The Standing Stones of Stenness 2
Image by Chris
The Standing Stones of Stenness

Mist, flare or ?

Condensation on the lens or a drop of water is my guess too, it looks like the light is being reflected off the anti-aliasing filter on the CCD and in turn reflecting off the moisture causing a flare. There's strong sunlight bouncing around in both photos so thats going to be the cause.

I have had that effect before when it's raining - light coming through a dropping raindrop passing by....