Migrants

That moment when you lift the egg tray (or bit of egg tray) out of the trap and you glimpse something special is brilliant. It doesn't happen often, but when it does it's the thing that keeps you going through the tangled cables, the temperamental electrics, the escapees that must have been special and the midge bites and stinging nettle burns. So today was a good day, third trap, last but one egg tray and.... drum roll - Great Brocade.

Great Brocade

I've only caught this species once before here. A migrant with a supporting cast of two Dark Sword-grass.

Dark Sword-grass.

Other than the GB there were a good few other NFY this morning with Setaceous Hebrew Character, Ear agg (I've kept this to dissect out) and Small Wainscot.

 Small Wainscot

Setaceous Hebrew Character

(The Ear doesn't want to upload.)

There was also a nice selection of micros with Acleris rhombana, Acleris variegana and Acleris sparsana, all species I like to see.

Acleris variegana

 Acleris rhombana

On the avian front all rather quiet just the first Goldcrest of the autumn in the garden, a few Robins and at Palace the usual wader selection and resident Whooper. (Except for the warbler that bobbed up in front of me in the garden for a second and then disappeared - unstreaked Accro maybe.)

Shed, Palace.

Lastly a Psychodidae (90 odd species swines to ID) was in the kitchen this evening. It posed nicely, only 5mm or so wing tip to wing tip.

More lastly; after an exciting and unexpected trip to Kirkwall yesterday afternoon, after work, to deliver the forgotten driving license, elder daughter passed her Theory Test, just the practical to go then.

Midged

The midge situation in the garden is such that emptying the moth traps is farcical. It is currently not possible to carry out counts of common species, there is just no time for that before the hapless counter (that would be me) is enshrouded in a cloak of tiny biting demons.The greenhouse is no longer a safe haven, indeed, being in an enclosed space, unable to move away, it has become more like a torture chamber. So today a new tactic, egg box in hand, coat on, hood up, hat smeared in repellent, I walk around the garden trying to identify the moths. Photography and note taking on the hoof.

On the outside of the trap today a new moth, one I think that may be NFM, certainly NFG, Small Autumnal Moth.

 Small Autumnal Moth

A NFY today were two specimens of Haworth's Minor.

Haworth's Minor

Today's triumph (perhaps, it will need confirmation) might be this Trypeta zoe, not listed on the NBN for Orkney, so maybe a first for county. Whatever, a smart wee beast.

Male Trypeta zoe, I think

The trap also contained two Pink-barred Sallow, and the usual suspects.

Pink-barred Sallow

We went over to Deerness and managed to dip on both the pod of Risso's Dolphin and the four Pec Sands (being too lazy to walk over to the pool). At home though a nice male Hen Harrier showed from the kitchen, much to the delight of our visitors, and there were four Ruff in the fields below the house. Later there were three Ruff at Marwick and Hen Harriers, a Shortie, a Greenshank and Water Rails at The Loons.

 Hen Harrier

Deerness produced many hoverflies, the Rosa rugosa at Denwick being covered in a species that I am yet to identify. There was an Eristalis intricaria as well as more common things. 

Common Carder I think

Although this one looks like Moss Carder, I think it is actually Bombus pasquorum, there are a few black hairs on the abdomen.

Scathophaga stercoraria, common as muck but attractive none-the-less.

Lemke's Gold Spot I hope....

Whilst I was on my hols in Arran a NFM moth was Lemke's Gold Spot, I was really delighted to see this species and to be able to work out the ID for myself. Trapping the other night, first run with my new LED light in the Robinson and on the very last egg tray...

I'm pretty sure this ticks all the boxes but I have sent it to the CR for final judgement.

All the traps are out tonight, here's the LED in action, it is amazingly dim so would be good in a built up area but seems pretty effective.

The Hoy High lighthouse (actually on Graemsay) is the light in the distance.

Also new for the year was Barred Yellow, a lovely moth (but it flew off too sharpish) and Rosy Rustic.

Rosy Rustic

Numbers of Square-spot Rustic are starting to build up now and Small Square-spot and Ingrailed Clay declining.

Square-spot Rustic

I've been catching a lot of these Eudonia alpina recently, an attractive micro, and a little tricky sometimes from E. angusta (CR has been very helpful with these).

Eudonia alpina

A 1cy male Crossbill has appeared in the garden and like last year's is very tame and likes Niger seed. It uses its tongue to extract the seeds from the tiny hole in the feeder.

Also recently a Greenshank at Evie but not much else doing.

The fridge is again full of tubes as I've been sweep netting through our meadow again... insects = 15 minutes in the field and three days trying to identify the blighters.

Exam results day has passed and elder daughter is largely very happy. Far too stressful the whole malarkey if you ask me, and that's just for the parents, let alone the students.

The Honda's mystery ailment may well have been diagnosed, although I'll be towing briefly tomorrow with  still a possibility of stop/go behaviour. It's days may be numbered, I think our patience is wearing thin, to say nothing of the bank balance, 102,000 miles though. It is the annual Dounby Show and the day will be spent encouraging younger daughter and ponies. I somehow think I may avoid the Stereo Lobsters in the evening though, it tends to be an alcohol fueled event.

