Stag at Camas nan Geall

It's every bit as windy here as was forecast, a southwester blowing force 6 and gusting to seven or so, coming straight into Kilchoan Bay making the creel boats and the many boats gathered there for the regatta on Friday bounce and swing at their moorings. What's unexpected is that, far from bringing heavy rain, we've had some fleeting and vivid moments of bright sunshine.

It did rain heavily overnight, so all the burns on the drive to Camas nan Geall this morning were in full spate, gushing down the hillsides, but....

....the light around the great amphitheatre behind Camas nan Geall made the scene a photographer's dream.  This picture shows the line of sycamore tress with the chambered cairn to its left and, beyond, three of the 19th century farmstead buildings and, on the hillside in the middle distance, the big sheep fank at Tornamona.

But the highlight of the visit was the behaviour of this stag, who was browsing the bracken beside the nearer of the farmstead buildings, well aware of my presence but very deliberately ignoring me. While I was down by the beach....

....he set off across the field towards the chambered cairn, again, quite aware that I was walking back up the track towards it.  So, as soon as he was hidden from view behind the sycamore trees, I nipped up to the cairn and was in position and ready....

....to take his photo as he arrived.

He was five metres away. He stood and stared at me then, very slowly and deliberately, crossed the track I had just come up and made his way to the eastern end of the silage field.

There's an historical walk at Camas nan Geall on Thursday.

Meet in the car park at Camas at 10.30. More details here.