End and beginning.

 

Various scenic shots over the year end days.

There was a Small Tortoiseshell in the redecorated bedroom, moved to the conservatory where it won't keep waking up, and more Winter Moths, found during the day under logs.

Winter Moth males.

I had a bit of time to investigate a beetle found in litter. I knew it was a Tachyporus but hadn't got any further as this is the key relying on the arrangement of the setae on the elytra, it is not an easy thing to use. Having arsed around with it for an hour or so and having got no nearer to an ID I went back to the Mike Hackston key. The first couplet handily identified my beetle as the penultimate segement of the maxilarry palps were broad. This caused me to go back to the previous Tachyporus and check that feature. Same = revised identification, so both are Tachyporus nitidulus, a very common species but NFM.

Tachyporus nitidulus, somewhat mangled.

Ventral shot of head showing the rather broad segement of the maxillary palp.

I've waded through the moth records, checking them, they've gone in to the CR. Working on the beetle records, a bit to do there, but they will be on the way to the CR shortly. Fortunately, with Birdtrack, the bird records go in as I make them pretty much, 9,210 records this year, 9,054 in Orkney.

I've opted out of the bird report writing, I'm trying to write my local bird report for the years we've been here, a 13 year patch report. I'll have the county hoverfly report to write, a beetle note and something on local Ichneumons maybe.

For the New Year I've joined the reinvigorated Patchwork Challenge, a bit of motivation to look for birds. I'm trying to green list the 3km patch at least, green listing the 10km one is more of a challenge, especially with ice about. I've come off the bike a couple of times in winter and I'd rather avoid doing that again.

A good start was the Long-tailed Duck flying in for a revisit yesterday. I can usually get them on Loch of Harray but they can be a tad tricky, a welcome guest on The Shunan. So currently, 41 species for 46 points, a solid enough start.

I'm intending to focus more this year on beetles and moths as they are the two orders of animals I enjoy most. Still working on the botany a bit, and no doubt there'll be a bit of delving into other things too. The challenge I set myself last year proved, eventually, to be a bit wearing. I'm not sure how many new species I did see in the end, I'll likely find a total of sorts shortly.

The other task is to get better images for ID purposes, studio shots. I need to sort out the lighting and the down the microscope stuff.

We walked up to the monument from The Links yesterday afternoon, mostly in the rain, it was pretty dark when we got back to the car.

All the best for the New Year.