frankrennie
@frankrennie.bsky.social
Professor Emeritus of Sustainable Rural Development at the University of the Highlands and Islands. Islander, Scot, & European. Anything relevant to birds, geology, ecology & landscape, human ecology. Also Gaelic/Celtic culture, history & archaeology.
The roundabout in one of the undersea tunnels linking the Faroe Islands. SO impressive! 😍
September 13, 2025 at 8:18 PM
The roundabout in one of the undersea tunnels linking the Faroe Islands. SO impressive! 😍
Birthday focaccia 😍
July 30, 2025 at 3:14 PM
Birthday focaccia 😍
It is published today. Long time in the making but it’s worth it (to me, anyway) 😇 Copies available directly from Pelagic Publishing website. I hope you will enjoy the story of this fascinating bird.
July 29, 2025 at 3:40 PM
It is published today. Long time in the making but it’s worth it (to me, anyway) 😇 Copies available directly from Pelagic Publishing website. I hope you will enjoy the story of this fascinating bird.
Six days until my book on the ecology of the Merlin is published by Pelagic. If you think you know all about the Merlin, think again 🤔
July 23, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Six days until my book on the ecology of the Merlin is published by Pelagic. If you think you know all about the Merlin, think again 🤔
Our back patio in Lewis this afternoon 🥵
July 12, 2025 at 8:54 PM
Our back patio in Lewis this afternoon 🥵
Narthecium ossifragum. Bog Asphodel. A lovely, intricate flower. In Gaelic, Blioch, is an obsolete word for milk, which is ironic as it prefers to grow in calcium-poor soils. It’s still a nicer name than its English nickname, which is ‘bone-breaker’ as it was thought to be deleterious to livestock.
July 11, 2025 at 4:02 PM
Narthecium ossifragum. Bog Asphodel. A lovely, intricate flower. In Gaelic, Blioch, is an obsolete word for milk, which is ironic as it prefers to grow in calcium-poor soils. It’s still a nicer name than its English nickname, which is ‘bone-breaker’ as it was thought to be deleterious to livestock.
Potentilla erecta. Tormentil. Called Cairt làir in Gaelic (ground bark) from its traditional use in tanning fishing nets with their roots.
July 10, 2025 at 9:25 AM
Potentilla erecta. Tormentil. Called Cairt làir in Gaelic (ground bark) from its traditional use in tanning fishing nets with their roots.
Pedicularis palustris, or Marsh Lousewort in English. It sounds much better in the Gaelic, Bainne-ghabhair, (Goats’ milk) because it use to be thought that goats gave more milk when they fed on this plant.
July 9, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Pedicularis palustris, or Marsh Lousewort in English. It sounds much better in the Gaelic, Bainne-ghabhair, (Goats’ milk) because it use to be thought that goats gave more milk when they fed on this plant.
Took a walk on the Common Grazing this afternoon. Another favourite flower. Lus-an-rìgh (the king’s plant) Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum). Crush a fragment of the flower between your fingers, the scent is uplifting.
July 6, 2025 at 2:46 PM
Took a walk on the Common Grazing this afternoon. Another favourite flower. Lus-an-rìgh (the king’s plant) Wild Thyme (Thymus serpyllum). Crush a fragment of the flower between your fingers, the scent is uplifting.
Great to see this. My new book on the ecology of the Merlin is due to be published on 29 July by Pelagic Publishing. 😍
June 27, 2025 at 4:29 PM
Great to see this. My new book on the ecology of the Merlin is due to be published on 29 July by Pelagic Publishing. 😍
Another of my favourite flowers. Beautiful in 3 languages. Ragged Robin, or Lychnis flos-cuculi to give its scientific name. Aptly called Caorag-lèana in Gaelic (Marsh spark) it loves damp hollows.
June 25, 2025 at 9:40 AM
Another of my favourite flowers. Beautiful in 3 languages. Ragged Robin, or Lychnis flos-cuculi to give its scientific name. Aptly called Caorag-lèana in Gaelic (Marsh spark) it loves damp hollows.
