Sea-bean Saturday

I finally found a sea-bean!

Whenever I walk the beaches on Oronsay, I keep my eye out for sea-beans. Also known as drift-seeds, sea-beans are seeds or fruits that have been carried out to sea after falling from trees or vines which grow along tropical shores. I love imagining where this one could have come across the ocean from. Somewhere a lot warmer that's for sure. Jamaica perhaps? Sea-beans often float due to an internal air pocket within the seed. So pleased to finally find one!

Otter

Three chough going bananas this afternoon announced the presence of this otter.

I've spent a lot of time on Oronsay trying to spot otters so views like this are really awesome - Managed to get this short video. Had the dogs with me so was trying to make sure they didn't disturb it.

"Aw please let me chase it"

These three chough were less than impressed with the otter and were mobbing it ferociously from the wall. 

The otter started going into rabbit warrens after it went over the hill. This surprises a lot of people, but otters will often hunt on land. I've seen them hunting around rabbit warrens a couple of times in the past month, very easy meal. 

Ongoing winter storms

The weather is again the hot topic, well… cold topic really. It has been back to back storms the last week now. Plenty of hail storms and snow. But also intermittent blue skies.

The wind has been the consistent element. Strong!

We had brilliant views of a pair of golden eagles from the yard while bedding out the calves on Monday.

The male bird is the one of the left - Smaller than the female.


We put new bedding out for the calves every couple of days. The bales of bedding are incredibly good quality this year thanks to a very dry cutting period back in September. It’s more like hay really. Great system so we don’t have to buy in any bales. All Oronsay cut.

Glad to have the fire going tonight!

2015

Been back to my folks in Cornwall for Christmas but was back on Oronsay for NYE. The drive back proved arduous in all the holiday traffic but Scotland provided some fantastic scenery in the last few hours of the drive.

So long for now mainland!

I was hoping to catch some of the meteor shower last night. It was clear skies to start with and the near full moon was huge.

Dawn was rather spectacular this morning.

Really interesting find on the beach today -  A trigger fish. Check out those teeth!

This kestrel has been around the farm the last few weeks.

Happy tup.

Facing down the weather bomb

Much of the West coast was braced for the "weather bomb" that was due to hit midweek. The swell chart below illustrates what we were looking at, red arrow pointing at where Oronsay is. It was fairly wild for a couple of days but nothing major.

Below, the storm damage - We will rebuild.

On Wednesday we went out and about in the land rover to see what was going on around the south end of the island, hoping for lots of birds.

Huge waves but not a lot else really - made for some good photos. Islay in the background there.

This lamb was brought into the shed during the worst of it. We found it a few weeks ago in a bit of a sorry state but it has made a remarkable recovery.

Female chaffinch in the woods today after the peanuts in the feeder that's out.

Another week gone

 Some how another week has flown by. Really don't know where time is going, busy busy. The calves are in the barn now, so it really feels like winter is upon us. The weather has turned bitterly cold this weekend too.



I took the dogs out this afternoon in the RTV to go round the south end of the island collecting driftwood for the fire. Was good to have somewhere to shelter from the intermittent hail storms.



This adult whooper with youngster, the best variety in terms of birds I could find today.

 A little bit of snow/hail on the paps of Jura now.

Tuesday already

Here are some pancakes, that's how saturday started:

Vegan of course. And yes, I ate that whole stack - to myself.

This is the view from my loft room in the cottage. Quite often see the pair of chough that breed on Oronsay from here. Just brilliant to be able to hear chough from bed.

Happened to notice this juvenile sparrowhawk while having a cup of coffee saturday morning, this was from the kitchen window - Just a little bit too far for my camera.

 I was after chough photos again for most of Sunday. Spent the morning over at the aptly nicknamed "chough beach" sitting in the landrover waiting for them to turn up.

Not a bad view while I waited.

I'm still getting to know my camera which I only got a few weeks ago, I'm getting there.

I also tried out an amazing pop-up hide we've got on the reserve. I set up where I'd seen the chough feeding earlier in the day. Only managed to sit in it for about an hour and a half as I didn't take enough layers and was starting to get chilly, but it's got great potential for getting up close views and photos of the chough.

Been sorting cows out the last two days. Calves are in the barn now for the winter.