Friday 23 May 2008

Endrick Water, West Dunbartonshire/Stirlingshire, Special Area of Conservation


This area is part of the Loch Lomond National Nature Reserve and is a Special Area of Conservation due to its large populations of River Lamprey, Brook Lamprey and Atlantic Salmon.

In May the vegetation is so lush, so vividly green and fresh, it's almost worth the long winter months to enjoy this brief period when Scotland can be a paradise.



On route I had to cross several fields containing cattle which always makes me a little nervous. I would love to spend a few nights camping here so that I can hopefully get a glimpse of an otter, but I would definitely have to pick a site carefully...I don't want my tent to get trampled during the night!



Bluebell (Hyacinthoides non-scripta)
Solomon's Seal (Polygonatum multiflorum)

The riverside meadows were full of Cuckoo Flower (Cardamines pratensis) and Dock plants (Rumex sp.). The Dock plants were absolutely covered with highly irridescent, bronzy-green leaf beetles (Gastrophysa viridula) which had skeletonized many of the leaves.

Gastrophysa viridula (species of leaf beetle)


I didn't see any Otters but was able to find their footprints on the muddy riverbank as well as piles of fish scales from a recent meal.

Numerous Orange-tips (Anthocharis cardamines) and Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi) were attracted by the Cuckoo flowers. You can still see a hint of orange through the male's folded wings and the marbled markings on the undersides of his wings are more pronounced than the female's. The Orange-tip's scientific name means 'flower-grace' (Anthocharis) and 'bittercress' (cardamines)- refering to its food plant.

Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) male
Orange-tip (Anthocharis cardamines) male
Orange-tips (Anthocharis cardamines) male (left) and female (right) 
Orange-tips (Anthocharis cardamines) male (left) and female (right)

Friday 9 May 2008

Lochranza to Laggan, Isle of Arran


The sky was overcast and cloudy with a hint of rain and I saw very few Green Hairstreaks at Laggan. No adders on the Narachan either. On the path up I found a Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja) caterpillar (also known as a 'woolly bear').

Large Red Damselfly (Pyrrhosoma nymphula)


Oil Beetle (Meloe violaceus?) female

I was pleased to find some mating Oil Beetles (Meloe violaceus?) on the Narachan as I haven't seen any for awhile. The female in the photo above is about 3cm in length and exuded a smelly defence chemical (Cantharidin) when handled.

These beetles have an unusual lifestyle: they are parasitic on various species of ground nesting solitary bees. The female lays her eggs in a burrow close to a solitary bee colony and the emerging larvae (called tringulins) climb onto flowerheads and wait until a bee arrives. They attach themselves to the bee and are carried back to the colony where they moult into a more maggot like form. Inside the bee colony they feed upon the bee's pollen store and eggs. The larvae pupate inside the bee colony and emerge the following year as adult oil beetles.

Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) yearling fawn

Thursday 8 May 2008

Lochranza to Glen Catacol via Gleann Easan Biorach, Isle of Arran


In search of elusive adders, I walked from Lochranza Distillery (through Gleann Easan Biorach) and descended Glen Catacol (which is a great place to see Golden Eagles).

lamb
Glen Iorsa
Glen Iorsa

Common Lousewort (Pedicularis sylvatica)

Huge grey boulders are scattered everywhere on the steep sides of Glen Catacol and the area is fantastic habitat for Adders, Common Lizards and Slow Worms.
Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara)
Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara)

The Common Lizard (Lacerta vivipara) is the most Northerly distributed species of reptile and gives birth to live young instead of eggs, an adaptation to the cold climate (its scientific name means 'lizard viviparous').

Further down the valley I found a plump female Adder lying by the side of the path. She began hissing furiously and striking the air, so I kept my distance.

Adders are unusual amongst snakes for their sexual dimorphism: females are brown with darker brown 'zigzag' markings and males are pale grey with black 'zigzag' markings. Although adder bites are rarely fatal for healthy adults (unless you have an allergic reaction), the venom causes nausea, dizzyness, swelling and temporary numbness/loss of mobility of muscles in the vicinity of the bite. Contrary to popular belief, adders only bite as a last resort (usually when picked up/stood upon), so the chances of being bitten are slim.

