Footprints.

 At work been working with Orkney Native Wildlife Project, we put out these tunnels baited with apple and lined with ink.

Result! Orkney Vole tracks.

We've also had camera traps all over the place to try and get the wee blighters on video, not such a result, requires perseverence.

Lots of nice things in this space of nearly a month. White-tailed Eagle, Garganey, Blackcap and Whitethroat all on patch. I will try and do a catch up shortly, with some pix.

I thought I'd got a new beetle for the county but was pipped to the post by a week or so. This in my yellow washing up bowl trap - 

Sphaeridium scarabaeoides.

I had a bit of a bee and wasp weekend, six, maybe seven species of bumblebee in the garden including 7 or 8 Great Yellows.

Bombus distinguendus.

I found the potter wasp Anicostrocerus oviventris in the garden, nice patch tick. With the weather calm and sunny I went to Yesnaby on Sunday and back to the spot where I found A. scoticus last year. With a bit of patience I managed to find them again and better still their parasite Chrysis sp.

Not the best photo, this was hard enough to see, let alone photograph.

Some nice moths, these two were new for site in the garden.

Grey Pug.

Knot Grass.

That'll have to do for now.... Contrasting listening.

 

There is a wonderful session slot of Lou Reed and Anohni playing Perfect Day in the latest series of Jools, not to be missed IMHO. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01kgsm0