Tuesday 5th June 2007
Another beautiful sunrise began another sunny day.
The mainland was clearly visible across The Minch with Canisp and Suilven made conspicuous by the latter's shape. It is a mere 2389 feet high - not a Munro, not even a Corbett but it remains magnificent. For Suilven is "wonderfully remote, breathtakingly craggy and blessed with the sort of scenic panoramas that prompt a landscape photographer out of bed in the wee small hours of the morning". In my case at 5.10 a.m.
The early morning warmth soon brought out the White-tailed Bumblebees in the garden. After breakfast we went into Stornoway and while Barry went in the Autoworld I watched the Rooks and Hooded Crows. Rooks are only found in Stornoway itself, not around the rest of Lewis at all.
We went to the Woodlands Centre and had a walk around the Castle grounds. The varied woodland was planted by Sir James Matheson in the 1850s and developed further in 1875 and at the turn of the 20th century, In the woods were plenty of ferns including Hard Fern (Blechnum spicant).
We had a wander around the outside of Lews Castle which is now closed because of its dangerous condition.
I just love these folk who are on the South-eastern corner of the building.
Despite the fact that the Common Seal is also known as the Harbour Seal these are Grey Seals in Stornoway harbour. Half the world's population of Grey Seals (Haliochoerus gripus) are found on and around British coasts and numbers have doubled since 1960. Today there were four of them in the harbour and two were practising synchronised swimming.
Outside the Woodlands Centre, where we went for coffee, there are two models of the Lewis chess pieces. Originally discovered on the Isle of Lewis around 1170, they are of Scandinavian origin and form the earliest known European chess set. The originals were carved from ivory and walrus tusk and are now on display in the British Museum. These six foot high models are carved from single blocks of wood.
Back at Tigh na mara for lunch an Angle Shades moth was sheltering from the wind on the garden gate.
We drove back into Stornoway and out to Loch Stiapabhat where there is a Local Nature Reserve. From the Braigh the Ferry was visible just leaving Stornoway. By the Loch, in a part of Fivepenny Machair that was full of daisies, a couple of Rabbits were happily feeding until we disturbed them.
From the hide we saw a great variety of birdlife including Whooper Swans, Mallard, Arctic Terns, Lapwings, Herring Gulls, Black-headed Gulls, Redshank, Dunlin, Skylark, and others.On one occasion the Lapwings and gulls and terns took to the air with a great clamour and we thought they were arguing among themselves. Only when I got home did the photos reveal a splodge which are reasonably sure can be interpreted as Hen Harrier.
The second time they were upset we saw the cause before they even took to the air - a Peregrine. Wonderful.
On at least one occasion I saw and GB heard a Whooper Swan whooping.
From the Loch we went to the Butt of Lewis lighthouse and looked at the cliff-nesting birds, the rock formations and the dashing waves.
On the way back we stopped to watch and photograph a Rock Pipit, undoubtedly one of the most common birds of the Hebrides. Back at Tigh na mara the sun was illuminating the headland rather beautifully as it gradually moved around to set.
