June 19th 2018 #30DaysWild

The rain held off until we had come back from a walk through the fields.  I was accompanied this time by L, another botanist, doing plant surveys for the New Flora.  The Treshnish tetrad has been surveyed already but she came back to say hello and have a look at what was around.  

I showed her the Small white orchids at Haunn.  We heard the Corncrake who seems to have moved closer to Toechtamhor.

In the Black Park we crossed the burn, finding the Yellow-eyed grass, on the way to the bank of Wood bitter-vetch.  Sorry!  This is becoming a bit monotonous - but there is always something new to see.  Today the grasses caught my eye.

June 15th 2018 #30DaysWild

Afternoon.  Between Haunn and the Point. This is a good place to see Ravens as they live on the cliffs above here.  Today we saw one if not two fledgings with an adult.

Wheatear in the Haunn garden.

Mr and Mrs Wheatear in the Haunn garden.

Evening.  In the Black Park.    Someone said they couldnt find the Moonwort so we went to check.  It was still there thankfully.

Moonwort.

Back to the bank of Wood bitter-vetch

June 11th 2018 #30DaysWild

#30DaysWild

What a wild day!  The best sort.

We had a visit from a Plantlife botanist and his partner this afternoon and I had the absolute pleasure of showing them the fields.    It was wonderful to walk through the fields with someone so knowledgeable and I felt very proud of how Treshnish has blossomed, literally, in the last 23 years.

A bank of Wood bitter-vetch in Black Park.

Small white orchids in the Coronation Meadow.

On the Point.  Blankets of Cotton grass.

Back in the Coronation Meadow.

I find the hawk weeds very difficult but I now know this one is Marsh hawks beard.  It was in a damper patch of the Haunn field. 

Highlight was the bank of Wood bitter-vetch I photographed yesterday.  Today with our visitors, in brilliant mid afternoon sunshine it was again difficult to photograph.   So tonight I went back just before sunset and caught the golden hour which accentuated the colours of the plant nicely.  

A historical visit

Yesterday the sun shone ALL day.

Farmer had left the cheviots in the park beside the farm building since he marked their lambs last week.  His idea was to get them to nibble off the grass growth before the hill ewes and lambs come in for marking next week.  The cheviots, living as they do on the in-by fields all year round, are used to the richer grazing.  Had he brought the hill sheep in to the park with its abundant better grass, they could have ended up with 'digestive issues', which can lead to other problems.

Yesterday morning he moved them, with Cap and Jan helping, into Scoma.  I followed him down the track to walk Coco, straining at the lead, all the way.  It was a swift and easy manoeuvre through the herb rich Black Park, none got lost on the way (attracted by the delicious looking wild flowers!) and now they are enjoying fresh grazing in Scoma.

Thursday was the first birthday of the Coronation Meadow project.  Our humble meadow was looking pretty wonderful as I walked through. I do find it very challenging to capture the sight of the flowers and the waves of colour through it!

In the afternoon yesterday Mull Historical Society came for a visit. They wanted to look at the medieval settlement in Scoma.  It is always interesting to see things through other peoples eyes, and those who came had lots of ideas as to which buildings were likely to have been what.  The stack yard is the most obvious and you can still see the rounds of the stook bases in the sun. 

We walked from Scoma down to the shore gate, and on down to the Dun and the Fort.

I sometimes wonder if Farmer and I have very unenquiring minds! We have often wondered about the pile of stones in the background to the left of Farmer and others in this photograph below.   We discovered yesterday that they are quite similar to Viking burial mounds, but there is no record of it anywhere, so it would need to be excavated to discover more. 

The cliffs are still a haven for wild flowers, safe from sheep nibbling.  This bank is covered in Tufted vetch.

The fank at Haunn is still looking so pretty.  We went to look at Middle Cottage with the group, as a member had stayed several times in Middle before moving to Mull, and he wanted to show everyone the boat etched into the stone to the right of the door, and the initials AMcD and a date in the doorway.  The boat sadly was obscured by lichen, but we could see the initials.

The Wood Bitter-vetch is flowering all over the banks and verges in the Coronation Meadow!

Along with heath spotted orchids.  The first fragrant orchids are just beginning to open, as are the butterfly orchids and northern marsh orchids.  The meadow changes colour in drifts with each day and in different weather.

Farmer and I greatly enjoyed our afternoon with Mull Historical Society, a great excuse to walk and look!  I hugely enjoyed meeting some walkers, a botanist and her companion, who was clearly loving the wild flowers. If she should ever read this blog, I do apologise for appearing to accost her, but it was clear she was really seeing what was around her, and that was lovely.   Thank you for clambering up to the Bloody Cranesbill above the shore track, I don't know how many times I have walked up and down that path without seeing it. I will always see it now.

An evening cycle home from Haunn provided me with this wonderful sky.

Then a sunset of techno proportions. I cannot remember having seen one this strong for a long, long time.  The photographs do not do it justice.