Hols-ish.

No posts as we've been away. Partly holiday, partly offspring duties. Moving elder daughter out of her flat and attending her graduation was the main event. Somewhere in there it was my birthday too, I've officially been a pensioner for a year now, that's really a bit odd. I don't feel any older, or wiser; just a tad more knackered sometimes. (Lugging boxes and stuff up and down four flights of stairs on Sauciehall Street was an activity I try to avoid these days, unsuccessfully on this occasion.) The girls gave me a rather wonderful cake stand. One of my other activities, not previously mentioned on this blog, is baking which I enjoy munchly, and over the last year I've extended my repertoire to cakes, thus the cake stand. 

 

Various ID keys and Buglife T-shirts also came my way. Whilst in Glasgow we went for a couple of meals out, not something we do here very often as it's expensive and apart from a couple of places we're not served anything I can't cook myself, usually cook better at that. The standard of food and service was a revelation, in a very good way. On the way home we stayed in the noisiest hotel I've had the misfortune to attempt to sleep in, but also enjoyed a brilliant pub with excellent food and beer (6 degrees North in Stonehaven, well worth a diversion to sample).

 

The 365 challenge has suffered, being away from here in a key month. I'll be surprised if I can see 365 new species in the county this year, however, I may, if I widen my horizons to the whole of Scotland, still be on track. I took a light trap with me and where we stayed in The Trossachs was ideal so I recorded a good number of new moths. I'll post these on a seperate page shortly.  I'd much appreciate some checking of some of the IDs, SS, AC? I realised after a couple of days that I was making mistakes with the Beauties - Peribatodes, Hypomecis and Alcis spp - I have seen some of these in the last few years in Arran but they don't occur in Orkney and they are not especially easy.

Mottled Beauty, thanks SS and BS.

 

Mottled Beauty, again.

Anyway, I'll try and write more about the trip away on a page, indeed this page - https://literateherringthisway.blogspot.com/p/trossachs-wildlife-july-2022.html

Back at the ranch in the last few days Dunlin and Ringed Plover moving through and an excellent dark phase Arctic Skua low through the garden. The Shelduck still have their eight offspring and a Teal duck was seen with  seven small chicks.

A bit of trapping has produced this Crambus ericella pascuella (thanks BH and M which might be new.

This week I also attempted a dissection, it didn't go too badly. I picked a possible candidate for Mesapamea didyma (Lesser Common Rustic) and followed the instructions in Sterling and Parsons, I'd bought the chemicals a while back. 

Teeth on the clavi proove this to be M. secalis, still a result as I'd not proven that species previously.

Male genitalia, sans aedegus, M. secalis (Common Rustic).