Kildonan, Isle of Arran

My flatmate's schoolfriend came over from France to visit her and I suggested we visit Arran because in many ways it's 'Scotland in miniature'. The Highland Boundary Fault divides the island into highlands in the North and lowlands in the South and it has dramatic mountains, open moorland/sheep, unspoiled beaches and most importantly, is an easy day-trip from Glasgow.

The train from Glasgow to Ardrossan takes one hour and the Arran ferry takes an hour to sail from Ardrossan to Brodick harbour, from there you can catch a bus to anywhere on the isle. On the ferry you can get a decent fried breakfast and coffee (although the black pudding isn't great) and the chance to see gannets, various sea ducks and porpoises.

Arran is famous for its varied geology and this is reflected in the amazing diversity of its beaches. Corrie has red sea-sculpted sandstone rockpools, Brodick Bay and Whiting Bay have golden sands, Largymeanoch and 'the Fallen Rocks' at North Sannox have spectacular boulder-beaches and Blackwaterfoot has interesting sea caves.

Kildonan lies on the Southern coast of Arran and the beach has white sand intersected by rugged walls of rock, groups of Grey and Common seals bask on the shore and there are excellent rock pools. Along the coastline is a dramatic raised beach and above this there are green sheep-fields which abound with Brown hares.

From the coast there are excellent views of the tiny islands Pladda (flat, green and possesses a lighthouse) and the Ailsa Craig (further away, a sharply conical volcanic plug which was once quarried for the production of curling stones and also has a lighthouse - now automated).

Isle of Pladda

In summer the rocks are a riot of colour: encrusted with lichens in clashing shades of parking-paint-yellow and minty-green, and with tufts of candy-floss-pink thrift (Armeria maritima).

Thrift (Armeria maritima) with Bird's-foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus) 

Thrift (Armeria maritima) 

Thrift (Armeria maritima) 

This slab of beach-rock strangely resembles an elephant's skin:




The Arran ferry has an entourage of very photogenic Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus). There is something distinctly velociraptor-ish about their faces, with their pale stern eyes and fierce blood-drop bills.

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus)

Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus)

When a group of gulls are this close together, you can be sure that a squabble isn't far away! The bird second to the left is a juvenile in second summer plumage.

Kilpatrick Hills, West Dunbartonshire

Ragged Robins (Lychnis flos-cuculi), Marsh Lousewort (Pedicularis palustris), Tufted Forget-me-not (Myosotis laxa), Water Cress (Nasturtium officinale), Marsh Thistle (Cirsium palustre) and Ox-eye Daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) are all flowering in the marshy fields at 'little round top'.

Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Ragged Robin (Lychnis flos-cuculi)

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) male

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula) male

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

Common Spotted Orchid (Dactylorhiza fuchsii)

Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)

Foxglove (Digitalis purpurea)

Isle of May - National Nature Reserve

This week I travelled with my dad to the Isle of May (in the Firth of Forth, East coast) to see the nesting puffins.

Dark guano-spattered cliffs towered slowly towards us through thick mist and the whirring shadows of seabirds as we approached the isle of May, aboard the May Princess (sailing from Anstruther). As the boat neared the shore we could see grey seals (Halichoerus grypus) basking (including one melanistic individual).

As soon as we set foot on dry land we were warned about the zealous dive-bombing behaviour of the ground-nesting terns (Common and Arctic) and provided with long bamboo canes to wave above our heads (thereby drawing dagger-sharp beaks away from soft eyes/noses/faces....hopefully). The ferocity of angry terns is truly intimidating!

Arctic Tern (Sterna paradisaea) at nest

The island terrain is short turf potholed with rabbit warrens and puffin-burrows, with clumps of sea campion in varying shades of pinkish-cream. On every side the sheer cliff faces are populated with thousands of guillemots and kittiwakes with smaller numbers of razorbills and shags.

The 'Low Light' (one of three lighthouses on the island) 

Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)

Sea Campion (Silene uniflora)

This was the first time I had seen puffins and I was surprised at how small they are! They seem to spend alot of their time sitting about in groups 'Arrrr-ing' at each other.

Puffins (Fratercula arctica)

Puffins (Fratercula arctica)

A group of female eiders were marching about with a creche of fluffy brown youngsters in tow.

Eider (Somateria mollissima) female

Herring Gulls (Larus argentatus)

Nesting Kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla)

Razorbill (Alca torda)

Razorbill (Alca torda)

Razorbill (Alca torda)

Guillemots don't attempt to make any kind of nest, their eggs are simply laid on bare rock ledges and the eggs have a conical shape (pointed at one end) which helps to prevent them from rolling off the edge (they roll in a circle instead).

Nesting guillemots (Uria aalge)

Nesting guillemots (Uria aalge)

Nesting guillemots (Uria aalge)

Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus)