Islay Surprises

You would have thought that when you visit a place for the 102nd time there would be no surprises awaiting you but you would be wrong. Islay last week was exceptional in what it produced. Firstly we had a fall of Redwings from iceland that was unbelievable in the number of birds involved. This weeks gallery photos were taken alongside a crofters garden. At the same time Whooper Swans were arriving from the same direction and in one day we counted 328 spread across the island. One loch alone held nearly two hundred Swans which was the most we have ever seen on Islay in one place.

We used the acute senses of our Cocker Spaniel to home in on two Grey Seal pups which is more than we have ever found before. A morning on Jura produced three dog Otters within five minutes and then a female with two young later on. These broke our long standing day record of five but even so failed to produce any photos!

The best was yet to come when a walk on a heather moorland at dusk found eight Hen Harriers going to roost. It had always been a dream of mine to find an unknown roost of Hen harriers and it finally happened. How can it ever get better than that?

Oh and in-between all the above we managed to call in virtually every cafe on the island, one of them three times!! Click here for gallery