my local patch and wildlife - Ian McDonald

[ashley]

Very interesting Ian, as always.  Yes spring is finally speeding up here too after a long cool period. 
First bluebells & garlic (Allium triquetrum) are flowering, & greater stichwort is magnificent.

WWF Finland hosts several nice webcam feeds, including an osprey nest in SE Finland, & birds at a feeding station (woodpeckers, Siberian jays etc.) in the NE.

[ian mcdonald]

The weather here is not the same two days running. Yesterday was sunny but there was a cold wind down at the river. In spite of this the spring flowers and trees are starting to show as if it is warm. Its dull and raining today. A good variety of summer bird visitors are here now, including Chiff Chaff, Willow Warbler, Blackcap, Sand Martins, House Martins and Swallows. I,ve not heard a Whitethroat yet but someone heard a Cuckoo at another location.



Willow Warbler.



Marsh Marigold in a sheltered ditch.



Common Dog Violet.



Green Alkanet.



Greater Woodrush.

[ian mcdonald]

Red Campion are just coming into flower.



Nootka Lupins, introduced from North America, are fairly common along some Scottish rivers.



Speckled Woods usually rest with their wings open. This was my first of this year.



Slender Speedwell are along the river in short grass.



A Song Thrush was seen collecting worms, perhaps feeding young already?

[ian mcdonald]

A Common Sandpiper was hunting along the other side of the river. The ghillie told me he had seen one last week.



During a Botany walk a couple of weeks ago the leader pointed out Lesser Chickweed, Stellaria pallida, a new species to me. I had walked past the spot many times and not bothered to look at the short mown grass. It just shows what we could be missing.



A view of the river.



Fresh snow on the Ben.

[ian mcdonald]

I went with the local Botany group to look for Field Gromwell, Lithospermum arvense, today. The weather was warm and sunny for a change. We found quite a number of plants, an annual, and most were just a few inches in height. It is an un-common plant in this region.



Also found was Drooping Star-of Bethlehem, Ornithogalum nutans, an introduced species rare in the area.



Several plants of Wild Pansy, Viola tricolor were seen on sandy ground.



A moss, which I think is Polytrichum juniperinum, Juniper Haircap, was seen.



Nearby is the remains of a stone circle, thought to be either Neolithic or Bronze Age.

[ian mcdonald]

The weather here has turned cold again, more like Winter if it were not for the trees coming into leaf. I went for a walk with the local Walking Group yesterday. We went round a Distillery gardens. Some of the plants seen were American Skunk Cabbage, Lysichiton americanum, Solomons Seal, Polygogonatum x hybridum and Primrose. In the afternoon I had a look round a small wood, downstream from the gardens. In the wood I saw Skunk Cabbage, Solomons Seal and Primrose. I expect they had come downstream from the gardens. Perhaps more care should be taken when introducing species that are likely to "escape" into the wild. Primrose, although a native species, is not common around the village.





Also seen in the wood was a Cucumber Spider.



Wood Sorrel is in flower.



Leopards Bane, another alien species, is common along the river.

[ian mcdonald]

Yesterday afternoon turned out sunny for a while. Quite a few Orange Tips were on the wing. They seemed to be feeding on Thale Cress and Greater Stitchwort.



One Speckled Wood was seen.



A couple of views of the Burn which runs through the wood.

[ian mcdonald]

I saw my first Whitethroat of the year yesterday, also heard my first Sedge Warbler. Bay Willow is in flower by the river.

[ian mcdonald]

Yesterday was warm and sunny. I went down to the river to photograph Water Sedge, Carex
aquatilis.



Four canoes came down the river.



I saw something in the river which looked at first like a large fish. It was an Otter but it only broke the surface briefly. The image was snatched and of poor quality.



There are several large Maple trees near the castle. The flowers of Maple are erect, unlike those of the near relative Sycamore, whose flowers hang down.

[ian mcdonald]

I found a St. Georges mushroom. They are said to be good to eat.



There are a good number of Bird Cherry in flower in the area.



I found a Wood Forget-me-not with white flowers.



Water Avens, Geum rivale is just coming into flower along the river.



One plant of Meadow Saxifrage, S. granulata is on the river bank. The first record for the area since 1966.

[ian mcdonald]

I have been down to the river several times in the last few days. The area where the Meadow Saxifrage was growing has been strimmed. I hope the plant will re-appear next year, or maybe put up another flower stem this year. I have heard a bird singing from the cover of bushes and trees. It sounded like a Blackcap but slightly different. I realised it might be a Garden Warbler so I paid attention to the song. When I got back home I checked with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) site and it was the Garden Warbler. I think this is only the third time I,ve heard this bird. I wanted to get a photo of the bird but each time I got close it either stopped singing or moved away. Last year I found a couple of plants among Wood Cranesbill G. sylvaticum. The plants had blue and white flowers which are smaller than sylvaticum. I,ve looked on the internet and can,t see anything similar.



While taking photos of the flowers there was a loud alarm call close to me. I turned round and there was a Whitethroat with food in its beak. Close by was its mate. I left the area so they could feed their young. I,ll have to go back tomorrow to see if they are still feeding and I did not step on the nest. Whitethroats build in vegetation close to the ground. We used to call them Nettle Peggies.





A Goosander was resting on a rock not far from the river bank.



I found an egg of the Orange Tip butterfly on a Hedge Garlic plant.

[ian mcdonald]

Spring is well advanced now. The track-side verges by the river are full of flowers. One patch of Birds-eye Speedwell (Veronica chaemadrys) was in flower to rival any Alpine.



Another Veronica, beccabunga, is a plant of shallow water. A late friend of mine who was a good Botanist said this plant name was her favourite.



Wood Avens, Geum urbanum, grows in shady places.



This small insect is a Scorpion Fly. It is said there are only three species in the UK.



One of the Mayflies.

[ian mcdonald]

I attended a Botany trip yesterday. We gathered at a village on the coast. The area is known for being sunny and dry. Peoples lawns were brown through lack of rain. The plants were so desiccated that you had to get down to ground level to see them. Several Purple Milk-vetch, Astragalus danicus, were seen. Only about 1" high.



Moonwort, Botrychium lunaria was hard to spot.



A new species for me was Small Adders-tongue, Ophioglossum azoricum. It usually has two spikes.



Another minute plant we saw was Mossy Stonecrop, Crassula tillaea.



One of the taller species we saw was Field Mouse-ear, Cerastium arvense.

[ian mcdonald]

The purpose of the visit was to re-find four rare plants, two clovers and two grasses. One clover, Suffocated Clover, Trifolium suffocatum is thought to be found only at this one Scottish locality. Again, it was suffering from lack of rain and was growing at the entrance driveway to a private house. The Lady who lived at the house came and asked what we were looking for. It turned out her husband was related to a well known Scottish botanist, Mary McCallum Webster.



The second clover, Birds-foot Clover, Trifolium ornithopodioides, is thought to have one other Scottish locality.



One of the rare grasses has, according to the party leader, increased a lot since he found it last year. This is Dune Fescue, again only a couple of inches high.



The second rare grass, Sand Cats-Tail, was not found. It was thought that taller vegetation had over-grown the site.

[ian mcdonald]

June seems to have gone quickly. The dry weather has shortened the flowering period for some of the late spring plants. I found a single Common Spotted Orchid on the river bank.



A Silver Ground Carpet moth was resting on a fern leaf.



Two plants of Remote Sedge (C. remota) were seen by a stream. The lower bract is longer than the flower head.



A Sedge Warbler was among several species of birds collecting food.



Hay Rattle have already gone to seed in a local meadow. They are still in flower in sheltered areas by the river.