Too many moths.

 

Nearly every egg tray in two Heath traps was like this morning, time to stop.

I'm calling a temporary halt to light trapping on the home site as this is just too much. It strikes me as a tad unkind and other species, especially micros are just impossible to find in there, if they survive. The Heath traps each had about 250 to 300 Large Yellow Underwings this morning. So, the sugar is out and other tactics employed for a period. I might try light trapping on a different site, where perhaps, there won't be so many LYUs.

I've taken the step of not being on X (once Twitter) any longer. It's a bit of a shame as it is useful for moth identification in particular, but I can't do with this rebranding. From a friendly blue bird and tweeting, to an odd black and white X, an aggressive symbol with pornographic associations. Anyway, it didn't sit comfortably with me and other folk seem to have left. I signed up to Mastodon, but I doubt I'll use it, I can't quite get the hang of it. I quite like Instagram, I post photos there every now and again, maybe I'll try Threads.

The moth dissections are going along ok and I've now proven Mesapamea didyma with a female successfully dissected. 

Mesapamea didyma, female, the V shape points left, on M. secalis it points the other way (right).

I also dissected a couple of Phiaris palustrana, if accepted these will be new for Orkney, the second of which I found.

Birding has been very quiet, the first good bird for quite a while was a Marsh Harrier that went through the patch today. I was just getting home from Stromness and glimpsed it out of the corner of my eye as I turned in to the track. Stop, quick and it performed rather nicely. Lesser Redpoll (one or more) is/are back on the feeders. But little else of interest. The rain has caused The Shunan to be a tad deep and there are cattle by the best Bosquoy site, and I'm not going anywhere near them! Much quieter around and about now as the Curlew have fledged and the Oystercatchers have left.

I've been finding some nice things though. After a Norwegian Wasp garden tick a few weeks back they've appeared in gangs to strip the surface wood off a palatte we use as a gate to part of the garden.

Dolichovespula norwegica.

And here's one in action. You can see how it manages the ball of wood/saliva paste, before heading off to the nest.

Best play the video within YouTube, it is worth the effort.

This Galeruca tanceti was a nice find on the moor the other day, I rescued it from drowning.

Galeruca tanceti, I've previously only seen this species on Hoy.

A trip to a small pond and marsh area in Stromness proved exciting, I was invited to have a look. The most Odonata I've seen anywhere in Orkney in one place, including quite a few of these lovely Lestes sponsa. And Brown China-mark, a moth I'd not seen here before.

Lestes sponsa.

Brown China-mark, Elophila nymphaeata

There have been some interesting, if hard to ID sawflies. Repeated wanderings up and down the Hawthorn Hedge eventually produced the required Argyresthia bonnetella, not the best pix as I had to use the 600mm lens with barbed wire preventing a closer approach. I have managed to identify the green bottle Lucilia caesar to species though. Found on Wild Angelica by the hedge this very common fly had never been identified in Orkney. A new key was required (£45 but a fab piece of work) and some rather ham-fisted dissection.

Presumed Lucilia caesar, the actual identified one was found dead in a pheromone trap.

Pheromone traps also produced an adult Gracillaria syringella, I'd only seen larvae previously.

Gracillaria syringella.

The trap was hanging in an Ash with lots of larval signs, so I think the adult sheltered in the trap rather than be drawn in by the pheromone.

Having recorded just one in nearly 14 years, I've now had five Xanthandrus comtus appear, mostly in the conservatory. Here these are the birders equivalent of a Bluethroat or Barred Warbler perhaps.

Xanthandrus comtus, male.

More common or garden, but very nice looking, the sawfly mimic Xylota segnis was also lurking in the conservatory, really just a giant flying insect trap if I leave the door open.

Xylota segnis.