Treshnish guests Paul, Shirley and Jess Vautrinot saw an injured juvenile Water Rail on 3rd August along farm track in Treshnish wood and on 2nd, 1 juvenile Cuckoo at Treshnish Point.
On 31st May 2013 David Hatfield heard a few Water Rails calling at Dervaig and had close views of one. He also heard 2 there on 7th May 2015. Treshnish guests Colin & Linda Graham also heard one on 15/08/2007. These are the only possible breeding records I know of but there may be others since I compiled my book on North Mull (see right).
Other additional early spring records after the publication of my book:
Salen: 2 calling on 3 Apr 2014 (Debbie Thorne)
Correction to book ‘heard on 08&09/04/200, David Hatfeld’ should read ’08&09/04/2008′.
15th: Willow Warbler and Swallows still around Treshnish wood.
New hoverfly Dasysyrphus albostriatus along farm road through Treshnish wood.
Also Scaeva pyrastri which I haven’t seen since the early summer
probable Melangyna umbellatarum
also photographed Meliscaeva cinctella, Cheilosia illustrata, black Cheilosia species, Marmalade fly and the strange Conopidae fly Sicus ferrugineus.
Common Hawker
Broad-leaved Helleborine is now in full flower beside concrete ramp along farm road through Treshnish wood.
13th: Sedge Warbler at west end of Black Park feeding fledglings
Atlantic Grey Seals to west of Treshnish boathouse. There was at least one more in the water just nearby
At least 2 Painted Lady caterpillars still present as larvae below Treshnish House
Possible Melangyna umbellatarum on our Parsley
The wasp, possibly Ancistrocerus scoticus, again around our back door. It has 2 yellow collar marks
12th: I have been informed by an expert that the mining bee at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse on 25th of July was an Early Mining Bee also known as Orange-tailed Mining Bee a new species for me. This is only the second mining bee which has been definitely identified, the other being Chocolate Mining Bee on 20th June. All the other mining bee records have been identified as ‘plausible’ mostly Chocolate Mining Bees but which also includes the third mining bee species Gwynne’s Mining Bee and on 3rd July and Common Furrow Bee confusingly also known as Slender Mining Bee Lasioglossum (Evylaeus) calceatum on 19th June. Two others on the 20th June were identified as unspecified Lasioglossum species.
Chocolate Mining Bee records submitted on 25th July were identified by expert as ‘plausible’.
Of 5 Chocolate Mining Bee records submitted on 23rd July, 4 were identified by expert as ‘plausible’ and one was given as ‘Andrena species but not Chocolate Mining Bee’
Bees submitted just as Mining bees on 20th x2, 18th x2 and 17th July were identified by expert as ‘plausible’
The same expert reassessed one on 12 July from ‘Probably A. bicolor [Gwynne’s Mining Bee] 2nd brood, but can’t be 100% sure due to the pollen coverage’ to ‘more likely to be A. haemorrhoa [Early Mining Bee] but the pollen load is hiding the scopal hairs’.
Mining bee at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse.
and an hour later another (possibly same)
9th: Bullfinch heard for last 3 days in Treshnish wood.
New hoverfly Rhingia campestris beside farm road through wood.
7th: Whitethroat still around.
A new hoverfly Leucozona glaucia
Sphegina sibirica
also photographed: Cheilosia illustrata, Platycheirus albimanus, Meliscaeva cinctella, Melanostoma scalare, several possible Cheilosia proxima, several possible Chryogaster solstitalis, Marmalade Fly, Buff-tailed Bumblebee, and a mining bee.
Pentatoma rufipes Red-legged Shieldbug or Forest Bug
Sawfly Rhogogaster viridis ot close relative
This is probably Sicus ferrugineus a fly of family Conopidae.
a new micro-moth for me, Pammene gallicana a scarce species in Scotland and I think a first for Mull.
It was disappointing to see that someone has moved the cage protecting the only fruiting Narrow-leaved Helleborine at Treshnish this year. The plant was bent over outside the cage and the fruit has been eaten. It took months to get to that stage. This plant flowers at about the same time as the Bluebells. The flowers of the nearby Broad-leaved Helleborine have yet to fully emerge.
5th: Sparrowhawk seen today and yesterday makes me more sure they didn’t breed this year. 2 adult White-tailed Eagles flying east over Treshnish wood within about 15 minutes of each other. The second (at least) had prey.
Bullfinch heard in Treshnish wood.
That huge fly Tachina grossa still around.
Willow Warbler and Wheatear still around. I won’t mention Wheatear again until next month as they leave so late especially later due to an influx of ‘Greenland’ Wheatear. Redpoll stil around but far fewer than the last few days.
4th: migrants still present: Whitethroat.
3rd: At least 20 redpolls around Treshnish Old Schoolhouse. They were my alarm clock. ‘Get up, get up, things to do, places to go’, they tell me.
If these had pure white wing bars I would be confident they were Mealies. Even so I think they could be juvenile Mealy Redpolls but need to check with experts
This could be either
At least 1 juvenile Bullfinch at Treshnish Old Schoolhouse. If they bred this year they have been very inconspicuous in the last few weeks.
Reed Bunting at Treshnish boathouse.
Greylags
This is the guy who has our carrots as self service salad bar,
This could be a new hoverfly. It could be Melangyna umbellatarum
I also photographed another possible Melangyna species, Myathropa florea, possible Cheilosia proxima, Syritta pipiens, Meliscaeva auricollis, Meliscaeva cinctella, Marmalade fly and Buff-tailed Bumblebee.
New wasp. It looks similar to the one I’ve seen 3 times in the last month (which could be Ancistrocerus scoticus) but this one has 5 yellow abdomen bands (with a terminal spot), a yellow collar band, 2 inverted v shaped spots on the thorax and yellow spot between the antennae. It may be Ancistrocerus oviventris
Ichneumon wasp Haemorrhoicus crassigena
I was going to change lenses to get better shots of this Painted Lady caterpillar but the dogs walked over the plant and knocked it off. I couldn’t find the two I earmarked from yesterday.
2nd: at least 15 redpolls around Treshnish Schoolhouse.
2 Painted Lady caterpillars.
1st: migrants still present: Common Sandpiper at Ensay Burn mouth, Willow Warbler in Treshnish Wood.
Short-eared Owl perched by cowbarn at 8.20pm. I got close but it flew as soon as it saw me.
3 Painted Lady caterpillars. There are many webs but only in the one field, below Treshnish House.