Later I found another (smaller) Adder, a young female, who was more at ease with my presence.

Adder (Vipera berus) female
Adder (Vipera berus) female

I reached Catacol and walked back to Lochranza along the coastal road. Along this stretch of shoreline I saw some Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) resting on the rocks at the water's edge.

Chaffinch (Fringilla coelebs) male

Wednesday 7 May 2008

Kildonan, Isle of Arran


It might sound selfish, but I was disappointed to find that the access to this beautiful beach has been improved by the removal of a gate and the creation of a gravelled footpath (with benches). When I arrived it was full of people: more crowded than I have ever seen it. As a child I used to come here often on family holidays and you could sit on the beach for hours with very few people walking past. Today I got kinda annoyed as the wildlife (especially the seals) were being constantly disturbed and dogs were running about everywhere (typically, I had one jumping on me the very instant I opened my lunchbox).
These people never visited the beach when they had to make the effort to walk 5 minutes along the rocky beach or climb over one fence! People should be prepared to put a little effort into viewing wildlife. I'm worried that Kildonan's seal colony will become another crowded, dog-shit covered, litter-strewn, cheap tourist attraction. Reminds me of my disheartening visit to Dunvegan in Skye... :(

Anyway, sorry about the rant...

On the upper shore there were profuse clumps of white Brassica-type flowers which were attracting lots of Orange-tips (Anthocharis cardamines) and Green-veined Whites (Pieris napi). I didn't have the pleasure of taking many photos due to being constantly harassed by people wanting to know if they were rare butterflies and asking me if I was aware that I'd left my rucksack 2 metres behind me *SIGH*

Green-veined White (Pieris napi thomsoni)


Likewise I was unable to take good pictures of the basking Common Seals as there was already a group of people taking pictures.

Common Seal (Phoca vitulina)
Common Seal (Phoca vitulina)


Frustrated, I took a walk along the shore to the path which leads up to Levencorroch. Flowering plants included Red Campion (Silene dioica), Bluebells (Hyacinthoides non-scripta) and Common Milkwort (Polygala vulgaris).

Once I reached Levencorroch I wandered along the main road towards East Bennan where I saw a Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) galloping across one of the fields. Rows of Swallows (Hirundo rustica) were perched on the telephone lines and a few Hooded Crows (Corvus cornix) were marching about the sheep-cropped fields.

Hooded Crow (Corvus cornix)

The Hooded Crow was long considered a subspecies of the Carrion Crow (Corvus corone) and has only recently been granted species status. It replaces the Carrion Crow over most of Ireland and Northern and Western Scotland.

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Lochranza to Laggan via the Narachan, Isle of Arran


As a child this was always one of my favourite routes: I have fond memories of hot summer days when I would find fat piles of ladder-patterned Adders scattered by the side of the path. Like an optical illusion, their perfectly camouflaged bodies would gradually emerge from amid the tangle of bracken and heather. In the sunshine their glaring eyes glowed ruby red.

'Narrachan' originates from the Gaelic word for Adder, so this path has long been known as a hotspot for this species. Walking up this path I could hear the stony 'chak' of stone-chats (Saxicola torquata) and the most distinctive spring sound: the calling of cuckoos (Cuculus canorus). The grass is dotted with violet, yellow and white: Common Dog Violets (Viola riviniana), Lesser Celandines (Ranunculus ficaria) and Wood Sorrel (Oxalis acetosella), respectively. I carefully checked the ancient dry stone walls, boulders and rocky outcrops for adders but was disappointed to find nothing, not even a lizard. The rule of adders seems to be that you only find them when you aren't actually looking for them!

Along the path I could see Green Tiger Beetles (Cicindela campestris) racing madly ahead of me.

green tiger beetle (Cicindela campestris)
Green Tiger Beetle (Cicindela campestris)


These beetles are high-speed predators and chase prey (mainly other insects) in a stop-start cheetah-like fashion, relying mainly on their sharp eyesight. The larvae construct burrows in sandy soil from which they ambush passing prey. The less common Cicindela hybrida, a purplish tiger beetle, is also found on Arran.

