Seals, Sharks and Cetaceans (1): Bottlenose Dolphins at Loch Carron

My thanks to David Gill
for this great photo
of a bow-riding Bottlenose Dolphin in Loch Carron.

I love the blow-hole!

The photos below were taken by me
(with one arm in a sling!)

Our dolphin expedition began here at Plockton,
not far from Kyle and the Skye Bridge.

As we moved up the loch, two dolphins joined us,
bow-riding our vessel.

It would be fascinating to know why
the dolphins chose to join us,
and seemed to be enjoying our company.

A truly memorable encounter!

My thanks to Calum and his crew on the 'Sula Mhor',
who steered the vessel with such care.

• BBC footage of the 'super pod' of Common Dolphins off Skye.
• More information from stv
• The Scottish Marine Wildlife Watching Code is a key resource for would-be wildlife watchers.
  

Beautiful Birds (2): Nesting Tern, Skye

Nesting Terns
on the beach, Skye

We really enjoyed watching these graceful birds on their windswept beach in the lea of the Black Cuillin. I believe they are Arctic Terns, which have an Amber conservation status. Sadly some unleashed dogs came along with their owners, causing the adult birds to become agitated and to start dive-bombing.

Rock Pool World (1): Glen Brittle Beach, Skye

Glen Brittle Beach,
Isle of Skye,
Scotland

... where the sand is black but the rock pool creatures are red.

Beadlet Anemones
showing off their bright red tentacles

The wild and windswept beach at the head of Loch Brittle has very dark sand. You might think that there had been an oil spill, but the black is from the Gabbro of the Cuillin mountains. The area is sparsely populated, though it boasts a camp site and a Youth Hostel.

I found it fascinating to walk along the black beach, looking for signs of colour. As you will see, I was richly rewarded. I have had a lifelong love of the yellow Common Flat Periwinkle (Littorina obtusata) shell from beaches around the Lizard in Cornwall, but this red one was a first for me. Periwinkles have been a part of Scottish life for thousands of years, and have turned up on middens dating from as early as 7500 BC. Wow!

• Glen Brittle on Undiscovered Scotland
• Nearby Fairy Pools

Butterflies and Moths (2): Mysterious Web Weavers

Caterpillar Webs

I took these photographs on a quiet wooded road en route from Perth to Aberfeldy.

I have come across this kind of phenomenon before at Spurn Head in Yorkshire, where a similar web is made by caterpillars of the native Brown-Tail Moth (Euproctis Chrysorrhoea). These Brown-Tail creatures have toxic barbed hairs. They emerge in spring from their white webs to feed on sea buckthorn: you can read more about them on my Land&Lit blog here.

After a bit of Googling, I alighted on the fact that the caterpillars of the Ermine Moth spin similar webs in England; but not in the 'far north', which according to the map includes Scotland. So I am left with a puzzle on my hands, and would be very grateful if anyone cares to identify the spinners of the web in the photos for me.

• Ermine Moths on the Butterfly Conservation site
• More webs on the Weaver of Grass blog
• Narnia in Southend! Silken graves - a fascinating BBC video clip, showing what these moths can do
• Tent Caterpillars
• Ghost trees - in Scotland!
  

Butterflies and Moths (1): Blue - and Speckled Wood

A member of the family Lycaenidae
at WWT Llanelli

You may enjoy Blue-Butterfly Day by Robert Frost, here.

Speckled Wood Butterfly
at Dinefwr

Dragonflies (1): Nymph

Discarded Dragonfly Nymph Case
on the Boardwalk at Dinefwr

Beautiful Birds (1): Fledgling

We watched this fledgling fly at Dinefwr.
The photograph was taken with a zoom lens, through the car window.
If anyone can identify the species, I would be very grateful.

Damselflies (1): Dinefwr Damsels

Large Red Damselfly | Pyrrhosoma nymphula at Dinefwr

Welcome to my blog of the 'Wild and Wonderful'.

I am hoping to post photographs of the wildlife I encounter.

I will try to date my photographs,
but if there is no date against a picture,
you may assume that the blog post was written
within a day or two of the sighting.

I am learning as I go along,
so please let me know if my identifications are wrong!

• Large Reds on the British Dragonfly Society site
• SkyWatch ...
  

Here