Unidentified Diptera

Need to hit the books again on this one....

Ian's collosal crustacean

Here's some more pictures of the massive lobster Ian saw when he was hanging around the docks at Port Askaig the other day. It really is a monster, we can only hope its size and novelty value saved it from the pot. Apparently the largest European lobster (Homarus gammarus) specimen on record measured 1.26m and weighed 9.3kg (20lb 8oz). Caught in 1931 in Fowey, England, the exoskeletal shell of its crushing claw alone weighed 1.2kg.

White flight

Possibly the most common butterfly around Islay at the minute is the Green Veined White (Artogeia napi), a butterfly found throughout Europe and Northern Africa though there is considerable variation in markings and breeding, and several subspecies are recorded. There are Large White and Small White butterflies around Islay at the minute too, which depending on gender and brood can appear very similar. The picture below is of a female Green Veined White taken down at Claddach

Wildlife Photography Competition - Brian Turner

Brian has submitted four shots for the competition - this is a Four Spotted Chaser (Libellula quadrimaculata) taken at Loch Staoisha.  Nice one....

Common Toad (Bufo bufo)

This little chap - just over an inch long, was up near the Gearach.  At this age - they eat mostly ants and small flies.

Dor Beetle (Geotrupes stercorarius)

This big, rotund, trundly beetle is quite common on Islay moorland - I quite often see them crossing sheep tracks.  It is very black on top and very metallic blue underneath (although sometimes the sheen is almost copper coloured).  It lays its eggs in a burrow that it digs under cattle dung and lays in a supply of the yummy smelly stuff for its larvae to feed on.

Dor beetles (or dung beetles as they are sometimes unromantically called called) are useful beasts because their many burrows beneath cow pats greatly aid their decomposition - benefitting the soil.  They are badly affected by invermectin de-wormers for cattle.  The ancient Egyptians had the right attitude to Dor beetles (which are members of the scarab beetle family) - they considered them to be sacred.  Quite right too.

Most Dor beetles carry a number of parasites which can be seen clinging on to their undersides if you turn them over, but I don't know what they are. 

They fly at night - often coming to lamps while making a droning noise....
Carl

Basking Shark

Another picture of a Basking Shark - this time from George - also a picture of a very serious yacht that was moored up off Bruichladdich last night - the 'SS Eleonora'

Check out her home page...
http://www.yachteleonora.com/

Fairy Flax and Grayling

Now for something more palatable . . .


Also at Kilinallan was the diminutive Fairy Flax (Linum catharticum). I love this tiny flower because it is so unassuming. You could easily overlook its delicate white petals besides other bigger and more garishly coloured flora, but it's there and it's beautiful, so go and look . . .

A lot of the butterflies are fading in colour now as the season progresses, but this Grayling (Hipparchia semele) posed beautifully for a photo atop a Devil's-bit Scabious (Succisa pratensis). This butterfly species prefers coastal areas and always rests with its wings closed.

Becky

Shaggy Ink Cap

I had a great night camping at Kilinallan where, as usual, the flora is just breathtakingly beautiful. However, I seem to be fixated on the arguably less beautiful at the moment (what with the last 'slime mould' entry) and was quite taken by this specimen of Shaggy Ink Cap, growing from a cow pat. I'm not 100% sure of the ID so am open to other suggestions.

Becky

Slime Mould

I don't want to put anyone off their lunch, but this stuff is really quite exciting. I saw this delightful specimen near Sgarbh Dubh in the north of Islay.

Although fungus like, slime moulds are no longer considered a true fungus; in fact they share some of the characteristics of protozoa, a group of animals of the simplest type, each consisting of a single cell. They use spores to reproduce and they feed on micro-organisms that live in any type of dead plant material. That's about all I want to say about slime mould, but in case you're really getting into this subject, check out  http://fungus.org.uk/nwfg/ingaug00.htm for more fascinating information.

Becky

Basking Sharks

Iain Mitchell sent in these fantastic photos of one of the Basking Sharks he saw when out on his boat on Saturday. No doubt the same ones seen by James Brown. It was the same length as his boat (20 ft).

Becky

Flying ants

There were significant numbers of flying ants out around Portnahaven today - no idea of the species however.  Apparently they have evelved to respond to swarm in certain weather conditions - the females (or queens) flying up to meet with the smaller males for an aerial love-fest after which the males die and the females fall to the ground.  Their wings then drop off and they attempt to start another colony. 

We were covered with them for a while this afternoon - but they are entirely harmless.
Carl

Pollock (Pollachius pollachius) and Atlantic Mackerel (Scomber scombrus)

Caught off Wester Ellister this afternoon and ready to go on the barbeque.  There are two common members of the Pollock family regularly found in the coastal waters off Islay, this is the lythe, usually larger and more palatable than the saithe (usually called puchie on Islay - scientific name Pollachius virens)  The puchie is not as green on the back as the lythe and its lateral line runs straight - you will see how the lateral line on this lythe has a distinct curve upwards.

The familiar Atlantic mackerel is still abundant around these shores in the summer months.  Each female lays around a million eggs when they spawn.  Barbequed straight from the sea like this they are, in my opinion, absolutely delicious.
Carl

Where's Wally?

Somewhere in the middle of this shot is what I think is an Emperor Moth caterpillar (best to click on the image to enlarge it a couple of times). He/she was crossing the road at a leisurely pace between Tormisdale and Claddach earlier today. I got about 10 photos, but the new INHT corporate camera seems to have a mind of its own, so this is the best of a bad bunch. Apologies. It was an impressive sight, however, it's an enormous caterpillar, and the purple spots really stood out in the sun. The caterpillar is active between June and August, and will soon be spinning a cocoon in which to spend the winter as a pupa.

Just down the road was this Small Copper.

Ten Basking Sharks off Laggan point

James Brown of Octomore reported seeing ten Basking sharks today from his boat while off Laggan Point in Loch Indaal.  That definitely qualifies as a whole herd of very large fish...

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Flowers of the Yarrow vary from white to pink - this is a particularly colourful example found growing in grass next to the road on the Blackrock Strand

Huge cuts to DEFRA budget threaten rural life

I seem to recall flagging up this issue on this blog before as the post election rhetoric about the size of departmental cuts at Westminster was first bandied about.

The coalition is starting to provide a few figures and ideas about behind the intitial headlines now - and it is scary stuff.

This is the headline front page story in today's Guardian - apparently there is serious consideration being given to flogging off NNRs

Here is a quote - "Among the plans being considered by the government, which once declared itself "the greenest ever", are selling off national nature reserves; privatising parts of the Forestry Commission; privatising the Met Office, one of the world's leading research organisations on climate change; and withdrawing grants to British Waterways, which manages 2,200 miles of canals and rivers."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/aug/13/plan-sell-nature-reserves-austerity-countryside

And if it's in the papers - it must be true...
Carl

Small tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) - Butterfly Conservation Survey

It is thought that the Small tortoiseshell has been subject to an alarming decline in many areas and we are being asked to report all sightings to Butterfly Conservation

A survey form can be found in the Scottish section of http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/

This one was in my garden this afternoon along with a number of Peacocks and a Red Admiral.

Carl

I digress...

Absolutely nothing to do with Islay Natural History, but indulge me. The Perseid meteor shower was on display in all its glory as I cycled home from work at 1am this morning, an amazing experience. The weather forecast looks decent for Islay again tonight, so we should all get some more good views. More info at the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-10941034

Porbeagle Sharks - how The Sun sees them

I think that the way that The Sun covered the capture of a big Porbeagle off Islay last week says a lot about attitudes to wildlife....