Before long I had my first glimpse of a Green Hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi), perching on a willow branch. After I reached the crest of the hill and began the descent towards Laggan I found the North East-facing slope to be absolutely crowded with Green Hairstreaks! I spent a few hours happily following and photographing the males as they patrolled their territories.

green hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi)
Green Hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi) male
green hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi)
Green Hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi) male

Males and females are almost identical: both have irridescent, shimmering green undersides and dark brown uppersides (which are rarely seen because they always rest with wings closed). The uppersides of the male's wings have a small patches of scent scales.
The highly cannabalistic caterpillars are solitary and feed on a variety of foodplants including Bilberry, Broom and Bird's Foot Trefoil, often near anthills. This species is thought to a have an association with ants (like much of the Lycaenidae) and the pupae can emit squeaks which encourage ants to bury them within their nests.

At Cuithe, North of Laggan, there are a number of ruined buildings with only the foundations remaining. The steep hillside has some interesting birchwood.

The shoreline from Laggan over the Cock of Arran changes from red sandstone rockpools to grey boulder beach, with some caves on the raised beach at the Fairy Dell. Birds I encountered along this stretch are: Shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis), Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos), some Rock Pipits (Anthus petrosus) and a group of Eider (Somateria mollissima).

eider (Somateria mollissima)
Eider (Somateria mollissima) male
eider (Somateria mollissima)
Eider (Somateria mollissima) male
eider (Somateria mollissima)
Eider (Somateria mollissima) female

common sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)
Common Sandpiper (Actitis hypoleucos)

Common sandpipers are widespread summer migrants which feed on small invertebrates and are usually very solitary.

rock pipit (Anthus petrosus)
Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)
rock pipit (Anthus petrosus)
Rock Pipit (Anthus petrosus)

Pipits are amongst the most unobtrusive and ubiquitous birds. All four British species look very similar and have rather unmemorable calls but are found in different habitats. The Rock Pipit's scientific name means 'flower of-the-rocks' and it is found along rocky coastlines. It can also be distinguished from other pipits by its much darker, greyer colouration and muddier, less-contrasting streaks on its belly. The legs are dark grey unlike Meadow and Tree Pipits, which have pink legs.

Monday 5 May 2008

Lochranza, Isle of Arran


Early May is the peak flight period for the Green Hairstreak butterfly (Callophrys rubi) and a good time to see male Adders (Vipera berus) 'dancing' as they fight over females. This week I spent a few days in Arran in the hope of photographing both.

Located on the very Northern tip of Arran, the village of Lochranza lies in a deep valley clustered around a muddy seaweeded estuary. Overlooking the bay is Lochranza castle, an L-plan towerhouse built mostly in the 16th century. I stayed at Lochranza Youth Hostel (SYHA) which has a very nice atmosphere, there is a small shop at the front desk from which you can buy some staple foods (pasta, rice, chocolate, tea etc) and the hostel is perfectly located for early morning walks along the coast to Catacol, Gleann Easan Biorach, Glen Chalmadale and Laggan.

Red deer (Cervus elaphus) roam freely around the village and are very accustomed to human presence. They often spend their evenings grazing amongst sheep on the golf course. It is possible to stand less than 2 metres away from some individuals although caution should be exercised when approaching the deer as they are completely wild (though they may not look it!) and are fairly large animals. This is especially important during the rutting season (mid September to mid October) when stags can get quite aggressive!

This stag has just shed his antlers:

red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) stag
red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) stag
red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) stag
red deer (Cervus elaphus)
Red Deer (Cervus elaphus) stag

Everywhere brilliant yellow, glossy petalled Lesser Celandines (Ranunculus ficaria) sparkle in the sunshine. The whole plant is mildly toxic when fresh (contains protoanemonin), although it was once traditionally used as a treatment for haemorrhoids and scurvy (it is high in vitamin C).

Lesser Celandine (Ranunculus ficaria)