Killinallan Ramble

The first summer Sunday rAmble of the season (29th June) was a great success, wonderful group of people and the lovely sunny weather showed off the wildlife at its real best.  A nice low tide, provided a host of crabs, fish and the grey seals came out to bask in the sun!

Of note: big hermit crabs, common shore crab, cockles, shanny, butterfish, sand mason worms, grey seal, eiders, redshank, oystercatchers.

A move up onto the dunes had a plethora of dune flowers, butterflies and moths.  Orchids: pyramidal orchid, frog orchid, fragrant orchid, northern marsh orchid, common twyblade and a sole wayward marsh helleboraine.  Dune flowers: wild thyme, lady's bedstraw, fairy flax, lesser meadow rue, burnet rose, bird's foot trefoil, grass of Parnassus, marsh pennywort, self heal.  Insects: six spot burnet (everywhere), small heath, meadow brown, ringlet, common blue, dark green fritillary, marsh fritillary (old and tired), grasshopper and dragonfly.  The last couple of creatures, common lizard and skylark.  Finally at the end of the walk the seals decided to sing as I promised that they would.





                                                                            

     

         

More moths

I've been trapping moths in my garden all summer, usually a couple of times a week, and catching an average 100 moths a night. Up to about a dozen common species can make up at least 75 or 80% of the total catch, but the remainder sometimes include moths I've not caught before. Last night, there were no less than three of these. The Bordered Beauty has only been caught five times before on the island and the tiny (7 mm long) Ancylis badiana only three times (one of those was by Becky two years ago). The Crescent has been caught about 20 times before, just not by me!
Malcolm

Bordered Beauty

Ancylis badiana

Crescent

Danny Arnold's moths

Thanks to Danny for sending these photos and information about the moths he saw whilst on holiday on Islay last week.

Whilst on the Oa, (29th May 2012) Dave Wood spotted a small moth fluttering around on the cliff edge ( literally the cliff edge!!!)

I always carry a few "pots" in my pocket, so I was able to catch it and pot it up.

I have to say that it was something that I didn't recognise. I certainly hadn't seen it before.

It was well marked so should be easily identifiable ....which it was. It turned out to be a Dew moth.... A new one on me!! It's classified as "Nationally scarce A" which is the second highest classification in terms of UK rarity. So this is a great record for the island.... The larvae feed on lichen on rocks.
Becky confirmed Great news that you have a couple of previous records on file from some years ago...the NBN Gateway map doesn’t show any on Islay .....so this colony on the Oa is probably breeding and otherwise unknown.

Becky

Narrow winged Pug

Oblique Carpet

Aspilapteryx tringipennella

Striped Twin spot Carpet

Dew Moth

Two moth firsts for the year

I've caught these before but they don't usually fly until July and so these are the first this year.
Malcolm

Six-striped Rustic

Smoky Wave

INHT Talks

Our talks are an important part of what we do here at the INHT - attracting both locals and visitors alike to the Field Centre in Port Charlotte to hear presentations by visiting and local naturalists - all of whome give up their time free of charge.  We try to hold them once a month, but because we have to fit in with the schedules of our visiting speakers this is a flexible format.

Many thanks to Armin Grewe for sending us this rather dramatic picture of Danny Arnold from the Teme Valley Wildlife Group delivering his talk entitled 'So You Think Moths Are Brown And Boring?' at the Centre last month.

New moth

Because of the poor weather, my moth trapping has been at a standstill through most of September, but last night was, at last, fine and dry, so out went the trap to garner a catch of just eight moths. However, among the eight was one I hadn't caught before, the Green-brindled Crescent Allophyes oxyacanthae. It appears to be a new species for the island, though some further checking is needed on that point and I'll update this in a day or two. It is not an unexpected species to catch here, because its range extends through much of Scotland, but as it only flies late in the year, September to November, this may explain why no-one has caught it before, as most visiting moth-trappers come here in the summer.

Malcolm


Later. Yes, it has been confirmed as a Green-brindled Crescent and therefore a new species for Islay. Thanks to Danny Arnold for confirming this.