The Brough of Birsay, Snow Bunts and Fieldfares.

We went over to the Brough of Birsay Friday. We hadn't checked the tides first, something of an error, so I was a tad nervous whilst we were out there especially as someone wanted to tramp all the way around and someone else wanted to linger and take videos of the sea. In fact we had tons of time but there were moments when it was slightly nerve wracking. Six Snow Buntings flew over us and Common Hermit Crabs and a Common Starfish were seen from the causeway. In the still conditions there were interesting Diptera by the slipway as well. A Painted Top Shell was found on the beach. Unfortunately, the photos were pretty rubbish, I hadn't taken the underwater camera and I struggled to correct the through the water glare (polarising filter now on order).

On The Shunan there were a pair of very early Shelduck. They seem to be turning up earlier and earlier.

It was calm Saturday. Checked the tide timetables and double checked. Tons of time. The conditions were not quite so good, a bit of drizzle and an increasing westerly wind meant that the Diptera were not going to show.

...............................................AAAAAaaaaaaaaaagggggggggggggggghhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Not so calm - me!

Computer playing up massively due to a failed Windows Update, quelle fucking surprise. This has happened before. Anyway, I seem to have some semblance of a working machine now, at 3pm having spent 5 hours arsing around with Windows and CCleaner. 

Saturday, 85 Fieldfare appeared in the rookery, in the stubble field just beyond the garden, and some just about in the garden itself, there was a single Redwing with them.

Fieldfares x85.

And there were a pair of Pintail on The Shunan along with more than 100 Teal, the usual sub-50 Wigeon and some Mallard.

News broke of a Snowy Owl performing rather well on Westray and 8 of the Glossy Ibis, or some new ones, (re-)appeared. If these things are still there next week I could be tempted, it is a very long time since I've seen a Snowy Owl (Fetlar) and although I've seen a few Glossy Ibis, they used to roost at Stodmarsh in my Kent days, and I have seen one in Orkney, it's kind of tempting. I might take a car though.

 Ha, anyway, the important stuff. New species. I spent all of the time on Saturday paddling about on the Brough of Birsay causeway. I tried very hard to string the wee Anapagurus hyndmanni hermit crab, but it was just string. Careful examination of the photos showed they were all the common Pagurus bernhardus. I can count that as a new species as I'd no prior knowledge of the identification issues. I also found one inside a Painted Top Shell Calliostoma zizyphinum, so I'll now iRecord and claim the shell.

This is a small one I tried to string, A. hyndmanni has one larger than the other white claw.

Pagarus bernhardus, Common Hermit Crab, in a Common Periwinkle shell.

Crab eats crab. Common Hermit Crab grabbing a deceased Carcinus maenas.

P. bernhardus in Painted Top Shell.

Painted Top Shell with an intruder.

I photographed the Common Starfish, more successfully this time. I can't count that as new as there are no confusion species.

Asterius rubens.

I had hoped for a new barnacle species but these pinky/grey ones are just a different coloured Semibalanus balanoides it seems.

Semibalanus balanoides.

And this pink crusty stuff is hard to get to species so:

Lithophyllum sp - Pink Paint Weed - I think.

However, I decided that I could have these few seaweeds that I've not recorded before.

Corallina officinalis, Coral Weed. (Probably can't count this as a tricky ID with various confusion species.)

Halidrys siliquosa, Sea Oak.

Polyides rotunda, Discoid Fork Weed.

If any of these are wrong corrections are very welcome. I've a seaweeds book arriving next week, so hopefully more species to come..

I get confused between Bladder Wrack and Egg Wrack but I think this is Egg Wrack. Bladder Wrack, thanks SG.

Fucus vesiculosus.

I can't have either of those as new, I've IDed them before.

And I don't know what this is....

?, suggestions welcome. Serrated Wrack to the right, I know that one.

? close up. Perhaps and animal and not a plant... (thanks SG). I think that's correct SG, Secriflustra securifrons - Square-end Hornwrack a Bryozoan.

There have been a couple of aurora evenings of late but cloud as well and although you could see something was going on, bright northern sky it was obscured by clouds (crafty Floyd reference).

However, it was quite warm yesterday evening before the wind got up and there were 18 Winter Moths around the house, including this pair in cop. Pink-feet were flying around as I searched for the moths.

Male and female Winter Moth.

The pheremone traps and some pheremones arrived yesterday. It will be a few months before I can use them but I will be mega excited when (note the when) I catch moths in them!

Still more winter to go and time for some beetles shortly I think.

Days - 24. New species since Xmas Eve - 19 (there is a slug, a worm and a few things pending). I'm running a bit behind though.