We're very worried.
Very few house martins have arrived in the village. The sand martins were on time, and so were the swallows - though there seem to be fewer than usual - but we've only seen a couple of house martins, near Meall mo Chridh, and not a single one in Ormsaigbeg.
According to this site there's a reason: the Icelandic volcanic ash. Well, not the volcanic ash itself so much as the northerly winds which blew it down here. These have, so the argument goes, made heavy going for the martins flying north against them. But why, then, did the sand martins arrive so promptly, and why are there swallows here?
I have a great affection for both martins and swallows, having lived in Africa and seen them at the other end of their long migration. The idea that these tiny creatures can navigate over 5,000 miles each year south, and then make the same punishing journey north, is almost beyond belief. A large number don't make it, particularly across the Sahara, where travellers have reported little balls of black feathers blowing across the dunes.
Please could those of the Diary's readers who live further south let us know if your house martins have arrived.
We were also worried about the Great Highland Drought that's beginning to afflict us, having had virtually no rain for weeks. Some parts of the peninsula, like Kilmory, which rely on local burns, are having problems with their water supply. However, last night the clouds gathered and we've had some solid rain which carried on into this morning - and then it turned sunny again, so we're heading into a beautiful evening.
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