Skye is on fire!

Fire on Skye (taken at 9pm)

 There has been a lot of burning on Skye, the mainland and the outer Hebrides. All of which we have seen from Rum thanks to the clear conditions.

Shellesder Glen, with Bloodstone Hill in the background

 This week has been very productive. With quite a lot of the preparation for the calving season finished up, as well as this months vegetation monitoring completed in a day. We went to Shellesder again, determined to find more than one antler, as well as reach the bothy to put up a note to visitors. Martyn had all the luck and spotted 6, and I really thought my eyes were deceiving me from the number of sticks or rocks that I went to investigate believing them to be antlers. It was only as we were walking back I stumbled across one, bringing the days total to 7. We sighted a lot more stags than before and could see many were still to cast, so the following weeks should slowly build the number we find. No bodies found in Shellesder either, with the stags looking ok (some really quite massive!). We had a couple of days mortality searching again, but didn't find much apart from a seal enjoying itself and sneaking up on seagulls in the shallows of the bay. We also encountered a lot of lizards out sunning themselves too. I finally found a small skeleton yesterday (Friday), but the head is missing, which makes IDing the calf a challenge. It might have been carried off by crows or may just have rolled into the burn..

A Heron I spooked from the river

Waterfall at Shellesder beach

Outer Hebrides

 Although the water looks very inviting, it still is very, very cold and with the breeze still coming from the east things don't improve when you come out the sea.

Ringed Plover on the beach

 Spring tides have meant low tide is very low indeed. However, I've still not had much luck with the fishing! The cormorants and divers have been catching things all around me and I've not yet landed something for the table! Starting to think I should have brought my mask, fins and drysuit so i could go after crabs and lobster amongst the rocks...