A look back on the last week where I didn't travel far, with photos from East Haven and Hatton, Auchmithie, the first insects of the year in Olive's garden, and the Lurgies at Montrose Basin.
I suppose the highlight was the fly past of a Spitfire and Boeing P-8 Poseidon which were touring the country. They were scheduled to fly from Leuchars to Lossiemouth (I think), when I saw them the P8 looked to be checking visibility on it's own when it flew a few loops, it then did two more passes with the Spitfire in formation. A separate plane GSOL Spitfire.com was also seen, assumed to be filming? Olive has a tenuous connection with Spitfires, her Mum worked on Merlin engines during the war, could you imagine young women today.....
The garden insects were photographed on my P1000, a sighting of what appeared to be a Hummingbird Hawk Moth wasn't photographed as I couldn't keep up with it as it flew over neighbours gardens. Info from Butterfly Conservation, click here
Some insect videos, something I don't usually attempt. Note ID's are "best attempts" for some of the potter, mining and nomads...
Greenfinches Peacock Butterfly Ruby Tiger Moth Common Carder Bee Queen Gooden's Nomad Bee
Wheatear male at the Dowrie end of the Hatton field
Skylark
Curlew
Linnet male
Meadow Pipit
Goldfinch collecting sheeps wool from the barbed wire fence for this years nest
Stonechat male at East Haven
Spitfire and Boeing P-8 Poseidon Auchmithie
Fulmar
Puffins, 14 or 15 counted at low tide
Rock Pipit on territory near the harbour
A Peacock Butterfly in Olive's garden
Common Carder Bee Queen
Gooden's Nomad Bee
Buff-tailed Bumblebee Queen
Honey Bee
Seven-spot Ladybird
Wolf Spider species unknown
Ruby Tiger Moth newly emerged
The very clever and adaptable Rooks have found how to get the fat balls, the feeder hangs on a long string and one bird tried to raise the feeder into it's reach by pulling the string up, the string was too long. They've settled for precarious wing beating and hammering the fat balls to knock the fat to the lawn
Still two pairs of Yellowhammers
Five Shelduck drakes chasing a female at the Lurgies
Gadwall drake
Red-breasted Merganser male
The only one of 14 Black-tailed Godwits showing summer plumage coming in
