Wedholme insects

Home and back to Wedholme. Somehow it's not quite so nice going out in rubbish weather at home!  But we got round Wedholme Flow in the dry and it was nice to see so many insects. The water level was also back up to what it should be.

Plenty of Lapwing circling round...

Dramatic light...

The three heathers: Cross-leaved Heath; Ling (bottom left) and Bell Heather (right).

The Cotton Grass is blown to the four winds.

White-beaked Sedge.

Small Skippers - except top right which is a Large Skipper.

Common Blue Damselfly and Blue-tailed Damselfly.

Red Admiral with Hoverfly.

The vaguely threatening Tachina Fly.

Hoverfly sp.

Black Darter.

Uists field sketches

Needless to say, some field sketching was done while we were away and it was all done outside - apart from the first one of the Cuillins. Conditions were challenging - mainly windy, which had the bonus of no midges! The watercolours are 13cm x 10cm (ish) , unless they aare a double page spread and took about 10 -15 minutes each. How to progree these I'm not sure as I am no watercolourist! 

The Cuillins from the ferry.

Baleshare.

Across the machair...

Across Traigh Ear.

North Uist - inland.

Across Loch Druidibeag.

From Loch Druidibeag to Maoil Diamh.

Loch Altabrug.

View from the bakery carpark on Benbecula!

From Grimsay.

Waves ...

More waves ...

..and more!

In the field...

Waves

 ..and more photos of the waves...and then that was it -fairwell to the Uists - what a grand holiday!

Traigh Stir beach and headland

As promised an extremely windy day, but it was bright and sunny and rather spectacular! Unsuprisingly, there were no ferries running, so we were glad that we had chosen the next day for our ferry departure, although Calmac did change the sailing from a sensible 10am to an early start for a 5am check in, in order to accomaodate an extra sailing that day. Anyway what a superb walk! 

Opposite the turning to Traigh Stir beach is the turn to the viewing point for St. Kilda...it was a very clear day, but I hadn't factored in the sea spray. We could hardly see the sea, yet alone St Kilda! 

Superb waves ...

Yet calm on the otherside of the beach...

The number of orchids was amazing...

Spectacular!

Heath Spotted-orchids - small as in such an exposed situation.

Oystercatcher.

Blow Hole.

Stripey rocks!

Gneissic foliation..nice..with limpets. 

Daisies...

Balranald in the rain...Good sea!

 A rather soggy day, so in the afternoon a walk round the nature trail...some spectacular waves! 

Grey skies...

Lapwing.

Kidney Vetch.

..and a few waves....

..and back, in the rain, to the pod.