We usually have wild orchids in this section of the garden, but this year is a bumper crop! 133 flower heads in the patch alone. Purple Marsh Orchids, Hebridean Orchids, and a couple of hybrids 😍
June 24, 2025 at 4:30 PM
We usually have wild orchids in this section of the garden, but this year is a bumper crop! 133 flower heads in the patch alone. Purple Marsh Orchids, Hebridean Orchids, and a couple of hybrids 😍
My sort of place! 😇
June 16, 2025 at 7:16 AM
My sort of place! 😇
A classic scene from a lovely day in Bath today
June 15, 2025 at 7:51 PM
A classic scene from a lovely day in Bath today
A relaxing time out in Bristol. Surprisingly pedestrian friendly 👏
June 15, 2025 at 3:45 PM
A relaxing time out in Bristol. Surprisingly pedestrian friendly 👏
An interesting exhibit in the St James Quarter in Edinburgh this week. An Orca constructed of computer keyboards. A protest against the destruction of the oceanic environment. Powerful!
May 29, 2025 at 5:45 PM
An interesting exhibit in the St James Quarter in Edinburgh this week. An Orca constructed of computer keyboards. A protest against the destruction of the oceanic environment. Powerful!
A great day at Rosslyn Chapel today. It’s the sort of place where you can visit again and again and see different and mysterious stone carvings every time. 😍
May 24, 2025 at 6:17 PM
A great day at Rosslyn Chapel today. It’s the sort of place where you can visit again and again and see different and mysterious stone carvings every time. 😍
Just to illustrate the different landscapes. In the foreground is the recursive island, relatively safe from grazing, and in the right background is the ‘mainland’ of Lewis, open to grazing of all kinds.
May 17, 2025 at 7:05 PM
Just to illustrate the different landscapes. In the foreground is the recursive island, relatively safe from grazing, and in the right background is the ‘mainland’ of Lewis, open to grazing of all kinds.
A great day out, canoeing with friends to investigate recursive islands in the Outer Hebrides. They were FULL of trees and bushes (in the total absence of grazing animals).
May 16, 2025 at 8:18 PM
A great day out, canoeing with friends to investigate recursive islands in the Outer Hebrides. They were FULL of trees and bushes (in the total absence of grazing animals).
A great day out, canoeing with friends to investigate recursive islands in the Outer Hebrides. They were FULL of trees and bushes (in the total absence of grazing animals).
May 16, 2025 at 7:58 PM
A great day out, canoeing with friends to investigate recursive islands in the Outer Hebrides. They were FULL of trees and bushes (in the total absence of grazing animals).
Vibrant orange pine tree (male) cones, producing a massive cloud of yellow pollen dust as I made my way through them today
May 11, 2025 at 4:31 PM
Vibrant orange pine tree (male) cones, producing a massive cloud of yellow pollen dust as I made my way through them today
Conasg. I just love this time of the year when the coconut smell of the Whin/Gorse permeates this place. 😍
May 10, 2025 at 8:15 PM
Conasg. I just love this time of the year when the coconut smell of the Whin/Gorse permeates this place. 😍
Dug out an old strainer that I put into the ground about 40 years ago when I was full of strength and enthusiasm. I plan to use it as the legs for a new bench up the croft that I can enjoy in another 40 years. 😂😉
April 27, 2025 at 12:12 PM
Dug out an old strainer that I put into the ground about 40 years ago when I was full of strength and enthusiasm. I plan to use it as the legs for a new bench up the croft that I can enjoy in another 40 years. 😂😉
It may not look like much now but the stones poking out of the sand are practically all that remains of a wheelhouse. Probably built 2 or 3 century AD and buried for more than a thousand years.
April 17, 2025 at 7:50 PM
It may not look like much now but the stones poking out of the sand are practically all that remains of a wheelhouse. Probably built 2 or 3 century AD and buried for more than a thousand years.