I think this is a nice follow up on yesterday's post about the new Islay Nature Blog of the Islay Natural History Trust. I already mentioned the many beautiful pictures and interesting information and the fact that both visitors and locals can send in their nature notes or pictures. In the Ileach newspaper of last Saturday I read that the INHT are running a wildlife photography competition.

Sea Pinks in Port Wemyss - One of my contributions

The competition is open to everybody, and the first prize will be a bottle of Bruichladdich whisky. There will be other prizes for runner-up and commended entries. The only rules are that the image must be of some aspect of the natural world, and must have been taken on Islay. It does not evenmatter when you took it - so if you took a fantastic shot of red deer on the hill or a beautiful butterfly while on holiday here a couple of years ago - then now is the time to send it in to us. Digital or printed images will both be accepted, either via e-mail to inht@islaynaturalhistory.org, or in person at the Natural History Centre in Port Charlotte.

Gorse - Another one of my contributions

If you're on Islay this week and are interested to see the island from above I can recommend a presentation by Malcolm Ogilvie at the Natural History Trust in Port Charlotte called 'Islay - A Bird's Eye View'. This will be a collection of fascinating photographs of Islay taken from the windows of aircraft - from the service plane on trips to and from Glasgow , and also from a light aircraft undergoing environmental survey work. Malcolm will also be adding some of his own shots of wildlife as appropriate. The presentation is on Thursday 22nd July and starts at 7.30. There is an entrace fee of £2.50 which includes refreshments. It is free to INHT members.

Tag: competition wildlife nature photography

I was out cycling tonight and when I left from home it was clouded but later on when I cycled near the beach the sun came out and the light was amazing. It reminded me of an evening on islay when the lifeboat crew invited me on their weekly training session in the Sound of Islay. On that day it was clouded too but when we left Port Askaig the sun came out and spread a beautiful light over the Sound of Islay. It was a trip which I will never forget. Below are some images of that memorable evening in May 2010.

Continue reading....

If you take the road from Port Charlotte towards the west of Islay, over the Rhinns, you'll end up on Islay's remote west coast. Here you can find Kilchiaran Chapel and Bay, the place where St. Columba set foot on Islay in 560AD prior to founding the famous monastery on the Isle of Iona. Although the chapel is ruined it still is in a good state. The chapel overlooks the beautiful Kichiaran bay and just outside the chapel, in the grass, is a cup marked stone. The reasons for creating these cup marked stones are unknown which make them even more fascinating, especially if you consider the time it took the early inhabitants to create them in the first place. Another interesting feature in the area is the fact that Kilchiaran Bay was once a slate quarry, if you take a walk around the bay you can see why. The images below give you an idea of the beauty of this place and I can highly recommend a visit, also from a wildlife point of view. For a virtual tour in the area follow the Google Streetview Link.

Kilchiaran Bay Sign

Kilchiaran Chapel - Continue reading....

I had planned to write about Sea Kayaking on Islay tonight but with 33c it's too hot to spend much time with a laptop on my knees. So the sea kayaking story with Dave will have to wait a bit. Instead I have an image of the Sound of Islay taken from a wee hill close to loch Ardnahoe. This image was taken around sunrise in May 2010 and shows an exceptional clear view over the Sound of Islay towards Kintyre. The (slightly) larger version is available from www.islaypictures.com

Dawn at the Sound of Islay looking towards the Kintyre peninsula

Most visitors of Lagavulin end up at the distillery but I can recommend a walk through this lovely village as well. You get to see some "Mediterranean" scenes, especially when the sun is out and the sky is blue. Below two images of my little excursion through Lagavulin during the spring holiday. As you can see some people have found creative gardening ideas and for those of you who have been to the mediterranean you might spot some similarities. These images are two of my favorites and I hope you like them too!

Tag: photography lagavulin

The best period of the day to take the best pictures is either early morning or later in the day. Especially the period around sunrise is my favourite time of the day because the wind is usually quiet, there can be some low mist at times, nature is waking up and most people are still asleep. The only problem on Islay is that you have to wake up really early in the summer to catch these beautiful moments but when you make it you are often rewarded with beautiful scenes, such as the ones below. The first two images show Loch Ardnahoe with the ever present rowing boat. The third image shows the view towards Caol Ila from the Bunnahabhain Road.

Tag: ardnahoe sunrise pictures

In the last couple of years the north-eastern part of the Oa Peninsula has seen new housing development, both close to the shore at Kilnaughton Bay, and higher up the hills behind the lighthouse as well. As a result part of the track on this side of the Oa peninsula has recently received a good layer of tarmac. This is of course not such a shocking news item, but it does make this part of Islay more accessible, specially if you want to walk behind the Carraig Fhada lighthouse with a child and buggy like we did last month. The views from the eastern part of the Oa are stunning, both towards Port Ellen and the distilleries, to the Isle of Texa or more to the east towards Kintyre and the Mull of Kintyre. When you're on Islay next time and the weather is sunny and clear I can recommend a drive up the road to admire the stunning views as you can see below.

The Singing Sands, a Ruin, the Mull of Kintyre and Ireland (right)

A House overlooking the sea towards Kintyre, Ireland on the right

Continue to more Oa pictures.....

Christine Logan, also known as Lady of the Isles, sent me an image of this typical Islay scene, two sheep waiting for the next bus!

Tag: sheep bus pictures