South Uist Loud as a flock of chattering starlings but more mellow,the fixed chirruping can be heard from well down the trackIn the walled garden by the track to the beach is a stand of venerable (respected because of age, distinguished) primitive sycamores. They are among the taller trees to be found on South Uist, but nowhere near the height one might expect of them, and considering their age. Faced with fixed winter gales,they have seemingly expended as much energy reaching outwards as upwards, resulting in a complex tangle of branches and twigs. The lowest parts of many trunks are completely covered in velvety green moss, and while higher,as this begins to fracture up, several species of lichens encrust the branches.
As the trees come into leaf, or less and less light finds its way through to the ground beneath,but today, though the daffodils are yet to open, and yellow celandine petals gleam in patches of sunshine between a complex tracery of shadows cast by the sycamores. And,within this sample of light and shade, several birds are feeding nonstop, or probing the turf and extracting any edible morsel before dashing forward a few steps to repeat the process. Continue reading...
Source: theguardian.com