Mike's Natural Musings: Iona, June, Day 3

Monday, 27 June 2022

Iona, June, Day 3

A beautiful start to the day today and Heather and I went down to the small beach at the end of our garden for some drawing and photography. The light was superb and I loved the colours and detail of the grey and yellow lichens on the rocks. After breakfast we collected our pack-up and headed out. Our ultimate destination was the Bay at the Back of the Ocean on the far side of the island. It took us an hour or so to reach it, though, as we meandered our way through the village and over the hill. On the way we found both northern marsh and heath spotted orchids. We loved to hear the corncrakes on the way over and also on our return walk. The so called song of the male is remininscent of their scientific name of Crex crex; it sounds just like somebody playing a two syllable tune on a hair comb or grooved wooden stick. Eventually we reached the summit of the short climb from where we could see brilliant blue sea infront of us and behind. We crossed into the short, flower-bedecked turf of the machair (known to some as the golf course) and down to the beach where we sat down to rest our legs and take in the amazing view. We were in the middle of the crescent of the bay. The shell sand beach gleamed white in the sun and contrasted with the myriad colours of the sea: deep navy, turquoise and duck-egg blue with the white caps of breaking waves. In between were rocks covered in rich, gold and grey lichens and lower down the glistening bronze of seaweeds. Oystercatchers were plentiful and all busy, some seeming to be single birds while those with youngsters noisily and fussily guarding them and warding us off. On the water were shelduck and eiders with broods of young while the handsome male eiders were moulting into their black eclipse plumage. A large seal was hauled out on a rock with a female with pup further away. As there was a pup present these were, presumably, common seals rather than the atlantic greys we are more used to seeing and which pup in November. I was delighted to be able to get close enough to a small flock of ringed plovers to photograph them and there was a handsome dunlin in fabulous summer plumage.

When we reached the far south end of the beach near the cliffs we were thrilled to see the spouting cave performing well. As the swell from the incoming tide, enhanced by the westerly wind, was pushed into the cave, the pressure forced the water through a hole in the cave roof making it spout up in an impressive spray.

Eventually we wended our way back to the village. It would have been rude not to partake of some rehydration in the pub garden.

An excellent day.

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