Bioblitz and 365.

I've set up a bioblitz for a year on our Wee Wood, I've based it not just on the wood itself but the 100m square it sits in. It will be interesting to see how many species I can find there in a year. So far Winter Moth, Hen Harrier, Tree Slug and Brown Rat. The rat is dead in one of the stoat traps. 

Wee Wood.

I have set out to do this in previous years but never followed it through, with more time, and I've set it up in iRecord there is a greater likelihood of me completing it. Interesting indeed as to what I can find in a 100msq anyway. I'll update regularly.

Total to date - 4 species.

 

The 365 challenge, finding 365 species new to me in a year is in place. Some of the species are surprising, and a very easy tick. For example Common Limpet which I've always presumed but with no real knowledge, and there are a few confusion species. I'm allowed to count things like that, species I've not identified because I didn't know about the complexities of the identification process. Razor shells, Ensis species, are a similar thing, and these are very hard to identify correctly. I'm going to try and get all the 365 in Orkney, that will be a bit more of a challenge. However, adding species from elsewhere may make this challenge more possible.

These are shells I collected yesterday from Point of Buckquoy. We got there just after the high tide and had a search of the beach, actually hoping for more pelagic things, as the tide fell. I suspect there are three species for me here. Calliostoma zizyphinum, Painted Top Shell, the broken one top right; Patella depressa, mid-left; I'm wondering if the bottom one is Patella ulyssiponensis, but both it and the top one could just be juvenile Patella vulgaris, it's tricky.

Score to date, without including any of these - 14 species.

I have been advised, and of course it's correct advice, that it is far more valuable to identify living animals as then their provenance is much more certain. I did have a search just before New Year and managed these two.

Patella vulgaris.

Nucella lapillus.

It would be excellent to get some birds amongst my 365. This doesn't mean I'm going twitching, however, I reckon a couple of trips to North Ron and/or Papay might be helpful.

New Year's Day night and there were 88 Winter Moth around the house, a huge number.

Winter Moth.

Hoy from Warebeth, afternoon 01/01/2022.

Hoy from Warbeth, late afternoon 07/01/2022.

From The Links beach, 06/01/2022/

Thrift stems, from Skiba Geo, 05/01/2022.