Forays into Moth Trapping

Its been a bit slow on the island recently. This time of year I'd usually have the scope out scanning for shearwaters etc.; however, the relatively clear water is displaying a distinct lack of plankton. No plankton, no fish. No fish, no birds. Sure, this years crop of youngsters are keeping me interested; the linnets, common sand and oystercatchers on the point all doing well, but the Clyde doesn't feel like its buzzing. Thankfully, FSC Millport has a new toy. A brand spanking new moth trap, and Rachel and I have been having great fun this lunch time getting to grips with the new beasties. 

Silvery Arches

Drinker Moth

The large range of habitats on the island results in a the potential for great diversity of species in a relatively small area. So there's something new in every trap. Just like taking up birding, there appear to be a lot of little brown jobs. Unlike birding, its blinking easy to get prolonged views that aren't massively obscured by one annoyingly leaf. And if it looks like rain, you can take your catch inside  or a cup of tea while you pour through the books.

Flame Shoulder

True Lovers Knot

Peppered Moths

Today's undoubted stars where a pair of garden tigers. One fresh, one well worn. After a spell in the cold room they were more than happy to crawl onto your hand to warm up and pose for photographs.

Garden tigers have a huge range, being found across Europe and into both Asia and North America. In the UK they can be found in a range of habitats, and fly from late June through to August. Before they get those distinctive wings, they can be seen as the orange and black "wooly bear" caterpillar. Despite their distribution and habitat range, the garden tiger is a BAP species, with number thought to have dropped by as much as 90% in the past 30 years.

My first Garden Tiger

Rachel holding said Garden Tiger

Choughs, Kites, and Hens

Last weekend I went to an awesome outdoor hen weekend in Wales. A weekend of surfing, horse riding and troughing with near strangers. Not to mention a little birding. It was a great escape from PhD-dom, plus I got to see two of my favourite birds. 

The first chance photo op came when I offered to take snaps of our brave horse riding crew. As Caroline and I rushed down the cliff steps to get into position to shoot the others cantering along the beach there was a jackdaw like call. They were right at the foot of the steps, probing for insects. In our rush, we flushed them.

Luckily, after 15 minutes of snapping horses, they were back and I managed to get a few shots in. For anyone not familiar with choughs, they're AWESOME! Intelligent and curious, they play on the wind in a way jackdaws can only envy. They're mainly insectivorous, and like to forage in grassy areas, particularly grazed pasture. And just look at those amazing red/orange feet and bill. There are roughly 300 pairs around the UK, distributed around coastal cliffs.

Just could NOT get the iso right for the perfect shot

Expert landings on vertical surfaces

My other bird of the weekend were the wonderful red kites around Cardigan Bay. They remind me of my time working at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre following my MSc. Unsurprisingly, the birds were most numerous as I passed Bwlch Nant yr Arian (where there is a feeding station), and could be seen in great clearly from the road. 

I love a good comeback story (part of why I love white tailed eagles so much), and the kite's is a great one. First releases of Swedish birds took place in 1989, with first successful breeding recorded in 1992. Wild reared birds successuflly nested a few years later, and there are now an estimated 1600 pairs in the UK. Much of the success of the kite reintroduction is the result of the goodwill of local population and the introduction of more stringent protection of both the birds themselves and their nests, not to mention the occasional free feed.

Anyway, these shots were snapped beside the A487, drive along it for long enough and they're a safe bet.

Chance shots from the side of the road

Little Bits of Earth

Last year, Mum took on an allotment. For the following 12 months, it was all I heard about. Or half heard about it. I've never been that much of a veg fan. Last year's squash crop was so big it almost put me off pumpkin for life - there's still one in the kitchen. But, last time I was home, I went down to the plot at a ridiculous 7:30 (if you're not birding) to lend a hand. And I finally got it.

My last trip down had been in winter, there was lots of bare earth and damp grass. It looked pretty grim. When I was back last month, everything was shades of spring green and deep red. I could hear skylarks. It was so unnaturally natural. After lending a hand with weeding and planting some salad and marigolds. I promised Mum I'd nip back down and take some record shots for her. These are they.

The allotment is definitely a practical one, she's not been lured away from the fruits and veggies yet; but, the determined little plants still have such charm, especially up-close. The beds themselves are only slightly raised, so there's lots of knee bending for both weeding, planting, and photography. I passed it off as good exercise (even if it did make me feel a little creaky) and got stuck in.

I planted these!

Salad crops grow fast, getting lots of successive use out of beds. 

Dwarf beans have beautiful hidden flowers

The allotment itself is obviously organic (the big pile of rotting manure is testament to that), and full of wonderful natural predators. The small space was packed with ladybirds, lacewings, and other great little creepy crawlies, all of which will happily much away on those garden nasties. A happy looking song thrush was bashing a snail to bits as we arrived, and lazy bees buzzed between the bean flowers. The only thing Mum wasn't happy to see was a particularly menacing cabbage white, which we swiftly shooed away before carefully replacing the fleece.

They say that an Englishman's home is his castle. If that's the case, then the allotment is hallowed ground. Everyone knows their boundaries - marked or unmarked - and hell mend those that don't keep to them. Otherwise its a friendly atmosphere, with plenty of gossip between neighbours, the only grumbles being about the refilling of the water trough. 

Everywhere you look on the allotment there are great examples of creative recycling. Pallet compost bins, bath-tub planters. Mum even uses water filled bottles to weigh down her cloches and covers.

