9th: 2 Bullfinch at Treshnish old Schoolhouse.
I’m sure this must be a Heather Colletes in grass by our back door but not sure it will have enough detail to get verified. I have only seen it once on 25 September last year. Northern Colletes is a rare species of dunes and machair found on Iona, Coll and Tiree but is unrecorded so far on Mull.
I think this is Heath Bumblebee.
This is probably just Garden Bumblebee but I’m hoping the dark collar might mean it’s one of the Cuckoo Bees.
8th: 1 Bullfinch at Treshnish old Schoolhouse.
Slow moving male Early Bumblebee must be getting near the end of its life
I think this is a Moss Carder Bee
7th: 1 Willow Warbler and 1 Whitethroat at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.
1 Keeled Skimmer in Black Park. I haven’t seen this species at Treshnish since 2013. In total I have seen it here 5 times (counting 2 consecutive dates as 1). One time I saw a pair. This is an overmature female, lacking the glorious blue colour of the male.
Black Darter at same spot as the Keeled Skimmer in Black Park. This is my first of the year.
In the cow-barn field at the bottom of the steep slope in the hair-pin bend a Pyrausta purpuralis micro-moth.
I have caught a brownish one once before in the moth trap and took a very poor shot of a purple one like this at Tostary-Burg.
I think this must be of of the Carder Bees. I’ve never see one with a red tail but they do occur. I think there is too much pale colour on the thorax and abdomen for a worn Early Bumblebee. [Verified as ‘Considered Correct’]
My only Myathropa florea hoverfly of the year. Last year I only saw 2 (on 27th July and 3rd August)
6th: 1 Bullfinch at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse
5th: 1 Whitethroat at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.
The last of my reared Silver Y subspecies nigricans emerged yesterday evening. I kept it overnight to get a shot in the morning but it was restless so I let it go without a nice shot.
Golden-ringed Dragonfly eating a Carder Bee. This is a very late record for Treshnish although I have records from 2nd, 4th & 5th August.
3rd: Willow Warbler, Whitethroat, Blackcap and Spotted Flycatcher in Treshnish wood
Haunn guests saw Barn Owl this last week at or near the box between 28th July and 3rd August.