Natural highs and lows

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 ...

Last Friday was a warm and pleasant day in the county, but I wasn't well enough to make the most of it. In different circumstances, it would've been the perfect day for the first dragon hunt of the year. By Saturday, I was feeling better, and Megan dragged me out for some fresh air regardless. The day was cooler and cloudier, but nevertheless, we headed to Inganess and walked alongside Wideford Burn, taking in plenty of wildlife as we went. In fact, as soon as we left the car park, the good vibes began. A male Hen Harrier was quartering across a nearby hillside, a Brown Hare warily skirted the edge of a bed of flags, Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings were singing from the the rough pasture beside the burn, whilst a conservatively-estimated bazillion insects were thronging in every sheltered spot. [Spoiler alert: there were no dragons or damsels.] A little inland, the burn runs through a small woodland, and this is where we concentrated our entomological efforts. Pink Purslane Br...

Following Easter's icy embrace and as April progressed, Winter began to ease its grip upon Orkney. At least, temporarily. A fortnight ago, the archipelago hummed to the tune of a legion of lawn mowers, hastily unearthed from dusty corners of sheds and garages. This past week has seen some pleasant sunny days, albeit with a cool breeze at times. For a few days, there was a new visitor to the garden, a male Blackcap. Apples were quickly deployed as an enticement to hang around, but this fella was already in Summer mode and hunting insects through the bare bushes and trees. He was constantly on the move, which made photography difficult, and the salt-encrusted windows didn't help either. This week also saw some volunteer training for the Orkney Native Wildlife Project, an initiative which aims to protect an endemic sub-species of rodent, the Orkney Vole, as well as all our ground-nesting birds (for the avoidance of doubt, that's most of them). Several years ago, I had signed u...