Natural highs and lows

The weather in Orkney has finally improved a little, almost like it is Summer. Which means it is insect time! A Large Red Damselfly at Happy Valley (with less crime and drama), Stenness   Tipula maxima , rather a large cranefly at Happy Valley, Stenness Cheilosia illustrata, a hoverfly at Lyness, Hoy A pool by the track to Wee Fea, Hoy. Home to many damselflies Three small holes in a sandy bank, each home to a larva of the Green Tiger Beetle. The heads (ok, jaws) of the larvae are visible, waiting for some poor unfortunate invertebrate to wander by. Wee Fea A Four-spotted Chaser which Megan found at Wee Fea Whilst there are historic records of this species at this site, we had never seen one in this location before Prime Odonata habitat, Wee Fea A female Common Blue Damselfly, Wee Fea An atrocious photo of (possibly) a Thistle Root Borer moth, Wee Fea A pair of Red-necked Footmans... er... Footmen... er... Feetmans... er... Podpersons. And yes, they are propagating the sp...

Time for a bit of a round-up of the last month's nature watching since we returned from holiday. Our weather has continued to be rather mercurial, the occasional warm, sunny day in between dreich periods with chilly winds. For the season, some things are early, some things are late, the wildlife is not sure what to make of Spring 2026. Neither does it help an amateur naturalist with his sartorial decisions, so if in doubt it's four layers and a set of waterproofs. A trip to Sanday saw me visiting a bit of the island which I not previously seen. After a walk along the beach at Backaskaill Bay, I detoured to investigate a large metal construction. It commemorated a sad event which happened more than 30 years ago. Back at home, we're slowly adding more aquatic plants to the pond as friends donate things from their gardens. We now have our very first Bogbean flower! The dragonfly season in Orkney started in mid-May, but it was only last week, as more sightings came in, that we ...