Tuesday, June 27, 2017
There was a tantalising report on highlandbirds.scot of a great grey shrike at Scourie, at 1.30pm on 22nd June - tantalising because we were there at that time. A specific location wasn't given, but I regret now not bothering to scan the fields when we first arrived. We parked as usual by the cemetery and walked out on the headland, sitting for a while looking out over the sea towards Handa Island.
On a chance walk years ago while on holiday, we discovered that both breeding skua species regularly patrol this headland - and so we've visited every summer since for our Arctic skua fix.
21st June
The pinkish sac-like object was under the surface and quite a bit out from the rocks at Rhue lighthouse, seeming to move with some kind of purpose rather than just drifting with the current. I snapped a couple of pictures, but it wasn't until much later that I managed to identify it.
I'm fairly sure it's a comb jelly - probably Beroe cucumis. The darker lines are rows of hair-like filaments which beat in waves to propel the animal through the water; and at one end is a large mouth (not visible in my shots). It's a pelagic species and carnivorous, feeding on plankton and other comb jellies.
// posted by Christine @ 9:49 AM 
