Strandings

Two huge strandings of Atlantic Saury, Scomberesox saurus, (iRecord calls these fish Skipper) have occurred here. The first at Shapinsay on 10th Decmber and then here on West Mainland the next day. There are thousands of fish on the shore between Finstown and Kirkwall. I went to Finstown yesterday and took the photos below.

These are not dead fish washed ashore, but fish deliberately swimming on to the shore. I put a few of the living back in the water, but mostly they just swam back again.

This is quite a rare fish here, there were a few caught by Sea Trout fishermen at the end of October, also at Finstown.

Against my boot for size, c300mm.

Identification feature, the arrangement of the small fins along the rear of the body, ventrally.

 Why did this occur? For me the most likely theory is to do with the amount of freshwater running into the shallow area of sea where the fish have been in the last few days. The burns are putting millions (?) of litres of freshwater into the sea, could this have disorientated the shoal? It has been suggested that a lack of food might cause this behaviour, but I can't really see why that would lead to the fish swimming on to the shore. I have wondered about a parasitic infection, parasites can cause their hosts to behave differently for the host's benefit. These events have occurred elsewhere in the world previously with this species of fish.

A Great White Egret was back on Parro Shun yesterday. And again viewable from our kitchen. Parro Shun is the small water between The Shunan and the main road. At the moment with all the rain that has fallen it is all one water body.

GWE on The Shunan a couple of weeks back.

Once the freeze warmed away I've had a couple of walks around the garden with a torch and a camera fitted with a flash and very simple diffuser, see previous post. The first Winter Moth was yesterday, but finding a female Mottled Umber was the highlight. Tonight there were just two Winter Moths, but it is very cold tonight. Some milder weather would help. 

Winter Moth, male.

Pupa of Large White Butterfly, which I came across during nocturnal meanderings.

Female Mottled Umber, not something I've come across many times before.