North Uist bioblitz
Uist residents and holidaymakers joined the British Trust for Conservation Volunteers in a ‘bioblitz’ to record the wildlife in the Balranald RSPB reserve in North Uist.
Like Louis, above, we grabbed large nets and skimmed them over the flower-rich grasslands known as machair.
Isabel, 7, from Haltwhistle was fascinated by everything she found, especially these tiny machair snails.
Lots of people joined in. More than 200 species were recorded, including 25 species of bird. Buglife’s Craig Macadam talked with passion about even the humblest creepycrawly we found. He’s just written a guide to mayflies, and showed me how to identify them.
Ali was well pleased with her rare waxcaps.
And I think I learned the difference between moths and butterflies.
This moth vibrated its wings on my finger to warm itself up before flying away. Strange but nice.
(Read my report of the bioblitz in today’s Press and Journal or the local papers later this week.)
Absolutely fascinating! I would have loved to have taken part. I have just placed a photo of an Emperor dragonfly as a ‘Header Photo’ on my journal.
What a coincidence!
Jeanie
When I hear certain people complaining that living in small rural comunities is boring—-they should go and live in the highlands and islands of scotland,as there is always solething on
Hi Jeanie, it was great fun and so eye-opening. If only more of these things happened the public would gain a better understanding of the miraculous micro-world around them. (Not that anything will ever make me like spiders of course.)
You’re right, Carol, check my latest blog on the amazing month of September ahead here…
just have done—brilliant! Re spiders if i saw one in the house i would literally go into hysterics,so hubby had to kill the poor thing,nowadays,i don’t mind them–i just get a small brush and shovel and put the outside. This change only came about since I lost hubby. Now grass snakes well I don’t think I will hever change my mind of this subject.!