Wednesday 25 July 2012

Another Ramble on Lewis




One of the things which has changed a lot on the Island of Lewis since I have been visiting from the mid-seventies is the amount of peat dug for fuel. 

In the days when I first came up there were many, many peat banks being dug and everywhere around the island one could see stacks of drying or dried peats. 


 Nowadays most of the banks lie neglected and beginning to grow back into the landscape.   
 


A stack like this is a magnet for tourists to take photos because they are so rare.

 
A Meadow Pipit which visits the garden. 


 These are some of the mainland mountains as seen from GB’s when the weather is kind.  (I did say this was a ramble!)



Seaweeds on the beach below GB’s.  This last week the tides have been lower and higher than I have ever seen them before but then I am never here for the Spring and Neap Tides which must be a lot better.


 One of the best sights of the holiday – a Golden Eagle on the Pentland Road. 


You’ll be pleased to know there is a better photo below…  It was being attacked by a gull.


 Whoopee – my best ever photo of a Golden Eagle.


 We were at the Callanish Stones yesterday.


Friend-über-special is a lover of the Callanish Stones. Friend-über-special knitted me a scarf.  So this photo is for Friend-über-special.


 There will be more Callanish photos when I can get around to processing them.


23 comments:

  1. One of the advantages of driving on Lewis in the middle of the moors is that I was able to stop the car in the middle of the road and CJ was able to take the photos of the eagle just above us - I couldn't even see it most of the time: just a quick glimpse.

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    1. And never has your ability to stop for me to take a photo been more appreciated, GB.

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    2. Have you noticed as well that it's been fitted with a radio tag? I knew that quite a lot of the Sea Eagles were tagged (the one I saw was, but only with a visible tag not a radio tag) but I didn't know that there were many golden eagles that had been tagged.

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    3. I don't know how many Golden Eagles are tagged around here, Mark. I shall investigate if I can.

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  2. I love these photos of the island and nature around there. And those stones remind me of the stone circles we used to visit in England and in France when I was younger. They were always so mysterious to me.

    Great photo of the eagle! What majestic birds they are...

    Thanks for the ramble!! Silke

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  3. The picture of the golden eagle is sooo good!! Must be something that runs in the family, since Graham's animal pictures are always of jaw-dropping quality as well.

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    1. Our father was a keen photographer as well so perhasp it's in the genes!!

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  4. Absolutely fantastic golden eagle photo :-)

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  5. Wonderful photo of the eagle. I think my favourite is the gull attacking the the eagle, though - that made me laugh. Trying to protect its young ones? We have plenty of gulls here and I've noticed that they are very much into the parenting role until they are sure the young ones can fend for themselves...

    The Callanish stones are at the top of my list if I should ever get to visit Lewis.

    With the stacks of peat I could not figure out what they were in the first picture, at first I though they were some strange kind of cairns.

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    1. The last but one time that Jo snd I saw an Eagle there were a pair of them being attacked by a Large Black-backed Gull. Eventually the gull won and drove them away from 'its' area. I think gulls would attack a micro-light given the chance!

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  6. You were so lucky - I haven't seen a Golden Eagle for about two years. I loved the last picture - you had made the large standing stone look lifelike by looping the scarf around "her" shoulders. Great pictures John.

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  7. No fair making me weepy just before I have to go to work.

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  8. I would have thought that cost wise using peat may be a good idea these days?
    Great to get an eagle that close!

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    1. It is very hard work getting the peats up and drying them and transporting them but even so, I am surprised at how few people still do it.
      The primary answer may lie in the fact that a lot of the originsl Lewis families have either moved away, moved into newer houses (with central heating) or had their houses modernised and no longer have open fires. Perhaps the ever increasing cost of oil will drive some back to cutting their peats.

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  9. Love the photos, especially the Callanish Stone with the lovely knitted scarf. Made me smile!

    M. Scott Peck, who wrote "The Road Less Traveled" also wrote a book about visiting variious locations in the British Isles where there are standing stones. Not just obvious places like Stonehenge and Avebury, but smaller less known sites, found off the beaten path in farmers' fields, and so on. I'll have to get his book and check, but I think he also wrote about the Callanish Stones. They have always fascinated me, they're so old. I truly believe there are places which give off sacred vibes, and I think the standing stones are one such place.

    Hugs, Carol

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  10. Magnificent photo of the Golden Eagle. You must have had a wonderful time in the Hebrides I've never seen one. One of the places I would love to have visited.

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  11. Why don't they burn peat anymore? Is that the same everywhere?

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    1. Hello Nan, see my reply to Adullamite above - though GB may have something to add later.

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  12. Far inland as I am, we often see small birds pursuing ravens, crows, and hawks. I just thought it was the democratic principle at work.

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  13. If I lived there, I would burn it, even if I had to do the work myself. It is probably a bit comparable to burning wood in my neck of the woods.

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  14. Loved seeing those standing stones - the scarf looked good too! I've never been to Lewis but almost feel I know it from reading so many books set in the Scottish islands.

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  15. Such an interesting excursion. I love when someone stops for me to get a photo. So thoughtful!!

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