Waxwings Come to 't William

Seen today around the Union Road/ Seaview Gardens area of Fort William, a sizeable posse of Waxwings, apparently fresh in from Scandinavia in pursuit of what the Redwings haven't yet gobbled up of our autumnal berry crop



Go here for pictures of Redwings in action in our garden, feasting on the berries from the Cotoneasters

Redwings

We witnessed a large flock of Redwings in action in our garden today, feasting on the berries from the Cotoneasters:





(Apologies for the low grade picture quality: just my luck these birds arrived when I'd sent my best telephoto (EF70-300mm f4-5.6 IS) zoom back Canon for repair. As a result I only had an old Tamron 28-200mm lens to hand, and it is not sharp at the 200mm end. Ho hum...)

Sunset

Summer sunsets in Fort William can be stunning

Took this from the bedroom window at10.20pm last night

First Swallows Make A Summer

First swallows of 2008 seen here outside our kitchen window today

Arran

Just back from a few days on the Isle of Arran in the firth of Clyde. Sometimes called - usually by its tourist industry - "Scotland in Miniature" - Arran does present a kind of microcosm of the nation, topographically at least.
In the north it is mountainous, rugged and has a large and highy visible deer population and a distillery. The centre contains the area of most dense habitation around the capital Brodick, while the south is greener and more rolling and has views across the sea to Ireland. This might also make the village where we stayed - Lochranza, in the north west corner of the island - the analogue of Fort William, but I wouldn't want to make too much of that

The approach to Arran from Claonaig on Kintyre is spectacular from the outset



and Lochranza has a genuinely dramatic setting,



as well as a fine and relatively well-preserved castle


(seen here from the doorstep of our rental cottage)

Over the sea to Skye (Catch-up #1)*

It's not exactly a long way from Fort William, but it took old friends John & Jean to drag Ruth and I over there

We sailed from Mallaig to Armadale - here's a shot taken on the boat, looking north to the Glenelg hills



High point of the trip was a meal at the Three Chimneys in Colbost, way up in the north west of the island, but the constant dominating presence on Skye is the Cuillins



Last morning we went over to Neist Point, where a lighthouse perches on a peninsula looking out over the Minch to the Outer Hebrides.



Almost impossible to convey anything of the scale and grandeur of this part of Skye, but here's a couple more taken close to Neist Point
First: looking south along the coast



Second: this is Loch Mor at Waterstein on the road from Glendale to the Point




From under the very shadow of the Red Cuillins on the approach to Sligachan, a last look back to the snowy peaks of the Black Cuillin before we head for the bridge back to the mainland, and the drive home to Fort William




* I'm posting this stuff retrospectively - well retrospectively, so look back soon for more from Skye, plus later 2008 adventures on Arran, in France and Holland, Dorset, Edinburgh, and of course - around and about the Highlands

This was all we saw of Buachaille Etive Mor...

... as a blizzard descended on our way back to Fort William. No less imposing for the fact you can barely see it!