The walk begins at the Ciste dubh car park, situated on a narrow shelf of land just above the River Garry at a spot where it tumbles through a gorge en route to its meeting with nearby Loch Oich.
There was little bird life to be seen and I satisfied myself with looking for lichens on the path-side rocks and fallen trees. They included this tiny Cladonia floerkeana, 10-20mm tall ...
... this Cup Lichen (Cladonia chlorophaea).jpg)
... and this coral-like Sphaerophorus globosus 
I also found this faded Turkey Tail fungus (Trametes versicolor) ....jpg)
Finally, I thought these lingering autumn-coloured beech leaves (Fagus sylvatica) deserved a mention ...
I await a new fifth edition of Lichens: An Illustrated Guide to the British and Irish Species by Frank Dobson. In the meantime I used Roger Phillips' Grasses, Ferns, Mosses and Lichens of Great Britain and Ireland for my lichen identifications. If any reader wishes to make a correction, please do so.
Amazing, these scenes have to be seen to be believed Emma. Good macro shots. That Panasonic Lumix is performing very well.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Roy. I must say that if I never had another camera than my wonderful little Lumix FZ28, I wouldn't be disappointed. Almost all of the pictures on my blog since mid-July last year have been taken with it. It and its extra lens and my few bits and pieces (a PL-Circ filter, spare battery, a notebook etc) go in one small bag - altogether it only weighs 3lbs. I suppose I would like lots of fancy lenses for my Nikon but I can't be bothered with all the lens changing and the weight these days.
ReplyDeleteAgain, what a lovely landscape Emma. I enjoyed the close ups of the lichens, the detail is wonderful, and I really can't resist the draw of a reluctant beech leaf, Linda
ReplyDeleteEmma, these are superb shots from your visit. I love that scene of the tumbling river; just beautiful.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to Linda and Keith.
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