Shetland

 

I had to go... for various reasons, this was not a planned birding trip, however I'm not one to pass the opportunity by, and of course birds are P-SL ticks if I haven't seen them before.

The aurora was late evening 10th October. It was a good one, although, to the naked eye it did not really look like the image above. These are phone images as I'd left my wide-angle lens at home, travelling light. Pleasantly surprised that the Pixel 9a could do this on its night setting. The darker images turned out very grainy though.

Thanks to Penny Clarke for her Hot Birding blog which kept me up-to-date with what was going on and enabled me to connect with the rare birds nearby https://pennyshotbirdingandlife.blogspot.com/  I know I could have subscribed for a short period to RBA or Birdguides but I'm saving up for the German hopper book!

We were based in Sandwick, and because we booked pretty much at the last minute not in the most scenic of locations. But, Sandwick is a good place to be based for rare birds. And despite the sheds watching Gannets fishing from the comfort of the living room was a real treat.

I had no real intention of twitching when we came here, and as we arrived a day or two after Two-barred Greenish and Sibe Blue Robin had departed I had no great expectations. But things started hotting-up birdwise quite quickly with a number of decent eastern things from the earlier drop not departing and a large Redwing and Blackbird fall whilst we were here.

Most mornings were spent going to scenic places and walking, these places did produce some P-SL stuff, as well as some extraordinary scenery. I hadn't previously appreciated how dramatic the Shetland coast can be (I'd been to Shetland once before, many, many years ago). If you get the weather, which mostly we did, this is a wonderful place to explore.

Kettla Ness, what a fabulous place!

 Most of my P-SL ticks that weren't birds were fungi, there were a lot of waxcaps Hygrocybe and related species. Some of these can be quite difficult to ID and strictly I probably should do some microscopy of spores and things to fully determine them. However, I didn't, but I did consult the trusty https://outerhebridesfungi.co.uk/ and feel as confident as I can be that these identifications are accurate. Some things have already been verified on iRecord, which is encouraging.

Cuphophyllus virgineus Snowy Waxcap

Porpolomopsis calyptriformis Pink Waxcap

 

Near Minn Beach I found Otiorhynchus arcticus, there don't appear to be many Shetland records, it was quite common in Orkney in the right habitat. 

Otiorhynchus arcticus

Also on the beach this seashore dipteran, again there appear to be very few Shetland records.

Orygma luctuosum

Throughout the time we were in Shetland I was searching for the water-weed Potomageton rutilus which is a Shetland speciality, although it is scattered thinly elsewhere, sadly I failed. This despite investigating quite a few watery sites.

Three-spined Stickleback Gasterosteus aculaeatus

 The loch at Kettla Ness was teaming with these, but no P. rutilus in the loch or the many tiny streams. Lots of this though...

Marsh Pennywort Hydrocotyle vulgaris

 

Views from Minn Beach and Kettla Ness, the island is Foula; next time we'll visit the island.

I'll probably make an additional post about this visit. But what birds did I see? 67 species (surely I did see Black-headed Gull? ) five of which were new to me and which I took no photos of...  there are tons of excellent images of these birds online. It is a very, very long time since I got five new bird species in the UK in a week! 

• King Eider, with 25 Eider off Lerwick and I think of the number of times I searched through flocks of seven or eight hundred Eider never to find one of these! It was a duck and at some distance.
• Arctic Warbler, this was not an easy bird to see, it took a long time and it was like gathering the pieces of a jigsaw from a scattered puzzle. Bonus was whilst looking for it I found a Barred Warbler, always nice to find.
• Siberian Stonechat, I have seen one of these before but a very long time ago and for various complicated reasons it was untickable. This bird was not easy, and I did try to photograph it, however, cracking views were eventually obtained on the second attempt.
• Western Bonelli's Warbler, a very brilliant wee beastie. Excellent views were quickly gained on a calm and mostly sunny afternoon. 
• Grey-cheeked Thrush, I've dipped on this species previously (or was it Swainson's, I can't remember). Anyway, very excellent views were obtained. And a bonus P-SL tick as we left the site, Gunnera tinctoria growing by the roadside.

 

Bluethroat, it was a real show-off, I could hardly fail to photograph it.

Additionally, I also found an Eastern Lesser Whitethroat, well it was known about, but I didn't know about it when I went to the site and saw it.

Eastern Lesser Whitethroat, which of the various subspecies is beyond my pay grade.

On the day we left, walking in Lerwick, near the (pretend) detective's house, a male Ring Ouzel came in-off, nice!

Not so nice was the 12 hours of being  bounced about as the MV Hjaltland tackled the Force 7-9 to Aberdeen.

 

Goldilocks repris

 Piles of poo and some chewed plants led me to camera trap in the garden.

We're either going to have to wire the gate, or move the trees, one or the other. She has two fawns which don't come in as they won't be able to easily jump the gate.

More light trapping at the CCW was successful, except that I need to be much more careful with some Acleris species. I'd not quite tuned in to all the possibilities and how tricky they are. Unfortunately I didn't photograph every moth.

Acleris aspersana

Pictures are a bit rubbish as the light was poor, A number of things needed to be dissected as they were potentially new for the site. A good job I did as the Agonopterix I caught was then correctly identified, the white spots on the forewing being so tiny I'd initially overlooked them, and there was an Epirrita sp and another ear moth.