Buddlia nectaring

Loads of moths on the Buddlia tonight including: Large Yellow Underwing (100+), Silver-Y (probably worn Beautiful Golden Y(4), Dotted Clay, Square-spot Rustic, Snout, Dark Arches, Eudonia alpina and possibly another Eudonia (in a pot). Also Scoparia subfusca buzzing around the actinic and a likely Agriphila tristella around this computer screen (got away).

 Large Yellow Underwing

 Square-spot Rustic

Silver-Y  Most likely a worn Beautiful Golden Y, see comments below.

Shapinsay day

Popped over to Shapinsay on Wednesday and walked about; it would be better by bike. However, we had a nice tramp round, a bit of insecting and a decent late lunch in the cafe.

 Grey Heron.

 Black tangles (Tangles = Orkney word for seaweed).

 Tree Wasp, I was especially pleased with these, a county tick at least.

 Wren.

 Back in Kirkwall at the car park by the police station, nectaring Starling.

Inverness in a day

I went to Inverness on Tuesday to pick up a car (no the Fiesta is still going strong, but it is about to be handed over to elder daughter). An interesting journey, bus from end of track, bus to Burwick, JOG ferry to John O' Groats, bus to Inverness, all for free thanks to my Old Scot card and my ferry vouchers. Thankfully it all worked and the connections were smooth. The bus along the coast from JOG was fascinating, any number of huge castle-houses along the coast. We usually cut out that bit of coast going from Scrabster south. Managed to get stuck in to another Magnus Mills' All Quiet on the Orient Express during the journey, annoyed that I'd forgotten to charge the iPod, so only got about 45 mins of tunes, at least the head phones cut out most of the bus radio-babble. (All Quiet... is a nicely bizarre tale.)

Coming back I put the new (to me) vehicle on the Scrabster ferry. The week before when we'd come back from Arran on that ferry there had been about 12 Common Dolphin around the Old Man, I'd been really pleased with these as I rarely see any cetaceans from that boat. I was disappointed on the JOG as there were no cetaceans and it should be a better route for them (loads of Puffins though). However, the sea was almost glassy, perfect conditions as we headed out at 7pm. Immediately there were a few brief but likely Porpoise sightings, then 20 minutes out two Orcas, one of which breached, a bit distant but good enough. There are two males hanging out in this area and although the views were brief I was pretty sure the one I saw the back of was a male, the breaching one twisted sideways and I saw its belly. A little later two definite Harbour Porpoise were nice. Then an hour out and still south of the Old Man a huge pod of well dispersed dolphin. These were bigger than the Commons from the previous week and there was no bow riding and only one breach, dorsal fins were larger and I saw white on the back so White-beaked they were, I reckon at least 20, possibly 30, very neat. Another observer saw a Minke on the same trip as well and other counts of porpoise were four sightings.

 The Old Man of Hoy from the north.

Autumn has arrived

There was a Greenshank over the other day but today produced a juvvy Crossbill (nearly collided with me whilst I was doing the moths), a Siskin, and a Whimbrel over (and more Whimbrel later), mind you the Snipe was still drumming from the Shunan.

On the moth front nothing much new, the Pinion-streaked Snout from the other day was the best of the bunch recently although the two plumes that I've asked for help with may yet turn up trumps.

I've caught and photographed a few hemipterans recently and with help have a couple of identifications, this one is the Potato Capsid, Closterotomus norwegicus.

I've just finished reading The Forensic Record Society by Magnus Mills. For anyone unfamiliar with Magnus there is an interview with him here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08ksc8s
Very funny and very clever. I got a hardback copy, wonderfully produced as well.

You can tell I'm on holiday, I find it very hard to read for pleasure during term time. Now embarking on a playscript All My Sons as daughter No1 has to read it for her Advanced Higher English, anyway Arthur Miller has always been one of my favourite playwrights.

Oooops

 Drama at the bottom of the track, if I'd looked up I would have seen it happen.

The farm soon sorted it out though.

 

 Cheilosia illustrata

 Hemipteran to be identified - Leptopterna ferrugata (see comments below, thanks Gibster)
Female, (part-winged) so 2nd antennal segment broader than base of front tibia, which seems correct.

After midnight looking north

Garden

Home from the Arran hols and mothing straight away. (A decision to post on here what may, a month is a long break.) This is a bit of a disjointed post already.

 Some for a crumble and some for the freezer.

Herbs and salad, the herbs went into herb baps to go with lasagne.

Quite likely a Brown Plume, getting it checked.

A favourite of mine, Gothic.

Eucosma campoliliana, a smart wee micro.

Arran was excellent for insects, quite a few NFM moths, hopefully I will get around to posting some things on here. Great views of Badger, Otter and Red Squirrel - one Pine Marten on the Scottish mainland, sadly a road casualty, I must make the effort to see a live one. A Weasel whilst we were broken down for nearly three hours on the way north again (many thanks to the technician from Stag Garage who finally got to us, via a traffic accident down the road, and provided a patch up which just about survived all the way home) and a brilliantly acrobatic pod of Common Dolphin by the Old Man of Hoy as we finally got here again.

All sorts of Arran photos to post, perhaps I'll make an Arran page....

 From the garden this evening.