Thurs 30th June
A glorious, blue, full-on summer day in the bejewelled isles, with a soft breeze and warm sunshine took us off straight to Clachan Shanda to get out of the car and begin a search, meander, lie down in the machair with the cameras few hours……… oh the heavenliness of it ………. The Field Gentian here was opening but the Frog Orchids had gone to seed …….. Joan soon found the Adderstongue Fern with no help from me (she searched wider and wider for the so and so broomrape but came up empty, while I lolled around with the camera!). A little moss species delighted me – the tiny Lesser Clubmoss – the delight and usefulness of lying down on the job means finding miniscule species like this, walked on and overlooked if upright! A Cuckoo sat beside the road 5ft off flew off before I could get my camera out of the window …….
A general North Uist wander took up the afternoon: Loch Portain Road had 5 Twite feeding on seeds heads at the end of the road. Cheese Bay had distant views of 3 Red-throated Divers flying and calling between the furthest islands. A light phase Arctic Skua came skimming along the rocks below the parking spot. Up and over the Committee Road again at evening time found 5 kestrels playing and practising flight around the plantations – I have never seen a kestrel dangling and swinging from the end of a whippy coniferous branch like an upside down budgie before – it was entertaining but must be a form of training for them in how to catch moving prey?
We could hear a golden plover calling in the far distance but the 5 heads that popped out of the heather 4ft off the side of the car were juvenile Red Grouse – who then continued to feed and ignore us – I don’t know about shooting them being difficult – I could have scooped a couple up with a childs fishing net!
Late-ish evening and almost back to the gorgeous accommodation (very hard to leave when the weather was rough!) we came round a loch just beyond the Ballivanich turn off and counted a Mute Swan with 8 cygnets, 5 eclipse Teal and 3 female Shovelar all feeding and up ending busily.
Fri 31st July
Last day dawned with a sulphur yellow strip below grey cloud, followed by a rapid decline into strong winds and slashing rain ……… Joan spotted a juvenile Cuckoo sat on the fence a field and half away from the back croft windows. The windows were at least 4ft square and opened two ways – so I chose the wide open option (4ft square of glass swings into the room pushed in by the wind and rain!) and rested the camera on the windowsill. I turned the ISO up to 800, fitted the 1.4 extender and fired a few off hoping for the best. The shots have come out after a fashion – not brilliant but the only cuckoo shots I have ……….
We revisited Balranald for the last time and noted more Field Scabious, Swallows and a couple of Whooper Swans (which have bred this year for the first time). A distant gang of about 15 eclipse ducks turned out as I suspected to be Wigeon.
A ride around Paible found around 200 Golden Plover standing about in two cut fields trying to be out of the rain and wind until a guy camping decided to walk to the shops for supplies and the plover all took off and disappeared…..
Coming past Valley Strand and Struan Cottage the tide was going out and the sea a strip of limpid green like milky paint ……. On the mudflats 12 Bar tailed Godwits and Curlew probed for food and got buffeted by the wind.
A last ride over the Committee Road saw a rather determined looking female Hen Harrier hunting presumably she had hungry mouths to feed? Coming through Ballivanich I noticed the Wild Parsnip found as just the one plant a few years ago (and not mentioned in the existing Flora – so a ‘new’ arrival) has now spread all along the road where the big tower and stables are!) I don’t know about the horses but the parsnip is galloping along the road at a very fast rate!
Sat 1st Aug
A slow steady pack up and clean up of the house, say our goodbyes and off slowly down the island chain to join the ferry queue…….. I was sad-ish but helped by knowing that in exactly a months time I will be back out there for the third and probably last time in 2009. The sail back couldn’t have been more opposite to the sail out – it was lumpy and rough and care was needed in deciding when exactly to have dinner onboard. The highlight of the journey was spotting a Basking Shark close to the boat which was good enough but it was rapidly followed by another three! (esp since on a previous journey I was in the loo – where else - when the captain announced two beside the boat – which were out of sight by the time I got back on deck!)
So remember – if you have the misfortune to be out with me somewhere and nothing is happening just ask me to go to the loo while whispering what you would like to appear while I’m gone – and hey presto!!
And finally good numbers of Manx Shearwaters close by the boat - I was glad to see them again but the camera was once more safe below decks in its bag .......... when will I learn?!!
*The 5 uploads a day rule here means I have photos that I have not managed to upload here yet - if you wish to see more after reading this account simply click on my own website pmgi.zenfolio below to see the rest ............
Pauline and Joan's Western Isles 2009 Visit Part Two .... 
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