I work as a wildlife tour guide in the Scottish Highlands so I
travel widely in remote corners of the northern Highlands and islands.
On two occasions in late 2009 I have come across a pile of odd objects
(see photos) scattered on the ground. The first time was on a remote
island in the Orkneys; the second was a few weeks later at an altitude
of around 900 metres in the Cairngorm mountains.
Had they been near a
road or habitation I would probably have dismissed them as just some
sort of household electronic debris, but in both cases they were miles
from anywhere. The pile I found in the Cairngorms was at least a 2-hour
walk from any road, track or building.
They appear to have a burnt and
pitted charcoal-like solid centre encased in a hard, plastic-like
cover. The ones in the Cairngorms also had some small charred
battery-like cylinders with them.
Can anybody suggest what they are,
and why they ended up in such unexpected locations?
John Poyner, Nethy Bridge, Highland Region, UK
