able to keep that effortless distance, always looking nonchalant, and always coming up just too far away to be convenient.  Another half an hour of patiently waiting and watching results in just another record shot.

The light was going by now, and I started to make my way back, stopping to take a picture of some of the plants that had retained their coating of ice crystals throughout the day. 

 

I heard a Turnstone calling right next to the lighthouse and scrambled over the rocks to get up to it - it was rather more obliging of course, as Turnstones tend to be, and stood for a while, although the light was fast fading at this point and I managed to make a complete Horlicks of the shots I took when I really got up close.  Ah well.

There's always next weekend - apparently the forecast says it is going to remain like this until Christmas - with just the odd break for some snow.

Carl

New Image for British Trust for Ornithology

A new website and image for the BTO

http://www.bto.org/

Guardian Environment

INHT - what it's all about....

Came across these shots from a couple of years ago - when the children came to help us celebrate the commissioning of the new Touch Tank at the Wildlife Centre in Port Charlotte....

Pearl-bordered Fritillary - Boloria euphrosyne

'Butterfly in decline across UK finds solace in the Highlands' - says Forestry Commission
A butterfly that is in serious decline across the UK has been found in abundance in newly discovered colonies in the Highlands – and their chances of thriving next year have been given a boost by the recent cold snap.
The pearl bordered fritillary has been found at several Forestry Commission Scotland sites near Contin and Garve, just to the west of Dingwall.
Discovered by Commission staff and volunteers from the Blackwater Wildlife Group, the sites had not previously been recorded by the Commission or appeared in the National Biodiversity Network records.
Graeme Findlay for the Commission in North Highland said:
“It’s a fantastic find and just goes to show how good forest management can provide ideal habitat for endangered species. An important part of this success is down to that fact that we have been grazing cattle on these sites, which has helped to generate the right sort of habitat for the butterflies.
“For example at one site - a well structured, south facing birchwood - open sunny glades contained food plants - such as dog violets and tormentil – that are perfect for these butterflies. We counted more than 20 individuals on the wing in one small, open patch.
“Hopefully they’ll go on to thrive next year, too because a cold winter is actually helpful in reducing the incidence of disease and viral attacks on the caterpillars, which hibernate over winter in vegetation on the ground.
“We will do what we can to create the right conditions or them and will continue to manage the grazing within this area in a bid both to help the woodland expand and to create more of the habitat that will help these butterflies.”
The butterflies were also found at two other sites on powerline way leaves, which will now be enhanced along their edges to create flower-rich sun traps with scattered trees and patches of bracken.
Developing other sites – through woodland creation, restructuring and targeted habitat management - will also encourage the species to spread further across the area. Our long-term aim is increase the number of colonies further and create a stronghold for them
Graeme added:
“We’ve also got a great project going with local school children who are really enthusiastic about helping this butterfly to thrive.
“As well as growing food plants to be planted out in nearby forests, the kids love to get out and about and do some serious bracken bashing to help keep the vegetation open enough to allow flowering plants to come through."

Barnacle geese in a Big Red Sky

A picture of a wee skein of Barnacle geese coming out of a Big Red Sky in Port Charlotte this morning