Colourless Times

Had a couple of hours spare early in the day, so I nipped out a-hunting species new for the year. I wandered down through the woods and emerged at the top of the beach. No dogs today. Scanning through the gulls I found myself eye-balling a first winter Iceland Gull, sweet! I seem to be pretty much the only birder on Skye who hadn't seen it this year, so it was rather nice to claw back my own bird at last...

One day it'll be a Kumlien's....

I was almost as excited to note a pair of Black-headed Gulls in the flock, an adult and a first winter bird. BHGs are less regular than Iceland Gulls of late!

In the woods I found quite a lot of these white jelly-like blobs on Sycamore twigs

Exidia thuretiana - White Brain Fungus

 And nearby was a small quantity of its near relative

Exidia nucleata - Crystal Brain. Note the two calcium oxalate crystals showing through the membrane

Whilst mooching about the Sycamores I spied a dead branch with what looked like tar painted across it. I've seen this before, in England, but this was the first time I'd found it on Skye. 

Cryptostroma corticale - Sooty Bark Disease of Sycamore

So far, nothing has been particularly eye-catching or brightly coloured. A pretty drab post, in fact. All I can say is that I've saved the very best for last. Ladies and gents, behold!

Pass me my sunglasses...

Talking of Iceland Gals (tenuous, I know) here's my all time fave Björk track. She's undoubtedly a complete nutter, but I bet she's a good laugh at a party

And my completely random choice tonight is....

No Goshawk feeding frenzy, just damn good (if slightly quirky) music. Enjoy, please.