Catch up!

It's five weeks since I had an opportunity to contribute to my Blog due, in the main, to work, but also to my being away on the mainland. Besides work associated with goose monitoring, diversionary feeding studies and studies of Barnacle Goose roost sites in that period, I've been involved in a round of various meetings and discussions linked to conservation issues which , at the time , were absorbing and informative but which I didn't realise were taking as much time as they did!! Added to that has been a period spent in Inverness with my daughter, Katherine, previous to getting back here. Within that time, a freak gale occurred, we had snow, lost power and heating and, generally, had more than a few adventures, including my being yanked off my feet by the dogs and taking a hard tumble and, on another occasion, being pulled by them along an icy road as if on a sled. All absorbing stuff best enjoyed by later reflection!!

Having returned to Islay I've just realised how much has happened, or is happening, on the conservation front, mainly at Government level with funding proposals linked to farming being imminent, with important public statements being made recently relating to raptor persecution and a plethora of other issues arising too.

So, much to catch up on. The International Greenland White-fronted Goose counts are this week, although it looks as if the weather is unlikely to be "kind" with strong winds for several days. Ferries were disrupted yesterday  and I suspect conditions might be a bit challenging later too! Still, it is December and, perhaps more importantly, only a few days yet before we're past the worst and the days begin to gradually lengthen!