March on the Isle of Skye


3 March 2018
Today was the first outing of the year for the Skye Nature Group. The group was set up in the autumn by Stephen Bungard, Seth Gibson and myself to complement the Skye Botany Group. So our main focus will be on fungi, lichens, bryophytes and invertebrates. We had two outings at the end of last year (lichens and fungi in Kinloch woods and molluscs in Uig woods) followed by two indoor bryophyte workshops (with Nick Hodgetts).

Today was scheduled to be one of the lowest tides of the year, so I decided to take the group to explore the rock pools and maerl beds around Ardnish: a location I'd previously visited with the local group of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and with the local U3A Nature Group.

We saw Thongweed and Eel Grass, but decided to concentrate on the animal kingdom, recording over 25 species in the course of a couple of hours.

Copyright: Steve Terry

Common Chiton (Lepidochitona cinerea)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Tortoiseshell Limpet (Testudinalia testudinalis)

Copyright: Steve Terry

A scale worm (Hamothoe imbricata)

Copyright: Steve Terry

A tube worm (Spirorbis spirorbis)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Sandmason Worm (Lanice conchilega)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Common Starfish (Asterias rubens)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Shore Crab (Carcinus maenus)

Copyright: Steve Terry

A young Great Spider Crab (Hyas araneus)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Snakelocks Sea Anemone (Anemone viridis)

Copyright: Steve Terry

Eel Grass (Zostera marina)