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Saturday 3 March 2018

Goats and grey seals


I have started to explore the rocky coasts of Islay. It is full of caves, arches and tiny lonely beaches. Along the coast are the mysterious duns: the remains of prehistoric round houses. It is so full of nooks, crannies and ottery hidey-holes that I don't get very far along the coast: exploring takes time!

One of the more surprising things to see along the coast are the wild goats. They breed very early. This nanny had a tiny kid at foot and this was taken before the recent period of cold weather. These early kids will be very luck to survive. bad for goats, but great if you're an eagle.

Wild Goat and kid. Islay
The secluded beaches are safe places for seals to haul out and rest. I came across the two below last weekend. One sunbathing on a rocky about 150 metres off the shore and the other came swimming in towards me and popped up to get a closer look. Their faces are rather odd, a bit mask-like with huge goggle eyes that I find a bit un-nerving.

Grey Seal. Islay

Grey Seal. Islay









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