Surfing Wild Thurso

The lads surf trip to Thurso was the usual mix of ripping waves, great crack and fantastic wildlife.

Best waves were in the 'Bowl' at Brims Ness

Surfing with Dolphins

A rather friendly Razorbill

Best estimate was 12,000 auks passing by every hour. Here, two Puffins

 lead the way followed by Guillemots and Razorbills

We visited John O'Groats to see the Killer Whales, but missed them by an hour.

 They've been seen every day for the last two weeks.

Great Skua

Kittiwake harrassed by an Artic Skua

The bright light outside our hotel chalet attracted this stunning White Ermine moth

Summer arrives 55 deg N

I picked the right day to do my BBS (Breeding Bird survey). Clear skies, warm sun, light winds. First stop was Earsdon cemetery for a few sunrise snaps then off to Widdrington Station to do the survey.

Fox just before sunrise

Swallow - an early riser

Back home and the moth trap had three moths of three different species.

Twenty-plume Moth

Hebrew Character

Scalloped Hazel

Play spot the fox

A dusk visit to Earsdon cemetery to look for Little Owl drew a blank but foxes were everywhere. There were two in the field to the immediate west of the churchyard, one to the north and one opposite the Beehive pub. The east side of the cemetery is a brilliant vantage point as it looks down across the fields to the Brierdene, Holywell and Whitley golf course. If it walks or flies you have a good chance of spotting it.

Can you spot the fox?

Bay watch 16/05 starring Circus aeruginosus

Waggonway looking lush and green

I strode out along the waggonway about six this evening and as I neared the Brierdene Farm along came a very nice surprise, a Marsh Harrier. A sub adult 2 CY by the looks of it (any thoughts on exact age and sex welcomed), and a new addition to the OFFH list (On Foot From Home).

Worra Belter!

After the excitement I headed towards Holywell Dene where, in nearby fields, lapwings are rearing their young.

Lapwing Chick

After getting drenched by a heavy shower I headed home with the sun setting and the feeling that it was mission accomplished.

Fantastic view looking south from Holywell Dene

Looking west from the waggonway

Holywell Moth & Bat Night

Last night was national moth night and an event was held at Holywell Pond NR by Northumberland Wildlife Trust. The county moth recorder Tom Tams attended with a couple of traps, managing to catch a selection of species despite a distinct lack of moths on another less than balmy evening. The evening's haul included Hebrew Character, Water Carpet, Lesser Black Arches, Brindled Pug, Agonopterix arenella, Common Carpet and Clouded Drab.

'Mothmeister' Tom Tams brightens up the evening

The NWT brought along bat detectors and two species were found; Noctule and Common Pipistrelle. Here's a couple of recordings I took.

Noctule


Common Pipistrelle


The garden moth trap had two moths; a White-shouldered House Moth, and a new species for me, a Scalloped Hazel.

1920 Scalloped Hazel (Odontopera bidentata)

Bug Safari

My new toy is a macro lens so expect to see plenty of wee invertebrates coming this way, some in focus when I get depth of field mastered. Here's some critters captured in Northumberland last weekend. Please let me know if you can ID the ones with a question mark by them.

Tetragnatha sp

Meta mengei

Wolf spider ...... don't worry, it's not to scale!

Alder Fly

Chironomid midge

Sawfly - ? ....nearly 500 species in Britain!

Hoverfly - Syrphus ribesii

.....an aphid eater extraordinaire, consuming hundreds in its two week larval state

Hoverfly - Melanostoma scalare

Springtail

'Folded-wing' Crane-fly - Limonia nubeculosa 

A Psyllid (Homoptera)

A big critter - Brown Hare

Cuckoo Goose?!

The pictures here speak for themselves. This Mallard was sitting on a nest which contained 3 unusually large eggs and 12 normal eggs, and here's what hatched. It looks like a Greylag gosling. Just how this has happened is a real mystery. The nest was on a small island in a 3 acre lake. Any ideas?

The island in the lake

Common Pug & Dangers of Mothing

Today I had my first moths since Saturday. Two Double-striped Pugs, a Common Quaker and a new species for me, a single Common Pug.

Common Pug

Moths aren't the only flyers attracted by a bright light.

Thankfully lethargic first thing in the morning. The wasps too :)

Bay Watch 04/05

The waggonway today

Above the waggonway a flock of four Swifts screamed. My first for the year.

Tortoiseshell butterflies enjoyed the morning sun

On reaching St Mary's a Reed Warbler was singing in the Wetland from the area of reeds (where else!).

The tide was out and other than a few Oystercatchers I didn't see a single wader.

Quite a few Lumpsuckers were washed up on the beach, all of which were duly retrieved by Dill.

Brace of New Moths

2154 Cabbage Moth (Mamestra brassicae)

 Note the diagnostic spur on the tibia. Thanks to Keith from NE Moth Forum for pointing that out. In fact a big thank you to all those who have been very helpful in identifying my captures.

2078 Least Black Arches (Nola confusalis)