Islay Rain Rain Rain and more Rain

The weather has been very wet in the first week of May on Islay. Thursday saw gale force winds, disrupted ferries and there were several inches of rain which fell on almost every day of the week. The weather was so bad that the last stage of the Scottish Ultra Marathon on Jura had to be cancelled. Spring seems far away but we all know how fast things can change. At the moment of writing the sun is out again but the wind is still strong. Teresa Morris, who runs the Islay Wildscapes website, is currently on Islay and she captured the atmosphere of this wet weather through the lens of her camera. She shows what it must be like for the wildlife and farm animals to be outside in flooded fields and poor conditions. Teresa described the week as follows:

Teresa: "This week can only be described as rain... rain ... rain and more rain! The weather forecast maps at the start of the week showed an exceptionally large low pressure system extending right across the Atlantic ocean. It resulted in Islay having three days of nearly continous heavy rain followed by gales and squally showers. It has been a tough few days for the newly born lambs seeking shelter wherever they can. The ground nesting birds including lapwings, little ringed plovers, redshank and oystercatchers have all been struggling to protect their nests of eggs from the cold wet conditions. Burns have been in spate as seen at Uiskentuie and Saligo Beach with dark peaty water gushing down the hillsides. High tide at Saligo Beach was mixing the peaty water flowing from Loch Gorm into the foamy surf of the Atlantic. Its been a very unseasonal week of weather for May!"

What follows is a beautiful but very wet view of Islay captured in beautiful pictures by Teresa Morris. Continue to the pictures

Flood at Loch Gorm

Hebridean Sheep in the Rain

Sheep Sheltering at Ardnave Dunes

Ringed Plover protecting her nest and eggs against the rain

Waves at Saligo Bay

Shivering Lambs near Loch Gorm

Drowning Primroses near a burn

Highland Cow at Sanaigmore

Peaty surf at Saligo Bay

Tag: rain weather