..we were camp with the Wildwood Wisdom kids our friend Kevin who is a webmaster extraordinaire was busy here birding - not only was he satisfied with White Tailed Eagle and Golden eagle too but also was enchanted with tree Sparrows and Merlin amongst the numerous birds he spotted but best of all for him were the Black Guillemots hanging around Caol Ila. Great!
The Wildwood Wisdom camp went went and all enjoyed their experiences of being out of doors (youngest aged 7 to oldest of 14 years) in variable weather doing a variety of wilderness tasks form cooking and camp making to wood carving, fly fishing and nature watching as well as plenty of time to tell stories around the camp fire.
Friday 31 July 2009
Thursday 23 July 2009
birding fishing and biking
yes we mixed all three and it was good - saw Hen Harriers, Whinchat, Merlin and Sparrowhawk, Buzzards, Gannets and Auks, caught Mackerel and enjoyed the views...and weather. Fabulous.
Tuesday 21 July 2009
rain and rain
For the first time for a couple of week the rain started at kelly kettle time and carried on for the rest of the day. Somewhat disappointing at first but we had some good sightings all the same: Buzzards feeding young, Skylarks, Pipits, Wagtails, Terns, Mergansers and a resting Otter too! A hen hen harrier was also a good spot too. Plenty for our french folks(family of six) who arrived from Orleans by public transport - chapeau!
Monday 20 July 2009
rhinns birding
Good morning tour with a couple of folks from San Francisco. Gannets, Chough, Buzzards, Merlin, Oystercatchers and Fulmars as well as plenty of lbj's! Also lots of interesting plants in flower too.
Monday 13 July 2009
Esther's Photos
further to the biking bushcraft here are esther and warren's photos - fantastic
http://www.esthertacke.f2s.com/IslayArty/
thanks
http://www.esthertacke.f2s.com/IslayArty/
thanks
Tuesday 7 July 2009
Monday 6 July 2009
wilderness food and nature
We avoided the rain, and watched a Golden Eagle, Common Sandpipers and Pipits too. Finding plenty to forage and cook on an open fire on the beach. Wonderful. Wild gourmets!
Sunday 5 July 2009
nature report
summer summer summer..and orchids everywhere!
.............and other wonderful flowers as well as skylarks singing.
this week i was with a couple of folks and we were riding bikes traveling through the nature. It is such a great way to experience all sorts of happenings. Time to watch, time to slow down and easy to stop. Time also to sniff the ever changing air as it is now full of all sorts of smells. there are now amazing flowers that have suddenly appeared. It also allows one to hear a wilderness orchestra and how it changes as one progresses. the really nice thing is that as one rides a bike one finds oneslf within the nature and can become part of it. I have noticed that birds and animal are less disturbed by bikes than when one is on foot. Strange but true! We watched Chough, Buzzards, Eiders, Linnets and plenty of Oystercatchers as well as Arctic Terns and Hen Harriers but best of all we saw plenty of wild orchids.
On the folklore side of things it is commonly thought that any purple orchids were magical plants ("lus an Talaidh" - herb of enticement). Used in love charms. It has two roots, one larger than the other, representing a man and
a woman. The plant is to be pulled by the roots before sunrise, facing South.
Which-ever root is used is to be immediately placed in spring water; if it sinks the person in question will be the future husband or wife. The root can also be ground up and placed under the pillow to bring dreams of your future partner.
Of course I would not recommend this as it is illegal to pick any wild flower.....but who knows what would have happened in the past!
for a full report see www.isleofislay.info
.............and other wonderful flowers as well as skylarks singing.
this week i was with a couple of folks and we were riding bikes traveling through the nature. It is such a great way to experience all sorts of happenings. Time to watch, time to slow down and easy to stop. Time also to sniff the ever changing air as it is now full of all sorts of smells. there are now amazing flowers that have suddenly appeared. It also allows one to hear a wilderness orchestra and how it changes as one progresses. the really nice thing is that as one rides a bike one finds oneslf within the nature and can become part of it. I have noticed that birds and animal are less disturbed by bikes than when one is on foot. Strange but true! We watched Chough, Buzzards, Eiders, Linnets and plenty of Oystercatchers as well as Arctic Terns and Hen Harriers but best of all we saw plenty of wild orchids.
On the folklore side of things it is commonly thought that any purple orchids were magical plants ("lus an Talaidh" - herb of enticement). Used in love charms. It has two roots, one larger than the other, representing a man and
a woman. The plant is to be pulled by the roots before sunrise, facing South.
Which-ever root is used is to be immediately placed in spring water; if it sinks the person in question will be the future husband or wife. The root can also be ground up and placed under the pillow to bring dreams of your future partner.
Of course I would not recommend this as it is illegal to pick any wild flower.....but who knows what would have happened in the past!
for a full report see www.isleofislay.info
biking bushcraft
We had a really great time exploring the wilds on bike and camping, foraging and watching. We were lucky with the weather and although there were a handful of clouds and wetness we remained mostly dry and enjoyed looking for flowers and plants that sustain and nourish and heal - brilliant. The birds were, of course great too: Chough, Terns, Harriers and Oystercatchers. A large Sea Bass also launched itself just as we were cooking an evening meal on the beach - fantastic!
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