Sunset and Sounds at Loch Indaal

As a follow up on yesterdays story about Islay Studios I thought I'd post another nice sunset at Loch Indaal. This picture was taken a few minutes later than the one from yesterday. Because of the tele-lense I used, the worm sand casts on the beach are compressed together and it looks like millions of worms, most likely Lugworms, are living there. The worms are part of Islay's beach life and the beach itself is a rich feeding ground for many wading birds such as Oystercatchers, Dunlins and many others.

Colourful sunset at Loch Indaal [click here for full image]

Loch Indaal is an amazing place to be and if you're ever driving near the loch in the evening or night try to park the car and listen carefully to the sounds you hear. If you're lucky you can hear a very strange vibrating sound right above you, almost scary at first if you don't know what it is. It gave me the shivers when I heard it for the first time. The sound is made by a male Snipe, making a series of power dives during which the outermost tail-feathers are held out almost at right-angles to the bird's body. Feather vibration in the slipstream produces the remarkable throbbing known as 'drumming'. After a long search on the internet I managed to find the sound of the Snipe. In combination with the picture you can have an almost real Loch Indaal experience from your own home. Enjoy!

Click here to listen to the Snipe (opens your media player)