June 25th 2018 #30DaysWild

The astral twilight continued in to the night.  It always amazes me when there is a colourful glow on the horizon even at 3 in the morning.

I stayed up long enough to stand and wonder at the beauty of these Noctilucent clouds.

A #30DaysWild bonus after supper, in the Haunn field and Black park.  The Corncrake sounded really close, over at the Treshnish end of the field rather than nearer the cottages.    

5 years ago almost to the day, on a similarly beautiful June evening, Farmer was out checking sheep when he came across a sea of Heath fragrant orchids.   He rushed home to get me, as they were growing in a corner of the Black Park, which we don't walk through very often.  I could smell them before I saw them.

This area in the intervening years had become thick with bracken, and because of the number of orchids we couldn't control it through cutting as we would cut the orchids.  So we resorted to the spray, and finally this year the area is more clear of bracken than it has been for a while.

Tonight I walked up there, and I could smell them before I saw them.  Not in the number we saw in 2013.   Looking at the blog from 5 years ago it is interesting to see the difference in other vegetation. The Pignut, for example, is still flowering in 2013 but has gone to seed in 2018.

June 24th 2018 #30DaysWild

What a beautiful day.

Farmer was out on the hill with the 'bracken basher' bashing bracken.  Until it stopped working that is.  

The battle against bracken is multi pronged.   Farmer cuts it wherever he can get the tractor with the mower.  He crushes it in other places using the 'bracken basher'.  He strims it in smaller tighter areas, or places that are too steep.   And finally as a last resort we use a spray to block the proteins which effectively stops it from growing for a few years.  It is always going to be a battle!

In the late afternoon I went back to the wetland area to photograph the Marsh cinquefoil with the drone.  Walking across the field to the gate, I could hear strange animalistic cries coming from the hill above Toechtamhor.  I think they were young Ravens - calling each other.

Marsh cinquefoil in the middle of the wetland area. 

Wetland in the foreground with the Marsh cinquefoil, looking over to the Haunn Cottages. 

The wetland area.

The Haunn cottages with the bog cotton in the foreground on the Point.

Later in the evening, I flew the drone to capture the colour of the grasses from the air, and then walked down into the field below the house.

The most beautiful sunset.  And the astral twilight - awesome.

June 23rd 2018 #30DaysWild

It was a boggy wild day today.  I went to photograph the Marsh cinquefoil in the wetland next to the Coronation Meadow.  I could hear a Corncrake calling, from near Toechtamhor cottage.