The online presence of Tim Collier. Photographer, course leader, lecturer and blogger.
We were off Iona on the early ferry and not booked on the Craignure ferry till about 4.00pm, so giving us a few hours on Mull. If you only a few hours on Mull then best to had round to Loch na Keal for as good a chance of White-tailed Eagles as anywhere, as they tend to sit out on the skerries with a recent catch.
The south of the island, like the Abbey, is intrinsically linked with St. Columba. A walk across the rougher part of the island past loch Staonaig, which at one time supplied Iona with its fresh water, will take you to Columba’s Bay.
Up to the north yet again in the afternoon and the rain got heavier and heavier. On the sands at Boundary Strand the Sanderling were back and two Knot appeared from somewhere over Calf Island. They were struggling against the increasing wind and now persistent rain.
The forecast was right! Early morning it was threatening and getting darker with the wind beginning to strengthen. I like these conditions even if it can make photography a little challenging.
So the afternoon came with heavy showers before settling down to a fine day with a good breeze. It’s about a mile and a half from where we were staying to the north of the island, passing the ruins of the Nunnery and the iconic and atmospheric Abbey, which I would visit at length on another day.
Handa is an island that simply tugs you back. It has it all; a wonderful evocative sense of loneliness (no Skomer hoards here – although it is still possible to get a quiet spot if you walk in the opposite direction to the Wick); a chance to get close to the ‘pirates’ of the bird world; archaeology and ancient history and a landscape of low coastal reefs to seriously imposing 100 metre Torridonian sandstone cliffs.Continue reading
Back to Islay and the geese. The aim was to place them in a wider context and I was fortunate that the weather was with me (seems like it’s not been very good since then). The mornings were superb and straight out of the van I was able to work with a perfect backdrop and the geese coming over the waters of Loch Indal. Trying to work them together is not such an easy task, focusing is all against you and the focusing spot had to be continually adjusted.
Islay’s about the perfect destination in winter if you love both geese and a good malt. For such a small island it has a wealth of fine distilleries and they are wonderfully located. Eight distilleries in such a compact area all responding to the natural characteristics of the island.
Back on Islay and some of the landscapes. We were fortunate in having some really fine light and looking at the weather that’s around now we definitely hit a little purple patch.
Islay has more, much more, to offer than just geese and the other wildlife that’s on offer, but when you’re only over for such a short time it’s difficult to get a sense of it all.
A recent trip up to Scotland gave an opportunity to visit and experience the Gulf of Corryvreckan from close quarters. It’s somewhere  I’ve wanted to see properly close up for many a year. I’ve passed it by on a number of occasions, first on family holidays back in the sixties then taking my own kids to have a look as we sailed towards Colonsay.
Here’s the follow on from the previous post. The puffins are the stars but there’s a pretty good supporting cast as well. The evening produced a subtle sunset and the piece we had craved for during the day.
I was out with Sea Trust yesterday on a dolphin survey trip to the Smalls. The weather was, at last, fine but with a fairly heavy residual swell from the last low of a couple of days ago. It made the photography pretty difficult early on, but as we passed the Smalls lighthouse it quietened down and conditions improved.
