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)

Tortoiseshell Limpet (Testudinalia testudinalis)

A scale worm (Hamothoe imbricata)

A tube worm (Spirorbis spirorbis)

Sandmason Worm (Lanice conchilega)

Common Starfish (Asterias rubens)

Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
Copyright: Steve Terry
Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)

Shore Crab (Carcinus maenus)

A young Great Spider Crab (Hyas araneus)

Snakelocks Sea Anemone (Anemone viridis)

Eel Grass (Zostera marina)

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.
Common Chiton (Lepidochitona cinerea)	Tortoiseshell Limpet (Testudinalia testudinalis)
A scale worm (Hamothoe imbricata)	A tube worm (Spirorbis spirorbis)
Sandmason Worm (Lanice conchilega)	Common Starfish (Asterias rubens)
Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)	Common Brittlestar (Ophiothrix fragilis)
Shore Crab (Carcinus maenus)	A young Great Spider Crab (Hyas araneus)
Snakelocks Sea Anemone (Anemone viridis)	Eel Grass (Zostera marina)