Dip. Twitch. Find. (And very bad photographs.)

Info re Orcas yesterday morning. They seemed to be heading for Ness Point, Stromness. To cut a long story short, watching the watchers I realised that they were not still in view either from Ness Point or from Graemsay, or at least they weren't close in. I went to Warebeth which would have been fine a couple of hours or so later, but they went the other way into the Flow first. Anyway it seems no one got any good pictures, which was the intention and I had a seaside walk in lovely light.

No Orca, no picture.

Dentist this morning, not my favourite. Anyway, got home and after late lunch checked the What'sApp group. Grey Phal less than 15 minutes away by car, last seen 11:00. It was now nearly 2.45. On an accessible pool. It is many years since I've seen one on the deck, a few fly-bys from seawatches but not a nice swimming one. So another twitch, fortunately a more successful one. A bonus 2cy Iceland Gull flew off the pool as I arrived.

Grey Phalarope with Snipe.

Grey Phalarope with Wigeon.

By the time I'd had my fill of the phalarope it was time to head for the crow/harrier roost. I scooted off and got to the spot just about in time. The light was not the best with a bright sky in the west making the hill difficult to find detail, let alone a distant harrier. 

Five minutes and I heard a corvid type noise behind me, looked around and up, Rough-legged Buzzard being harrassed by a Hoodie. It was feet over my head, and the camera was still in the car. The buzzard headed off north-west, stopping to hover three times before disappearing. Excellent, a find that has always eluded me. I took some very rubbish photos.

Rough-legged Buzzard, a 1cy I think.

Rough-legged Buzzard, end of hover, showing tail bar.

Also present three Hen Harriers, a Short-eared Owl and a couple of Water Rails.

I'm currently extracting some leaf litter from under Wych Elm. I pretty much failed with Ivy litter the other day. So far two species of Collembola and three or maybe four beetle species. The beetles are very small, 1 - 3mm, they are going to be "fun" to ID.

One of the Collembola is I think Dicyrtomina saundersi.

Dicyrtomina saundersi, probably.

The larger of the beetles at around 3.5mm. I'm thinking this is probably a Catops.

Catops sp maybe - under the microscope tomorrow.

Near the roost site.