Sea Birds, Bees and Wasps!

A trip along the clifftop at Auchmithie, and more insect life in my garden. Friday looks to be the best day of the week, so I may go looking for Butterflies, namely Speckled Wood, Comma and Holly Blue, or it might be a Whimbrel, or Wood Sandpiper...

 

As per usual, I can't guarantee the identification of some of the insects in the photos, all taken with a Nikon D500 and a 500mm lens. I think I'm reaching the limits as I have to stand about 3 metres from the subjects which are moving non-stop.

The sea birds would be better if photographed from the beach looking up, but that's not where they nest. The Whitethroat photo was into the sun and when I walked back both of them had disappeared.

Common Whitethroat

Yellowhammer male at Castlesea Gulley

Razorbills displaying

Mating

Metaphorically having a cigarette

Fulmars quarreling

Shag

Kittiwakes

Common Wasp Vespula vulgaris Queen

Migrant Hoverfly

Orange-tailed Mining Bee 

Red Mason Bee

Common Banded Hoverfly Syrphus ribesii

Gooden's Nomad Bee

Seven-spot Ladybird

Small Tortoiseshell Butterfly

Spring Epistrophe is the common name, Epistrophe eligans (Latin)

Tree Wasp

Buffish Mining Bee

Early Bumblebee

German Wasp Queen

Tree Bumblebee worker (female)

Secret Garden - Mine

Despite a cool breeze and temperature of only 10 degrees centigrade, I was able to see an Orange Tip, Holly Blue and Small White butterflies in my garden on Friday. I didn't have a camera for the Orange Tip and stalking it with a phone just flushed it! 

Only the second Holly Blue Butterfly I've seen in my garden, I'll be better prepared for a good photo for third one

Small White Butterfly

Common Carder Bee

Greenfinch male

Blue Tit

Coal Tit

Tree Sparrow

Rook

Chaffinch male

A squadron of these Feral Pigeons visit my street, I'd rather have Collared Doves 

Long-billed Dowitcher moulting + Little Ringed Plover

Some more info later as it appears I agreed to dig up some of Olive's lawn. 

The insect identifications are my best effort using various online and book sources.

Click on the blue links below for videos

Long-billed Dowitcher moulting into summer plumage      Dowitcher, 4 clips from a longer video, spliced

Amorous Eiders      Black Swan, Slunks      Shelduck pair      White Wagtail      Gadwall drake at Murton

Little Ringed Plover north of East Haven, not expected there

Wheatear in the paddock at East Haven

Linnet

Different view and Linnet

The old female Dipper still going strong on the Brothock Burn at Danger Point

Honey Bee. Still a bit cold and breezy in my garden and not enough insects life to warrant a lens change, photos from a Nikon D500 and 500mm lens

Migrant Hoverfly

Gooden's Nomad Bee

Seven-spot Ladybird

A tiny Zebra Spider, identified by David Attenborough on his Secret Garden show

Chocolate Mining Bee Andrena scotica (was Clarke's)