 

Agonopterix scopariella

Ear moths are a bit of an issue. I really don't want to dissect every single one, but so far I've only proven Amphipoea lucens Large Ear for the site. Two species are probably likely. I don't catch many either. Anyway, the single one this time proved to be A. lucens again.

 

Epirrita autumnata

There are three Epirrita species that are likely, they can be identified by looking at the octavals on the underside of the abdomen, very difficult to see unless you dissect. Some claim they are doable from the forewing, but that requires very well-marked individuals, and to add species to the site list I need certainty. The images above are of a full dissection proving Epirrita autumnata, I seem to have temporarily misplaced the images of the octavals which I'll add later. 

 

There were a number of other beasts in the traps which require further investigation.

 

I think this is Netelia inedita, but I need to key it out, I've caught it a few times now both in the garden and at the woodland.

The current species list for the community woodland is 808 species, but I have most of the captures from the vane traps to go through and a few things that were not identified from light trapping. Given the right conditions further light trapping should be worthwhile this year. I'm wondering if a thousand species by the end of the year might be possible, it will take quite an effort both in the lab and in the field. Using the "Target Icon" on the P-SL website may help to pick-off some of the easier ones. Other folk are currently adding fungi, which is very handy as my knowledge of toadstools is embarrassingly little. 

 

I did manage this though Lycoperdon excipuliforme

 

Light trapping at CCW

I took three light traps to the community woodland on Monday evening. 

Here's my converted Robinson in action, it has a triple wavelength 6W LED and an actinic blue circular bulb, 22W. These run comfortably all night from a lithium battery pack (a lot lighter to carry than a car battery). (I'd forgotten my plastic bowls to cover the electrics, so the box had to do, no rain forecast.)

The other two traps are Heath traps, one running a blue LED from a car battery and the other a blue actinic. Unfortunately, the one running the actinic seems to have an issue when running via a car battery and an inverter. Not sure what the problem is, the set-up runs fine from the mains. So, just two traps functioned. Fortunately the trap that failed was the one near the car, not the one way up the hill that I'd lugged a car battery to.

Closing the traps at first light, not so early now.... but there were still moths flying around the traps. I don't trap so often at the community woodland so the Robins and Wrens haven't discovered light traps as a source of tasty treats.

A good search of the outside of the traps and the surrounds led to a few moths and caddis (Trichoptera) potted to examine later.

The failed trap, which had been working when I left it the previous evening, contained nothing, sadly.

However, the blue LED held quite a few including a very nice Merveille du Jour, always a treat to see.

Merveille du Jour Griposia aprilina

There were some Red-green Carpet, three in this trap and one in the Robinson.

Chloroclysta siterata

Next moths out of the trap were Rosy Rustic, three and one in the Robinson; Chestnut, one and three in the Robinson; a rather worn Frosted Orange; a total of five Pink-barred Sallow; a Green Carpet; a July Highflyer; and in the last egg tray two copper underwing sp. One of the copper underwings showed the field character of Copper Underwing Amphipyra pyramidea but the other was pretty washed out in the underwing, so retained, currently listed as Amphipyra sp.

Chestnut

Frosted Orange, a bit worn

Pink-barred Sallow

July Highflyer

A copper underwing, not sure if this is the identifiable one or not.

Lastly, a Green-brindled Crescent was lurking in the bottom of the trap.

Green-brindled Crescent, another smart autumn flying moth

 Along with the moths were various other interesting things.

Halseus radiatus, a caddis fly Tricoptera

This very interesting, tiny Hemiptera is of genus Kybos, a hopper, it requires dissection to get to species, but is probably Kybos ludus which is associated with birch Betula. There are just 4 records of K. ludus on NBN Scotland

A familiar, smelly beetle, Nicrophorus investigator, a carrion beetle

New for the woodland, and such a smart animal, Pantilus tunicatus, another Hemiptera, this time a mirid

The cranefly Pedicia occulta, there are only 29 records on NBN Scotland for this species, an excellent find

 Then to open the Robinson trap....

As well as some of the moths already mentioned, and including a second Merveille du Jour, there was an ear moth that will require dissection to determine species, Canary-shouldered Thorn, several Common Marbled carpet, Acleris laterana x2, Pinion-streaked Snout, Small Wainscot and Setaceous Hebrew Character. A big surprise was a Rush Veneer, a species usually considered to be a fairly scarce migrant in Scotland.

Acleris laterana

Canary-shouldered Thorn

An ear moth Amphipoea sp

Pinion-streaked Snout, quite a small moth for something that is classed as a "macro-moth"

Rush Veneer, a very uncommon moth in Mid-Perthshire

Setaceous Hebrew Character

 In addition there were other critters, not moths, that were attracted to the light of the Robinson trap.

Rhyacophila sp - a species of caddis fly, to be determined by dissection

Sexton Beetle Nicrophorus humator with passengers, phorid mites which hitch a lift on the beetle from one meal of dead things to the next!

Limnephilus lunatus, a rather attractive caddis

So at least another twelve species for the woodland species list, with a few more to be added after they have been specifically determined. 

Given suitable conditions, a warm evening with no heavy rain, but overcast ideally, it would be worth repeat trapping latter in the week or at the weekend. Unfortunately, it may be that the warm spell has passed. After torrential rain early this morning it has now turned clear and cold.