Birds of Lunga

One of the highlights of the holiday was our visit to Lunga, one of the Treshnish Isles. There were thousands of sea birds, including about 2000 pairs of Puffins, many of which allowed approach to within 5 feet.

Puffins.

Razorbills.

Guillemots.

Bridled Guillemot. As you go further north, you start to see more of this type of Guillemot. It's not a different species, and it's not a race, it's just a Guillemot with spectacles! I think it's something like 1 in 10 Guillemots in the north are bridled.

Great Skua, harassing the sea bird colony.

A few other birds of the Hebrides

Corn Bunting. Balranald, North Uist is a stronghold of this species.

Great northern Diver on the sea off Berneray beach.

Herring Gull, Uig.

Hooded Crow.

Short-eared Owl, North Uist.

Flora of the Hebrides

The west coast of the Outer Hebrides and Iona is dominated by long, glorious silver sand beaches, with sand dunes and grasslands known as machair. Plants of the machair include Kidney Vetch, Red Clover, White Clover, Yellow-rattle, Tufted Vetch, Ragwort, Northern Marsh Orchid and many other species. Where rocky outcrops occur in the machair, you can find plants such as Frog Orchid and Bloody Cranesbill. It's great habitat for a wide variety of invertebrates, including bumblebees such as Great Yellow Bumblebee and Northern Moss Carder. This photograph is of the machair at Balranald.

This is a more typical scene of the rocky east coast of the Outer Hebrides and most of the coastline of the Inner Hebrides. This is Bell Heather growing on Ulva, Mull. Apart from the heathers, typical plants of this type of habitat are Bog Asphodel, Lady's Mantle sp. and Heath Spotted Orchids. This is also the habitat favoured by Golden ringed Dragonfly and Keeled Skimmer.

Field Gentian growing just below the Old Man of Storr, Skye.

Bloody Cranesbill growing on Iona.

Bog Asphodel, a common plant of the moors.

Frog Orchid on Eriskay.

Heath Spotted Orchid.

Dragonflies and butterflies of the Hebrides

The Hebrides is a wonderful place for dragonflies and butterflies when the sun shines. Lots of Golden-ringed Dragonflies, Keeled Skimmers, Common Hawker and Large Red Damselfly. I saw two new species for me, two Highland Darters (at Balranald and in the Cuillins on Skye) and about three Azure Hawkers (two on Ulva and at least one on Skye). The latter was a really impressive species, much bluer than the other hawkers. Butterflies include lots of Dark Green Fritillaries, Scotch Argus, Pearl Bordered Fritillaries, Graylings and Common Blues, as well as Meadow Browns, Small Heath and a few Red Admirals.

Golden Ringed Dragonfly on Ulva.

Highland Darter, Cuillins, Skye. This is quite a difficult species to separate from Common Darter, and the photograph is not conclusive, but I did have a good look at it in the field and I am happy with the identification. Features you can see in the photo which point towards Highland Darter are the completely black femur and the deeper red colouration of the insect when compared to a typical Common Darter. This is edging more towards Ruddy Darter in colour.

Keeled Skimmer Ulva

Large Red Damselfly ovipositing. The male grabs the female by the neck while she lays her eggs, in order to guard her from other males.

Dark Green Fritillary, Eriskay. A very common butterfly in the Hebrides.

Pearl-bordered Fritillary.

Scotch Argus, Cuillins, Skye.

Bits and pieces

This impressive longhorn beetle is Aromia moschata, Musk Beetle.

Highland Midge

Sea Urchin

Northern Moss Carder Bumblebee

Holiday snaps

Tobermoray, Mull.

Staffa and Fingals Cave.

Iona

The Quiraing, Skye.

A mysterious figure emerges from the mist, the Quiraing, Skye.

Uig, Skye.

Berneray.

A black house, North Uist.

Harris.

Harris

Craignure, Mull

Newton Lake

Little ringed plover 4
Gadwall 4
Little Grebe 2

The habitat looks good, the timing is good, will it deliver?