Natural highs and lows

It turns out that the upcoming heatwave forecast to arrive on a Bank Holiday weekend isn't playing a gig in Orkney (neither is the BH, to be honest). So I was rather glad for a couple of warm sunny days last weekend. We took a trip down to the southern tip of Orkney, at Burwick in South Ronaldsay, to walk along the clifftops towards Barth Head. There were still plenty of flowers about, especially the frothy domes of Angelica, and these were attracting all manner of insects. A hoverfly, Scaeva pyrastri Small Tortoiseshell butterfly Norwegian Wasp Not a clue, but a stunning wee beastie Five-banded Mason-wasp And here's a bit of footage of a Mason-wasp collecting mud to create a pot in which to store caterpillars to feed its larva. Three-banded Mason-wasp An Eyebright Stoat Painted Lady butterfly There were birds aplenty too, lots of Gannets and Bonxies, even a Hen Harrier spotted out over the sea, but the day belonged to the insects.

On the wildlife front, things have been quite low key this past week, perhaps we've reached that mellow point of Summer when it is noticeable that the year is turning. Until I moved to Orkney, I had never considered which species of wildflower was the last to come into bloom in Summer - it's Devil's-bit Scabious, here - and that feels like more of a slippery slope to mid-Winter than the departing of Puffins or other auks. Yes, it is also much quieter bird-wise, with an end to the frantic feathered fecundity for our breeding species, little in the way of birdsong and a steady trickle of migrants heading back south. Looking at the images I have taken during the last week or so, there's a preponderance of insects, beginning with a moth discovered on the rear bumper of my van whilst visiting Stronsay. I think this is a Dark Arches. Whether I took it with me from Mainland, picked up a stowaway on the ferry or it was a Stronsay resident, I will never know. A late afternoon wa...

On a recent trip to Hoy (not looking for dragons this time), I was obviously in close-up mode. Weather conditions were dry but blustery, so I'm not too sure why my macro shots worked better than my scenic or panorama ones. But my photos of Rackwick Bay and the Old Man of Hoy were all less than satisfying, so here's a selection of the views that were mainly at ground level. Actually, now that I think about it, for many of the flower/insect shots, I was holding the plant stem with my other hand! Ling Bell Heather Bearberry Arctic Bearberry (and Crowberry and Bearberry and Ling) Norwegian Wasp An early instar caterpillar of the Fox Moth On the path back from the Old Man, heading towards Rackwick Bay Crowberry Goldenrod Blaeberry (Bilberry). There should've been more berries in this shot, but I wasn't quick enough with my camera before someone ate them 🙄 Hoverfly, Volucella bombylans On the return route, whilst watching a couple of Small Tortoiseshell butterflies on some t...

Last weekend was a bit like April, with lots of sunshine and showers. Well, not like this April, obviously, hence my delight at the much-needed rain. That said, we were fortunate that an afternoon's ramble along the coast in East Mainland was warm and dry, with plenty of wildlife to see. At a muddy pool, we stopped to have a quick scan for damselflies, but only managed a tall wader which I mistook for a young Curlew. A local expert helped me out with the ID later, the bird actually being a Ruff. In sheltered spots, there were plenty of Meadow Brown and Common Blue butterflies, and I couldn't resist yet another photograph of a Blue when one landed on a Ragwort flower. On the cliffs, the Fulmar chicks were very plump and fluffy, including these pyramidally-nestled ones.  The clifftop vegetation now consists of much Wild Angelica and Scots Lovage. Meadow Brown This Shag chick can't be far from fledging. And a Black Guillemot (Tystie) kept a watchful eye on us. As the afternoon...

After the excitement of a weekend of dragon hunting, things have cooled down over the last few days. There's been a chilly northerly breeze, some welcome rain and a lot of fog. Wildlife watching has been mainly confined to the garden, with a bit of photography possible between the precipitation. Spring's verdant flourish is long gone, Summer's blousy burgeoning is looking a little weary and there's had to be a concerted effort to tackle thistles and docks. Weirdly, those two absolute thugs of a plant do give some architectural structure to wherever they happen to be growing, trouble is, it's everywhere. Perhaps due to the drought conditions, everything is rushing to seed, so that it does feel as though a corner has been turned and Summer's wane is underway. However, there is still plenty of colour to appreciate amongst the unruly wildness of this small plot. Crocosmia 'Lucifer', Mallow and Yellow Loosestrife Crocosmia 'Lucifer' There are very few...