Mull of Oa

After a much needed lie-in (for one of us) an afternoon around the Mull of Oa. Didn't go far with all the big lenses. Still extremely hazy.
Finished off the day down on the beach at Kilnaughton Bay.

Wheatear

A pair of Cuckoo were being hassled by some small birds (Meadow Pipits I think). They kept trying to get down to what we assume were the nest but the Pipits were too vigilant. In the end the Cuckoos flew off.

Cuckoo

Willow Warbler

Carraig Fhada in the haze

Rock Pipit

Pied Wagtail

Oystercatcher

Young Great Northern Diver

Young Great Northern Diver

Sunset by Laphroaig

The cottage came complete with a new security feature, Cat-In-A-Pot, a local feline that sits in the plant pot right outside the kitchen window and stares at you while doing the dishes.

Cat-In-A-Pot

Stonechat

Miserable Calf

Reed Bunting

Some shady fella

Kilnaughton Bay

Sky above Kilnaughton Bay

Loch Na Keal

A long trip around Loch Na Keal to look for Otters and Eagles. We saw one Otter briefly heading up Loch Beg. No eagles but lots of other things along the way.

Pied Wagtail

Male Wheatear

Female Wheatear

Female Wheatear

Common Sandpiper

Male Wheatear

Meadow Pipit

Meadow Pipit

Female Red-breasted Merganser

Male Red-breasted Merganser

Contemplative Sheep

Oystercatcher

Oystercatcher

Buzzard

Stone sheep pens by the Loch

Gill on bridge by Loch Na Keal

John propping up road signs

 

Lone Tree by Loch Na Keal

Loch Na Keal

Loch Na Keal

North and East Mull

Today a trip to see what's what on this side of the island.  We drove up through Craignure, Salen, Tobermory, Dervaig and back down the west side of Loch Frisa to Salen and back to Craignure.  The weather was mostly good but with short, sharp showers.

Sleepy Oystercatchers

Grey Heron

Shag

Shag

Scallastle Bay

Duart Castle and rainbow

New lamb

Herring Gull keeping an eye for scraps at Tobermory

Herring Gull

Pair of Herring Gulls

Pied Wagtail on rocky wall

Glengorm Castle

Port Charlotte

A day of patchy rain that wouldn't make up its mind in the morning. In the afternoon we wandered down the shore a little from the house to see what we could find. What we found was a little cove with waders. With some patience we had close encounters (but no Otters, which are to be found near there according to a holidaymaker we bumped into later).

But first, wildlife photography comes with its hazards. What I thought was a little scab was actually this little bloodsucker which had been on my arm for most of the week. He came off OK, probably because he was full!

Tick

Common Gull

Turnstone

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Dunlin

Rock Pipit

Dunlin

Dunlin

Turnstone

Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Turnstone

Pied Wagtail

Dunlin

Turnstones and Dunlin

Meadow Pipit

Shelduck

Common Gull

When on holiday on Islay I heartily recommend spending hours rolling around in cold, rotting seaweed!

The things I do on holiday

Later, after we'd put all the camera stuff away ready for heading home the next day (and after predicting that we wouldn't have to worry about catching a sunset due to the weather) a fantastic, burning sunset descended over Islay. We quickly scurried off with a few cameras but a bit more preparation time would have produced much better shots.

Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte

Port Charlotte Hotel

Port Charlotte

Paps of Jura