Teresa Morris,
PO Box 192, Penrith, Cumbria, England, CA11 1AZ, UK.
MB +447801 794453
Email: info@islaywildscapes.co.uk
www.islaywildscapes.co.uk
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Site updated August 2008
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The climate of Islay is mild due to the influence of the Gulf Stream. Snowfall is light and infrequent except on the tops of the hills to the east and doesn't lie for long.
Frost is never as severe as on the mainland. The moisture laden salty wind from the Atlantic Ocean is a feature of everyday life on the island. The low lying island escapes most of the precipitation bound for the mainland. Winter storms lash the Atlantic west coast providing exhilarating displays of nature in the raw.
ISLAY WILDLIFE AND HABITATS
Islay has a tremendous wealth of wildlife with a seasonally changing patchwork of habitats making a visit to the island worthwhile at any time of the year. Islay Wildlife and Habitats will take a more in depth look at the island’s biodiversity. This section will be developing over time as an online natural history resource for visitors to the island and residents alike.
Islay is almost cut into two sections by Loch Indaal and Loch Gruinart in the north. The belt of Dalradian quartzite of the north and east coasts rising to Beinn Beigher 1609 feet in the southeast. The spectacular cliffs of The Mull of Oa are mostly of phyllites and accomodate sea birds on the ledges. Choughs nest in the fissures and caves of the rock face. The Rhinns district on the exposed west coast is geologically quite different and very picturesque with sandstone and gneiss in the south with many seabird colonies. There are beaches and sand dunes at Sanaigmore, Saligo Bay, Machir Bay and Lossit with significant areas of dunes at Ardnave point and Killinallan Point which support populations of choughs.
The fertile central area is of mica schist and limestone. About a quarter of the island is peat covered which is important for the distilleries, domestic fuel and wildlife habitats. There are numerous hill lochs of varying sizes up to 1300 feet in the hills. These supply a constant supply of fresh water to the network of burns supplying the larger rivers such as the rivers Laggan and Sorn. The hill lochs provide breeding areas for red throated divers. Dippers and grey wagtails can be found nesting alongside the burns. Salmon and seatrout run the Sorn and Laggan. Sand Martins nest in the sandy banks of the rivers. The largest freshwater loch is Loch Gorm. It is shallow with a few islands on which small numbers of terns and other birds nest. Loch Skerrols, Loch Ballygrant and Loch Lossit are set in planted woodland. They all contain Brown Trout.
Woodlands comprise of mainly deciduous woodland planted as estate policy woodlands or shelter belts around farms and houses especially at Bridgend, Kildalton and Dunlossit. Several conifer blocks are scattered across the more central areas of the island. Areas of ancient semi natural atlantic oak woodland are found in the south east area at Ardtalla. Hedges are scare on Islay. Where they do exist you can clearly see the influence of the prevailing westerly gales causing them to bend in an easterly direction. There are extensive areas of gorse scrub areas which provide good cover for birds and give a good show of colour on the landscape when in flower in the Spring.
