More machair flowers

Just a few more! 

 

Machair splendour Part II

 Continuing our walk along the peninsular north of Solas, we stopped at some well preserved wheel houses before heading back through more machair fields to the coast and beach...

The tombolo.

A tombolo is a depositional landform that connects an island to land, or another island.

The wheel house.

Another Moss Carder.

More Primroses...

...and more flowers! 

The sun made a brief appearance .....

Giving those colours...

Then we got damp!

And the cloud cleared.

Machair splendour! Part I

With a 'reasonable' forecast we headed out to Traigh Iar and Traigh Ear, the peninsular just north of Solas. A nice round walk with spectacular machair flowers ...and we almost stayed dry! 

The walk begins by at the back of Traigh Ear where there is a small carpark.

It then heads to the dunes...with the usual abandoned vehicles and implements.

The Primroses were spectacular - up above; a White-tailed Sea Eagle.

A Moss Carder Bee disappearing down its hole.

Painted Lady.

Some colourful Bird's-foot Trefoil.

Fields of flowers...

Primroses on the uncultivated grassland adjacent to the field of Mountain Pansies, Stork's-bill sp and Daisies ...in amongst stubble.

Also in the field...Rue-leaved Saxifrage. 

Garden Tiger Moth caterpillar.

To be continued.....

Balranald Eiders in the sun

 After a wet day, the sun came out ....a pleasant walk along Traigh nam Faoghailean and some Hebridean colours.

Machair colours.  Daisies and a Stork's-bill sp.

Daisies and Mountain Pansies.

Painted Lady.

The Torlum block

Unbeknown to us, it was the Benbecula half marathon today, so a busy road and no parking but we found a spot up  the track to the beach. As soon as we got to the beach at Shell Bay it began to rain, so heads down and the traditional Cowrie hunt - of which there were many. On through the dunes, then back through Griminis and back to the car. 

Boggy, with orchids that I couldn't get too close to as it was a tad damp under foot. 

Northern Marsh Orchid.

Early Marsh Orchid.

Dreich

Our first full day and a damp one. Our first walk was from our campsite at Balranald. Not many photos as it was damp and windy...interestingly we are too early, this year, for the orchids - it looks like quite a late year with Marsh Marigolds and Cuckoo Flower being in full flower.

Plenty of birds on the washed up seaweed.

Turnstones and Ringed Plover.

The Thrift is just coming onto flower.

Sheltering and sleeping - Great Northern Diver.

Some nice folding.

An incredibly cosy looking Raven's nest.

Fields of Mountain Pansies and Daisies.

Closer in ...

Despite the weather the sea still has a tinge of turquoise.

After lunch back at the pod, we headed south to Baleshare, where there were some decent waves pounding the beach, before the decent rain arrived! 

A quick look in the Iron Age midden...where we found a few pieces of pottery...

Before a hasty retreat as the rain approached.