Signs of a catastrophe, a visit to Sanday, more grey days.

My entomological FB and Twitter feeds are telling tales of woe for insects in England, in particular, small numbers being noted widely. Is this a weather related issue after last year or a climate trend? Here the problem is not with insects, although the cold weather has curtailed the mothing, but with sea birds, in particular Arctic Terns and the two skua species. 

On our trip to Sanday, 90 minutes each way by ferry, I saw very few Arctic Terns, one Bonxie and a possible Arctic Skua. There should be hundreds of Arctic Terns by now. The wee Arctic Tern colony at Skiba Geo has not established for the first time since we've lived here. Nine pairs were present initially, but they've left the site. I have seen a few skuas, three Arctic Skua visitations to the patch, and two Bonxie; about usual. But at Yesnaby very few, an Arctic and a couple of Bonxies the other day (and not one Arctic Tern). (Images posted in previous post, but I like them so hey-ho.)

Arctic Skua last week at Evie, there were three, Sandwich Tern pursued. Again, very, very few Arctic Terns at that site.

On the positive side, Gannets seems to be ok, the new colony at Marwick is continuing, Kittiwakes and Guillemots are at numbers that seem to equate to numbers from recent years, and there have been no impacts on Black-headed or Common Gulls from bird flu, as reported from England.

Whilst we try to move house we've resolved to try to do something "different" each week, or thereabouts. So last week we went to Sanday. I wanted to see if there was suitable habitat for Peleophila borealis, the loch shore ground beetle; there isn't. And also try to record some beetles for that island.

The lochs on Sanday all have sandy margins and shores, so I decided that was reason enough for a lack of the beetle. However, I searched the dunes near Start and came up with the weevil Otiorhynchus atroapterus which is NFM and I think new for Sanday.

Otiorhynchus atroapterus, similar to O. arcticus, but usually a tad larger and with fine hair-like scales.

Also present were Nebria brevicollis, I continue not to find N. salina, and a couple of nice Staphys, Lathrobium fulvipenne and a Gyrohypnus, probably angustatus, but it was a female so no dissection.

After lunch at 59 Degrees (recommended), we headed to Sands of Ayre where I discovered a carabid NFM and for Sanday, Calathus mollis.

Calathus mollis.

The other highlights from the Sanday visit were the impressive numbers of Turnstone and Sanderling, and a couple of smart, summer plumage, Great Northerns, which I failed to photograph.

Sanderlings, Turnstone and Start Point.

We didn't cross to Start as it was an incoming tide. There were probably 300+ Turnstone and 100+ Sanderling just near the narrows. Also of interest, ground nesting Fulmars.

Fulmar nesting on the ground.

Other events this week have included, managing to capture more Ichneumonoidea, these are awaiting identification; managing to identify a sawfly, and passing on my backlog for expert attentions (thanks JS)!

Dolerus gonager, er no not identifiable from these images.

Required a bit more attention.

Saw sheath, the crucial bit on Dolerus.

Saw of female.

I was a bit gung-ho and went for extracting the saw rather too promptly, with Dolerus it is the saw sheath that is important for most species. Fortunately I had already taken photos that showed the required bits for ID. (Thanks again JS for confirming the ID.)

A new hoverfly for Orkney is not an everyday event. I was asked to look at a couple of specimens from nearby Finstown. Cheilosia are awkward. The first turned out to be C. fraterna which I've identified previously, from Finstown. The other animal proved to be a different species. I spent a whole day on these, and in the end got to Cheilosia latifrons which was subsequently confirmed from my photos by RM at the hoverfly national scheme, chuffed!

Cheilosia latifrons (the full set of images for ID can be found on the Hoverfly UK FB pages).

I've made a few trips to Yesnaby, on two occasions to help others to see its specialities but a visit there is rarely wasted.

During two visits we found Chrysolina intermedia and have definitely proven that the adults feed on Plantago maritima, backing up the observations of the Species on the Edge team and MG who has carried out a large number of important observations of this species. More info, and images, on the Orkney Insects Open Forum FB pages. 

Chrysolina intermedia on Plantago maritima.

MG subsequently managed to find larvae feeding in the Plantago, a first for any of us interested in these fascinating, and ultra rare, beetles.

The usual suspects were also on show at Yesnaby, but a surprise was found under a stone.

Cantharis rufa (darwiniana) (Thanks MG.).

I've only once seen a large Catharid on Orkney previously, also at Yesnaby, and I managed to make a pig's ear of the photo and didn't take the specimen. Lesson learned, this went in a pot.

I photographed it (techy photos on UK Beetles FB site), tried two different keys and Mark Gurney's excellent picture guide, but I wasn't convinced of the outcomes. Fortunately, MG was directed to my posts and came up with the answer and explanation. Only two previous Orkney records, so a nice one, and also NFM.

Lastly, the pheromone traps have still been producing the occasional gem. Two Dolerus gonager, the occasional Ichneumonoidea (although of late my backlog to identify have come from windows in the house) and this excellent tiny beetle (slightly rubbish images).

Salpingus planirostris.

Second county record I think.

Moth trapping by light has taken a back seat it's been so cold, grey for days and days with a sharp wind in the north. The haul (ha-ha) on Monday night was three Hebrew Character, this pug which I think (SS?) is Grey Pug and a micro which escaped. That was with running two traps.

Grey Pug, I think. The wee pale and darker squares on the hind margin of the wing...?

Lastly, really... a trip to Birsay and I was grumpy, it was bloody cold and grey and the accompaniers were f***-a***ing about on the beach. I started turning stones over and was pleasantly surprised. Six of the tiger of the shore... Broscus cephalotes.

Broscus cephalotes.