Smart new livery…

Our header photo today shows off the HIAL plane as it comes into land today at the airport, sporting its new (to us anyway) brilliant blue livery.  When I get a chance I’ll find out when it changed.  This is something I miss so much – the ability to check my facts.  There’s only so long you can make a slice of cake and a coffee last in the café!

Our day started, as usual, with a visit to the old jetty to see what we could see.  One thing I have forgotten to mention is the absence of the old wooden boat that used to lie, faded and battered in the harbour or up on the grass.  I have taken so many photos of that boat over the years and was sad to see it wasn’t there any more.  The sea had an extra sparkle today though and I managed to capture this Wagtail on the wing.

We got the chairs out again and stationed ourselves on the bank in the sun and out of the wind and waited patiently for any unusual birds to appear, but, apart from the odd Dunlin and the inevitable Redshanks there was nothing to remark on.

There are no shortage of gorgeous little lambs on the island…

But we haven’t seen these two blonde ponies before…

Shopping day today and we drove down to Castlebay and the one supermarket on the island, the Co-op.  Considering the problems they must encounter with keeping stocked up they do pretty well and we managed to get the fresh food items we needed.  From Castlebay, it is but a short hop to the causeway over to the island of Vatersay and our favourite bit of seaweed strewn coastline.  The last time we were here two years ago we followed the day to day life of a pair of Shelducks and their very young family as the ducklings learned the lessons of life in the water and out of it.  This year the parents appear to be there still plus a couple of others who may well be part of the family.  We are earlier this year so no ducklings around so far.

There is always something of interest to see here:

Possible White Wagtail

Turnstone

Ringed Plover

Oystercatcher bath!

You can see the pleasure in that woolly face!

Driving back to Eoligarry we took the Atlantic route for a change and passed through one of only two places on the island where there are trees at Breivig.  You can see the mighty Barratlantic fish processing plant in the far distance.  You can buy fresh fish here – something we will be definitely doing.

Time to go to the airport café to publish yesterday’s blog and, of course, partake of cake and coffee.  The plane flew in on its scheduled flight while we were there and passengers disembarked.

Blog published and it’s back to Bessie where we donned our waterproof boots and walked across the field opposite to go down onto the beach for a walk across the virgin sand.  The tide had started to turn but there were still acres of firm sand.  Windy yes, chilly yes but somehow a turquoise sea, a pure white beach and a woolly hat work wonders!  Here are some of the many photos we took.

Oystercatcher

Ringed Plover

Whimbrel

 

Sanderlings

This is costing us a fortune in food and drink!