We've been very busy this week on 'Planet May.' Plenty of outdoor practical work going keeping the reserve tidy. I've been getting ready to do my bird counts which I will start on Saturday if the weather stays fine with us. I'm going to enjoy a few days off at Loch Leven NNR in between times.
Here is a few shots from this week.
Drake Eiders are still in good plumage but their numbers are dropping as they go off to moult. There are still many nests around the island and we are coming across more ducklings daily.
The Terns are back in force. We found our first egg on the evening of the 27th. The volunteers have started conducting the nest success watches that we do. This Arctic Tern was enjoying reading up about the new visitor centre plans.
What's new pussycat? This is a Sallow Kitten moth. It is potentially a new moth for the island if the author bothered to check the records. Moth trapping has been slow this season with only 10 species caught. We'll stick at it though. I've been running up and down Palpitation Brae to set a small Heath Trap in the top garden. Unfortunately it has yielded little but I'll stick at it and we'll keep you updated with further catches.
We've had spectacular clear skies over the weekend and on Saturday night the moon was fantastic hanging low to the south over St Abbs head. It's not the best shot of the moon as I was struggling with the correct camera settings but I have to include a picture as we turned off the mothtrap to get photos and forgot to turn it back on! Unfortunately it was too bright and clear to see the predicted Northern Lights on Friday night.
And finally..... There must have been a massive tide while I was off the island last time because there are loads of bits of driftwood outside the visitor centre. Maybe David will explain in forthcoming updates?
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