Waiting till the cows come home…

It’s rather cloudy today and there was a spatter of raindrops earlier.  We’ve been rather spoilt with blue skies of late but, never mind, we are planning a trip to the airport again for some free wifi while we eat! The café is bustling, particularly as there is a flight due in an hour or so.  Sweet potato soup with a roll is good and hot but with three blog posts to put on we would have to have some cake as well – that’s a price we’ll have to pay I guess! Blogs safely written and The Archers podcast downloaded (!) we set off down towards Castlebay, stopping at the ferry terminal at Ardmhor where the boat leaves for the island of Eriskay.  Although the ferry was about to leave, it looked as though it might be going over empty! This handsome ram obligingly posed for a photo… Our usual quick visit to the Co-op accomplished, we decided to pay Vatersay another visit -over the causeway.  Peter quickly spotted these Great Northern Divers swimming and diving together.  They were quite some way from the shore so the photo is not as clear as we would like. Meanwhile, the Shelduck family were out and about – the chicks seem to have grown since yesterday!  What brilliant parents they are – mother gives a calming presence and father can often be seen scaring the gulls away if they’re even thinking of coming near his brood. A tiny movement catches the eye and a tiny Dunlin-sized wader is spotted on the shoreline – further investigation and book consulting proves without doubt that the tiny brown bird is a Common Sandpiper.  He seems to be on his own. Apart from, however, this Common Gull! Has he never seen a Sandpiper before? There then followed a game of “Now you see me, now you don’t”… Just a single little Ringed Plover searched the beach for anything tasty

Just a mile or so away from the campsite Bessie was brought up short when we found ourselves behind two cows and a couple of calves being driven up the road ahead of us.  We followed patiently for quite some way until they reached a field with a large black bull in it.  The farmer tapped the bull several times and we wondered what was going on.

The farmer urged the cows around the corner and asked us to stop.  Then his mate opened the gate and the bull came out and joined the cows and calves.  They then went back the way they’d come.  So, it was just a ruse to move the bull!

We eventually got back to the campsite and enjoyed some fresh haddock caught off Barra.