the Outer Hebrides Road Trip pt 2 .. Castle and Corncrakes .. Barra & Vatersey

We had already been three days on the road of our Outer Hebrides road trip; leaving home on the 14th and finally arriving at Borve - our first Island stopover on the evening of the 16th. Today was a day of rest and local exploration only, time to move slowly and observe - gather strength and take in the views.

Heading to Castlebay for supplies, and orientation - the morning slipped away, and we took lunch overlooking the bay - at the Hebridean Toffee Factory and The Deck Cafe.

Kisimul Castle sits closeby in the bay. The ancestral home of the Clan Macneil - its medieval walls offer an impressive sight to those arriving by Ferry to the island.

Kisimul Castle (from Oban Ferry 16th Aug 2021)

By coincidence Kisimul is also the ancestral home of our personal trainer Andy McNeil whose ZOOM kettlebell and pilates classes - had been keeping A and I physically engaged during COVID19 restrictions. I had come late to the kettlebell party, and throughly enjoyed the activity.

If you are local? I would highly recommend Andy his attention, confidence building, and humour was endless despite the limitations of multi-screen viewing.

Macks Fitness

Castlebay also offered the "Lime Kiln Trail", a short walk with interpretation and the relic of a lime kiln on show. In the Hebrides, lime was made using a peat-fired kiln, running at Ca. 900oC which reduced cockleshells to quick lime. This then formed the basis of lime mortar to be used for building works, when it was mixed with sand and water (Lime Kiln Trail interpretation, 2021).

Lime kiln - Rems.

On Vatersay, we had our first gripping encounters with corncrake viewing two individual males between 3-5m away from us, as they called and patrolled their small territories of rank grassland and iris, in the centre of the village.

The 'crakes confiding behaviour took us both by surprise, especially when we watched one male disturb a female from a nettle patch - and then display vigorously towards her, before she seemingly disinterested in the attention melted back beneath the nettles. I did not catch the wooing on camera, being content to watch and consign the event to memory.




Driving back to Barra we stopped at the causeway to watch a stonking Great northern diver in the bay.

Birdwatching

Borve AM (adds only)

Greylag goose
Cormorant
Arctic tern
Common sandpiper

Castlebay

Starling
Collared dove
Hooded crow
House sparrow
Cuckoo
GBBGull
Song thrush
Common gull
Feral pigeon
Shag

Vatersay

Northern wheatear
Black-throated diver
Great black-backed gull
Black guillemot
Long-tailed duck (12)
Great northern diver
Raven
Twite
Skylark
Meadow pipit
Pied wagtail
Starling
House sparrow
Lapwing
Corncrake
Linnet
Hooded crow
Buzzard
Rock Dove

Causeway

Great northern diver
Curlew
Ringed plover
Mallard
Hooded crow

Borve PM (adds only)

Whimbrel (6)
Oystercatcher
Wheatear
Shelduck

Other species of note

Moss carder bee (Bombus Muscorum) - Castlebay & Vatersay
Garden bumbleebee (Bombus hortorum) - Vatersay