Liverpool City Centre

A trip into Liverpool to do some overtime on a Saturday morning yielded some nice photos of a double rainbow against heavy grey clouds.

The top of Church Street with the tower of the Zip Wire in the foreground.

The contrasting colours of the coffee shop on the left mirroring the rainbow.

The Queen Victoria Monument.

Duart Bay

We decided to leave the car at home for the day and explore the area around the cottage; Kilpatrick and Duart Bay. After wandering down the road and to the shore of the bay our one-man bag hide quickly became a one-man-one-woman tent as we sheltered from yet more showers.
We squelched back to the house and had a look around the fields next to the cottage. Lots of Skylarks and warblers in the fields, Buzzards overhead (to the optimistic eye these always look like eagles initially).
After lunch a long trek along much of the bay to the west, seeing Gannets, Oystercatchers, Rock Pipits and a lone Redshank. The male Hen Harrier was seen further inland patrolling the grasses while by the shore was a small group of Mountain Hares, although given their habitat they would have been better called Marine Hares.
Finally, how is it that even in the middle of the sea birds still find things to hide behind when you try to photograph them (ie one lone rock the Gannet kept diving behind).

Barn Swallow

Chaffinch

Mountain Hare

Oystercatcher party

Boat heading up Sound of Mull

Male Hen Harrier

Red-breasted Mergansers

Gannet

Mountain Hare

Mountain Hare

Chaffinch

Ferry heading up Sound of Mull

Rainbow over Duart Castle and Bay

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

Helvellyn

The first big hike in the Lakes this year, taking in Nethermost Pike and Helvellyn.

Elevation profile

Helvellyn route

Photos to follow...

Emerging from the trees after climbing steeply from the Wythburn Car Park

Views of Thirlmere

Thirlmere

Visibility was somewhat reduced on the final ascent to the summit

Visibility improved somewhat to reveal the magnificence of Striding Edge

Red Tarn

Swirrel Edge and Red Tarn

Now on the way down, a view of Thirlmere

A few spots of rain provided a lovely rainbow

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Portnahaven

Heading down to Portnahaven to see the seals. The main road was being blocked by road repairs so we went the long way around the Rhinns. Nice scenery but didn't manage much in the way of pictures. By the time we got to Portnahaven the sun was high and very strong. High contrast, backlit photos were a challenge (along with high winds) but the Grey Seals were very curious with up to 6 or more at a time staring at us.

Shag

Diving Shag

Local fisherman

Grey Seal

Male Eider

Male Eider

Oystercatcher

Rock Pipit

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

Grey Seal

The Thing the seals were watching

Turnstone

Spray on rocks by Orsay island

Shag

Male House Sparrow

Spray on rocks by Eilean Mhic Coinnich

Heading round to Frenchman's Rocks (when we eventually found it after a detour by the wave power generator) we saw quite a few birds but nothing we could get close to. Eventually, after being battered by high winds and huge spray off the rocks a heavy rain shower came down. Good job both we and the cameras all had waterproofs on. We squelched off home again, following the rainbows.

Curlews

Gannets by Frenchman's Rocks

Female Wheatear

Roe Deer in rain

Red Deer

Red Deer

Rainbow over Port Charlotte