Dun Aisgain

This is a lovely walk just over the hill from Treshnish.  Look for Dun Aisgain on the OS Map, near Burg. 

 

Moving sheep and feeding sheep

The young stock over on the rented fields at Ensay have to come back to Treshnish for a few days at the end of the grazing agreement each year, so Farmer has to entice them up to the Ensay farm yard where he has erected a corral of flakes and gates to lead them in to, so he can load them into the trailer and bring them home.   It is a bit of a palaver but he has a good system.   On this occasion they seemed to know where they were going and were not following the bag (in his hand!). 

 

December day skies

These extraordinary clouds are Nacreous clouds.  They are formed in the lower stratosphere over polar regions - so very unusual here, so far south.  A bit like Noctiulcent clouds the clouds are illuminated by the sun which is just below the horizon.  The colour is formed by the sun hitting the ice particles in the very cold clouds, which can be between 70,000 and 100,000 feet above sea level. 

The word Nacre comes from an old English word meaning Mother of Pearl.

What a treat to see this.  I stood and watched the colours change before my eyes, until the lower clouds obscured it completely. 

 

Walks and views on the farm

 

December night skies

This panorama was taken on December 1st, with an almost full moon.  The activity was strong enough to beat the brightness of the moon. 

All the above taken the same night.  The moon light alters the cloud colours, I wasn't sure how to edit out the purple! 

There has been quite a bit of Aurora activity this autumn and winter.  We are entering a peak in the 12 year cycle.  Just need the clear skies now!