Natural highs and lows

Since returning from holiday, there have been a few entomological trips to keep us entertained. Here are a swarm of photos to bring us up to date, from various sites in West Mainland and the island of Hoy, but beginning and ending at home: A 10-spotted Ladybird found on the bathroom window At the pool by Brinkies Brae Guest House: The shed skin of a newly-emerged Large Red Damselfly (not seen) A Green-veined White butterfly nectaring on a Cuckooflower A Crane Fly, Tipula sp. A bumblebee-mimic hoverfly, Eristalis intracaria Bog Reed Beetle Another Bog Reed Beetle Yet more Bog Reed Beetles Heather Beetle   In Hoy, searching for dragons: A newly-emerged Large Red Damselfly, Scapa Museum pool A Blue-tailed Damselfly, Scapa Museum pool A pair of Large Red Damselflies engaged in a spot of egg-laying at Rackwick Another pair of Large Red Damselflies at Rackwick Large Red Damselfly at Rackwick Whilst on a bumblebee survey at Skaill Bay: The bumblebees were too swift to photograph, so here'...

At this time of year, it is nigh on impossible to suppress the urge for dappled sunlight through Beech leaves. Add in a wide, shallow burn, sinuously flowing through the scene and the only option is to give in to temptation.  We found a woodland car park at the Den o' Alyth, set off on a circuitous path through the valley, with the plan to make the mid point of the walk a lunch stop in the town of Alyth itself. Dipper A female Mallard On a woodland bench, a Common Footman moth caterpillar, a teeny-tiny forager of algae and lichen Breathe... Let the tension gently subside As well as lovely views of Dipper, we had seen several Grey Wagtails, as they hunted for invertebrates along the burn. During one of our frequent pauses, letting the tranquillity seep into our souls, Megan suddenly exclaimed, "There's a Grey Wagtail up in that tree!" Stood a few feet away, I was unsighted by another tree trunk, so was initially sceptical, especially when a Great Tit flew out of the ap...

The lease contract for my van came to an end in March, and not having yet made a decision about its replacement, I was in a bit of a panic about how I was going to carry all my work gear around. I visited a local mechanic for advice and was tipped off about an old Volvo estate car which was for sale in a nearby village. The intention was that I wouldn't need it for long, so the fact that it was fifteen years old, had 130,000 miles on the clock and needed some TLC, wasn't that much of a problem.  When I say that it handled like a tank, that's not a reference to its size, but the fact that it was full of water from a leak in the roof. On hills and around corners, water sloshed about the footwells unnervingly. I had hoped that a bead of silicone sealant along the top of the windscreen would do the trick but, no, more drastic measures were needed. Before the car went off to have its windscreen replaced, I removed some of the carpets, the better to bail out the water and also so...

In the middle of May, heralding the fact that Spring is getting into her stride, is the Orkney Nature Festival.  The Orkney Field Club traditionally put on an event for this festival, so Megan and I volunteered to lead a circular walk in Orphir, taking in a variety of habitats and wildlife. Setting off from The Bu , with its Norse and Medieval history, we headed down a grassy track to the shores of Orphir Bay, where waders were bathing and foraging at the water's edge. Heading east along the low clifftop, we looked at the many wildflowers by the path such as Bird's-Foot Trefoil, Spring Squill and Primrose, as well as the less obvious male and female blooms of Dwarf Willow. There were many insects on the wing, including Silver Y moths and a Painted Lady butterfly.   Spring Squill It was weeks later when I thought to try and identify this hoverfly, failed miserably and asked the lovely folk at UK Hoverflies Facebook group Identified as a female Parasyrphus nigritarsis, not that ...