We are arranging final dates for the remaining two dusk/dawn bat surveys now.  Funds have been provided and all parties are aligned (transportation and WildSurveys) ... we just need to pin down dates.   We are optimistic that we can proceed with the preservation works between September and November ...pending the survey results and appropriate approvals.

Fiona suggested that the glass bottle shard found (and left) at the waterfront on the south shore was late 18th century or early 19th century ... so not during Macfarlane occupation.  Not old from U.K. standards, but old enough from an American perspective! :-)  Similar to Vassar or Yssar glass.

Photos through the east wall air vents showing what appear to be the underside of stairs was interesting and consistent with earlier analysis from the other side.  (The indentation on the east wall as you enter the ruin is a stair well rather than a fireplace or cupboard as often

We have plans to update the site to break out the projects into pages and to include some more 3D rotating images.  We have created one for the dressed window stone and are hoping to do more .. particularly after the trimming/preservation.

More to follow!

Thanks for your continued support!
Bruce and Katherine

Helen Lundie of Wild Surveys Limited, completed the first part of the natural heritage survey on July 8.   From this work, Helen has recommended a bat survey and we will proceed with this as soon as Helen is able to schedule this.   From initial findings, and assuming the remaining bat survey finds no evidence of bats at dusk and dawn, we may be able to proceed to the preservation projects in September.

Thanks to all for supporting this effort and, particularly, LLTTNP for providing transportation!

Thanks!
Bruce & Katherine

Just returned from a weeklong visit to Scotland with activities centered around memorial for Robert Lee McFarlin.  As part of that,  two of his three brothers, Katherine and I made a visit to Ellan Vhow along with my siblings. We were very careful and found that the nesting geese had hatched and moved on ... and that there was much evidence of campers having visited the island already this summer.

Thanks to Peter McFarland, who was our able skipper during the trip.  We are planning to follow up with a local newspaper article with Peter.

Of particular note was that we could not locate the artifacts that we had identified and left in place last summer.   It is critical that artifacts remain in place, undisturbed on the island.  We are concerned that visitors may be removing artifacts.  Please help.

In our informal visit, we did find a bottle shard ... which we photographed and left in place ... sending the photographs to Fiona for possible identification.  More to follow on that.

We also photographed through the lower air vents on the east and south walls ... revealing what appears to be the lower side of a staircase (just a few steps visible).

We traveled yesterday, but Helen Lundie of Wildlife Surveys had planned to be on the island for the first phase of the bat survey.  We hope to hear soon about the natural heritage assessment and what next steps may be required.

Thanks for your continued support!  (.. particularly from Australia!).   We will update the donors list in the coming week.  (Internet access was too intermittent during the trip to support site updates.) 

Thanks!, Bruce