Zooming out, you can see not only the mix of veg, but the space still for cultivating. Strictly organised beds help keep the more rambling plants at bay, and the really invasive plants are confined to planters, and in front of the new shed an area protected by thick carpet from the ingress of weeds awaits the next crop. 

I'll try and take some more pictures before harvest time hits. Personally, I'll be holding back on the pumpkin this year...

This year, Mum's Christmas present was a new shed.

Mesh wind brakes protect the taller veggies

No Otters

Although it may seem strange to recent readers, but there are some nights out on the point I don't see otters. Thankfully, there's always something to look at. The last clear night felt perfect for otters - still, quiet, low tide - but no joy. But there were plenty of other animals out foraging on the point. The first thing I noticed was an amazing number of herons (7 on the point alone), all with successful strikes while I was wandering. 

First fish-eater of the night, grey heron

Nom!

There must've been plenty of fish around as the seals were in close, with a couple of big grey seals cruising around the bay. And for most of the day there were a pair of foraging harbour porpoise further out. Starting in close between Farland and the Eileans and moving out toward little Cumbrae as the tide dropped away.

One of two porpoises feeding between the point and the mainland

But my stars of the evening where (for a change) the oystercatchers, not only were they surprisingly quiet and confiding, but I also got nice views of this year's fluffy, big-footed chicks. I'm always amazed that something so small and incapable of more than a flap is able to move around between the large boulders. It becomes very tempting to scramble over the rocks for a closer look, then I think about finding somewhere dry to put my camera (and the stress to the animal, I'm not evil), and think better of it. I could have stayed out and watched them all evening, except for the clouds of midges, which soon sent me scurrying for the house.

Oystercatcher on Farland

Two Oyk chicks on Farland

Otter weather

I had a hideous headache when I got back from York this afternoon. So hideous that I almost went to bed. But everything about the view said "Ottery". After the storm this afternoon the bay was wonderfully still, no wind, and it was a good tide.

Sure enough, as I got round to Farland Bight there were shapes moving up and down the far side of the bay. The same female and two cubs (last year's) that we had seen a couple of weeks ago. Unlike last time, I bolted to get the camera before I lost the light.

Our resident female

She was repeatedly bringing in fish for the two (quite large) kits

Aside from being eaten alive by midges, we got great views of her bringing in prey; this included one very large wrasse, which put the kits to squabbling amongst themselves and soon brought in the gulls.

The fish was about half the length of mum.

If the conditions stay good I'll be out again tomorrow night to get into position (with a midge net and a liberal spray of jungle formula), and I'll try to get some clearer images. 

Birding on the Bounce

I do love getting home for a few days. For a start its always a few degrees warmer, but it also means a long journey past plenty of good birding spots, I can always get a couple of extra ticks on the year list.

A quick spin around Attenborough is a sure fire way of picking up Egyptian goose, RC pochard and a couple of warblers. Its even better in the sun. This year, my whistle-stop tour gave me the first 2 plus Cetti's (heard), reed, sedge, willow, chiffchaff and whitethroat. Common terns, little and great crested grebe. Tufted duck, mallard, widgeon, and gadwall were all in attendance. And there were good numbers of tits, buntings and other odds and ends.

RC Pochard with Egyptian Geese (background)

A particularly Bold Dunnock

Gadwall

Great Crested Grebe

Visible Reed Warbler

Inquisitive Reed Warbler

The next gains were made on my way north. After a tip, I nipped over to Willington (30 mins from home) to pick up a pair of black necked grebe that had been seen in the morning. Its a lovely spot, and I wish I'd had a bit more time. A couple of fella's on one of the platforms soon put me onto the birds, but sadly they kept there distance during my short visit.

Black neck grebe record

Ducklings!

The reedies at Willington were nowhere near as confining as those at Attenborough

After an overnight stop in York I debated nipping over to North Cave in search of the red necked phalarope that had been seen over the weekend, but decided that I didn't fancy extending my drive. Instead I dropped quickly into North Duffield Carrs, adding whimbrel to the year list, before hitting the motor way. At junction 49 I spotted a red kite overhead (second sighting here in six trips).

After another 2 and a half hours driving I took a break at Baron's Haugh in Motherwell, where a handsome drake garganey was feeding with gadwall and teal. Then stopped briefly in at Lochwinnoch to say hi to everyone (and replace my decrepit collins guide). There were the usual odds and sods kicking about, and a wheatear on the turned soil in front of the visitors centre.

Phonescoped garnaney

Swallow daft enough to try and take a short-cut through the visitor's centre at Lochwinnoch

"Starting" early.

This morning I actually woke up with my alarm, got up and dressed, and left the house. Why? because I'd had a number of reports of a black redstart hanging around the station. Of course, when I got there it wasn't. So I set off in search of divers, heading out to Fintry and White bay.... nothing doing again, although I did catch this beauty of a wheatear in the only bit of sun on the island, and plenty of warblers in the scrub. 

Wheatear at the Hush Hush

9 30 was time for morning coffee at Phil's, then a text form Bryony to let me know that her parents wanted to take a drive and try and scope out some birds - so off I went again. Still not much moving, but a grasshopper warbler was reeling at the targets. At 12 15 we'd given up.

We headed back to the FSC centre to drop the guys off for their lunch - with me intending to have another snoop round for the illusive redstart. Well it must of been waiting, as it flashed across the car park right in front of us as we drew in. Posing for a few pictures on Tom's tow hitch before vanishing of into the trees.

Reappeared not 5 minutes later when I nipped back with Sean, and appears to be feeding well. It'll hopefully stay around for a few more days.

Best bird I've had on the Island - and a real poser.