Watch Out

There's a need to warn fellow-members of your flock that something is up

and people are around, albeit well-hidden, in a new facility opened at the

Loch Stiapabhat Nature Reserve, Isle of Lewis. The Stornoway Gazette has the story.

Scottish Islands Explorer - ready to hide as well as to announce

Found on Foula

Finding your way to the Post Office on Foula may not be a problem, but locating some of this remote island's places and wildlife can prove irksome. Here's a website, FoundonFoula, that could assist and certainly provides some illumination for armchair travellers.

Scottish Islands Explorer - tries to assist those wanting to invetigate

Great Balls of Fire

There was a rare sighting of the phenomenon known as 'Ball Lightning' at Habost and Loch Erisort, in the South Lochs area of Lewis, on Sunday last. It is fully reported in an item in the Stornoway Gazette.

Scottish Islands Explorer - Habost is a few hundred yards from our back office

A Gallery of Visitors

The Western Isles present many surprises, none more so than the variety of birds that visit their shores and terrain. Look at the array of images in this Photographic Gallery presented on the BBC website. There's much to impress.

Scottish Islands Explorer - varieties of shores and terrain; people and events

Working Right Out

Working right out on Sula Sgeir demands special qualities as you see in this stimulating range of images presented by Donald Morrison in A Set on Flickr. The annual cull of guga provides meals that are savoured by some and shunned by others. The photographs in the gallery are a feast for those deprived of views of an activity on a remote British isle.

Scottish Islands Explorer - items and images collected six times per year

Fish for Fridays?

Planning your meals for the immediate future? Then why not celebrate with the Shetland trawlermen by having fish with your festive fare? It will make a change on the next three Fridays, which will take us into the New Year. The market closes in Lerwick on Thursday, ahead of the holiday season, and already a record has been created for 2013 with over 300,000 boxes of white fish landed. The full figures are in a Shetland News item. Stocks are up to enable this 13% increase. Make it a White(fish) Christmas!

Scottish Islands Explorer - stocks are high, with a new issue on sale

Name Dropping?

Concerned, fascinated or bemused? There's a stimulating, helpful and free internet site which provides British and world distributions and frequencies for a huge range of surnames for 1881 and 1998. It's at Public Profiler and should maintain levels of interest for both academic knowledge and personal involvement. See what's happened to your name.

Scottish Islands Explorer - tries to maintain a good name

Three in One

Those in Kirkwall this weekend are invited to tour the new Grammar School and the Papdale Halls of Residence At the same time, preparations are being made for the first production in the adjacent new Arts Theatre. The details of this three-in-one opening are in The Orcadian. Where in the island group would you live to require residence when attending secondary school?

Scottish Islands Explorer - plenty happening here as well

Three To No One

The Out Skerries Secondary School closure depended on a close and casting vote. So from September next its three pupils will be boarding for the five-day school-week in Lerwick. Details are to be found on the BBC News website.

Scottish Islands Explorer - likes communities; enjoys large groups

New Off Skye

The West Highland Free Press presents an in-depth report on the MV Hallaig, the new ferry vessel which will be operating to Raasay and displaying some innovative technologies. Read and see what's going to happen to the ship and its destination.

Scottish Islands Explorer - tries to be sustainable