Glaucous Gull

Taken at near the burn mouth at Uiskentuie Strand this evening (in very poor light with a hand held compact at 1600asa!!).  Feeding on what I assume is a sheeps carcass.  I understand that this is a second year bird (although my grip of immature winter plumaged Glaucous Gulls is not that strong).  There were two birds there earlier in the day.
Carl

Scotland's marine life in motion

Scottish Natural Heritage have just released some amazing "motion graphics" and photographs of what can be seen in Loch Sunart, a Special Area of Conservation just north of Mull.

See it at http://www.snh.gov.uk/__mpa/

 Using some special software, one is taken on a series of underwater explorations of the amazing animals and plants to be seen in the loch, including northern sea fans, white cluster anemones, feather stars and flame shells. There are six different "dives" to explore as well as over 70 colour photographs. You also have the opportunity to contribute your ideas on marine conservation round Scotland.
Highly recommended.

Malcolm

Hurricane!

Well, I said I liked the weather and we've just had another dose - and a half. It isn't often that Islay gets mentioned on the Radio 4 news as having had one of the strongest wind gusts across the country, but that's what happened yesterday morning. The photo shows the Islay Airport wind speeds yesterday morning every 20 minutes from 7.00 am to 8.00 am (taken from the Weatheronline website). The strongest gust was 97 mph (looks even stronger expressed as 156 kilometres/hour!) and was both preceded (between 6.40 and 7.00 am) and followed by gusts of 93 mph. The steady windspeed shown, of 73 mph, is just above the boundary between Violent Storm Force 11 (up to 72 mph) and Hurricane Force 12 (73 mph upwards) on the Beaufort scale. The Weatheronline website doesn't seem to bother with Force 12, stopping at Force 11 - perhaps it's too rare!
Needless to say, there has been quite a lot of damage to roofs, chimneys and trees, and also to our electricity supply. There was a complete island-wide power failure around 6.30 am - there had been some local ones before that - and the diesel generator in Bowmore was duly started up. However, on this occasion, while the supply to parts of the island (including Bowmore and Port Ellen) was immediately restored, this was not true for many other areas, some of which are now facing a second night without it. Here in Bruichladdich, it was restored this afternoon (at about 4.10 pm), the nearly 34 hours without being one of the longest outages we can remember. This one was made more tedious by being able to look across the loch to the lights of Bowmore!
And if anyone is wondering how I have a photograph taken after the power cut had started, I was checking the weather website on my mobile phone. Less than an hour later, the Vodaphone network went down and, at the time of writing (5.00 pm Weds 4th) is still not back! Ah the joys of island living. Did I mention that there no ferries until about 7.00 pm yesterday evening?  Oh yes, and it's been raining all day, too, and we had thunder and lightning on Monday evening for good meaure.
Malcolm (looking forward to a calmer spell - well, I can always hope)



Wind record, Islay Airport, 7.00 - 8.00 am, 3rd Jan 2012



It's been a wet year!

An automatic weather station was installed at Islay Airport in September 2001 and so, in 2011, a 10-year run of data was completed.
The rainfall figures are available online (e.g. www.weatheronline.co.uk and www.tutiempo.net) and I've been looking at these for the last 10 years, as set out in the table.

 

As can be seen, 2011 was the wettest year of the decade, by some distance, boosted by two very wet months (October - 247 mm, c.10 inches, and December - 222 mm, c.9 inches). December was particularly unusual as there was no really wet day (i.e. 25 mm, c.1 inch), but again there wasn't a single day without at least some rain (0.5 mm or more) which again (believe it or not!) is a rare occurrence - there were 3 days without rain in October.

Although local comment suggests Islay may be getting wetter, a run of 10 years is too short to be able to detect trends. And anyway, who now recalls that 2010 was the second driest year of the decade.

All one can really say is that, if you like weather in all its great variety, as I do, then Islay is the place to be - it definitely gets lots and lots.

And a Happy New Year to all our blog readers, whether it be a wet one or a dry one!

Malcolm

Feral Goats - Niall Colthart

This is a really classy capture of two goats near Port Ellen, with the on-going harbour works in the background - cheers Niall.

Wave hitting the Oa - Niall Colthart

A wave hitting the Oa. 

Shags on Soldiers Rock - Niall Colthart

A couple of remarkable shots of Soldiers Rock on the Oa taken by Niall in what must have been difficult conditions for a cliff walk....  Check out eh Shags on the top of the stack.  I guess they are used to this sort of thing...

Kintra - Niall Colthart

We have some spectacular shots of Islay during the recent storms taken by Niall Colthart.  This is of Kintra at the south end of the Big Strand.  Thanks Niall....

Brent on the shore

The weather has calmed down (a little) with the occasional appearance of a little sunshine, and these Light-bellied Brent appeared on the sea in front of the house.
Malcolm

A picture to cheer one up

After yet another storm, lasting all day, winds averaging 45-55 mph, gusting to 75 mph, with an hour-long powercut starting at 3.00 pm - the island is so lucky to have its own diesel generator which is cranked up, as it was today, if there is a fault on the mainland - and no ferries or planes, and no real reason to go outside (!), here's a photo taken a few years back showing one of my favourite views - Machir Bay from the iron age hillfort at Dun Chroisprig, between Kilchiaran and Kilchoman.
Malcolm

Winter moorland

Shades of brown.
Malcolm

Christmas Eve

Same day of the year, same view, different weather!
Happy Christmas to all our blog readers.
Malcolm

24th December 2010

24th December 2011

Merry Christmas...

Robin at Lorgba January 2011

I am away down south now until 30th December...  Have a very Happy Christmas everyone...
Cheers
Carl

Milkshake Gully!

Two more photographs from Mary McGregor (thanks, Mary), this time of a foam-filled gully near Portnahaven which locally is known as Milkshake Gully. One can certainly see why! It almost looks solid enough to walk on! Almost....
Malcolm

A keen snowdrop

A snowdrop almost out, photographed in Gruinart Wood yesterday by Mary McGregor, to whom thanks.
Malcolm

Dawn

Port Charlotte this morning

Fallow Deer with cattle - Niall Colthart

Nice shot this - a young fallow deer scrounging a meal from a cattle trough.  Taken by Niall Colthart during a walk to Proaig and MacArthur's Head.

Ireland from above Octomore Farm

I was up above Octomore this afternoon.  There were some  fierce hail showers about.  The village in the left foreground is Port Charlotte.  Ireland is just visible on the horizon to the right.  Carl

Jura from Bowmore

Taken yesterday - Carl

Glorious Evening

Bowmore from Carnain this evening.  A hard frost is developing - Carl