Natural highs and lows

A recent work trip to Shetland was almost more noteworthy for what I didn't see than what I did. During the course of a week, travelling around the archipelago from Unst in the north, to Bigton in the south, across to Bressay in the east and Walls in the west, I saw precisely no Great Skuas. Not one. That is a sobering statistic, highlighting the devastating effect of avian flu on this particular species in its breeding stronghold. A Bonxie, as the Great Skua is known in the north, is not a glamorous bird, it's a hulking great thug and a fearsome predator. However, its global  population size is about the same as that of the Polar Bear and is therefore extremely vulnerable to some catastrophic event decimating its numbers even further. Thankfully, there were a few wonderful moments to lighten my mood: a pair of Swifts which hammered eastward in Northmavine; a dread of Arctic Terns which drew my attention to an Otter hunting near the pier in Bressay; and whilst I was on a video ...

Last Tuesday, soaring temperatures south were widely reported on national media. Indeed, even in Orkney, folk were reported to have gone outside without a coat on. I think our forecasted high temperature was 19 degrees C, which is actually quite high for these parts. I was working in Stronsay, but had time to spare whilst waiting for a return ferry, so hit the beaches and clifftops to take in the glorious weather and wildlife. Sand Martin A male Common Blue butterfly Not found by me, a stunning Garden Tiger Moth Ragged Robin One of the Water Crowfoots (Crowsfoot? Crowfeet?) I think this is Amphibious Bistort One of the vetches A Blue-tailed Damselfly, a first official record for the island A Middle-Barred Minor moth nectaring on some Sea Rocket At a quarry pool, Swallows were splooshing onto the surface. I don't think this is drinking behaviour, which is more of a skimming action, but I wondered if they were soaking their breast feathers with water to take moisture back to their ne...

Normally, at this time of year, I would be leading a wildlife walk, showing folk the wonders of dragonflies and damselflies, as well as any other natural history we happened upon. For 2022, what with the weather, work and a woeful lack of preparation, it just hasn't happened. Yet. Thankfully, I did receive reports that some dragonflies were finally on the wing, so for the first day of NDW, Megan and I made the trip to Hoy to enjoy their company and some bracing fresh air. The Martello Towers at Hackness and Crockness, on the approach to Lyness Incidentally, this ferry trip was the same route undertaken by Ralph Little for the recent series of the BBC's 'Who Do You Think You Are?' He drove past wir hoos!! Once ashore at Lyness, we made our way inland, soaking up the sights and sounds of Nature as we climbed up Wee Fea. Tysties Teenage Tystie Large Heath butterfly One of the Forget-Me-Nots Bog Asphodel Upon reaching the most easily-accessible bog pools, we were soon findi...

A few weekends ago, after several days of dreich weather, Orkney mainland was bathed in some late afternoon sunshine. Cabin fever was soothed with a trip to Happy Valley. A Hen Harrier quartering the fields, much to the annoyance of many small birds A Vapourer moth caterpillar sunning itself on a Hawthorn leaf A sawfly A hoverfly, Rhingia campestris The following weekend, during a temporary lull in lawn mowing, I found another hoverfly, Leucozona lucorum , nectaring on an Ox-eye Daisy. Through late Spring and early Summer, there were a pair of Goldfinches in the garden, the male often singing from the top of one of the alder trees in the hedge. This isn't something that usually happens, they're more of a Winter visitor to the bird feeder, so we wondered if they were actually nesting in the garden. Activity seemed to centre on this Fuchsia, but we were loathe to disturb them, despite our intense curiosity. When, eventually, a few days had passed without either sight or sound of ...

Whilst there's plenty to worry about in Orkney at the moment, what with avian flu killing seabirds and wildfowl, and remembering that the threat of non-native invasive mammalian predators has not gone away, I have had a few bio-security issues of my own recently. Admittedly, minor issues in the grand scheme of things, but if the consequences, however unintended, are unknown, then who knows what is major or minor? A month ago, when we were on holiday in the Cairngorm area, we had a salad accompaniment to one of our evening meals. So far, so healthy, right up to the point where I found a dead larva of a ladybird amongst the greenery. Well, I say 'found', I mean nearly ate. The previous day had been World Environment Day, so perhaps that was on my mind as I casually moved the tiny corpse to the side of my plate and finished the meal. As Megan commented at the time, it was a positive sign that the salad crop had been a home to natural predators rather than innumerable sprayings...

Since our holiday in early June, there's not been much opportunity to string together several days of wildlife watching, but with the commencement of July that all changed. Even better, Alan, a friend from my days in Milton Keynes was currently on holiday in Orkney, so we met up on Friday morning for a drookit wander around Orphir Bay and the Gyre Wood, catching up on things and generally setting the world to rights. Swallow fledglings contemplating the weather After lunch, we were joined by Megan and the three of us set off to try and see some of the things that Alan hadn’t yet spotted on his holiday. First, we parked at the top of the Scorradale Road, and ambled about the low hills, taking in the views and the flora and fauna. A sawfly preying upon a Red-thighed St Mark's Fly Then we drove across to Yesnaby on the west coast, which is just a wildflower heaven at the moment. We pottered about the coastal heath habitat, marvelling at the abundant and colourful display. Prim...