April on the Isle of Skye

1 April 2021
March ended with a lot of rain, but today was beautiful and I made the most of it. The gull was on Loch Cill Chriosd and the Wheatear by Loch Slapin. The flies (they were quite numerous) were found on two separate flowering Willows at Kinloch. The young adder was by the river at Kinloch (I saw one there last year too).

Copyright: Steve Terry
Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Lesser Black-backed Gull

Wheatear (female)

Adder

Tachina ursina (First record for Skye!)

3 April 2021
Another lovely sunny day! A few peacock butterflies have emerged from hibernation and there were plenty of other invertebrates about too. I went to Kilmarie in the morning (checking for waders at Loch Slapin on the way) and saw my first hoverflies of the year (Melangyna lasiophthalma) and collected a couple of specimens - a stonefly and a bee. In the afternoon I did my regular walk from Skinadin and saw another Tachina ursina and another bee (which turned out to be the same species that I'd collected at Kilmarie).

Copyright: Steve Terry
Lapwing

Greenshank

Andrena ruficrus (male)

Andrena ruficrus (female)

14 April 2021
I put the trap out last night and had a reasonable catch. These were the most interesting (I'd never had Yellow Horned at the house before).

Copyright: Steve Terry
Double-striped Pug

Yellow Horned

15 April 2021
A good day for invertebrates. These were all found at Kyleakin.

Copyright: Steve Terry
Probably Scathophaga furcata (ID: Seth Gibson)

Water Cricket

Eristalis intricaria

Phaonia subventa (ID: Seth Gibson)

17 April 2021
Neil drew my attention to a rust that is found on Potentilla sterilis, so I went to Kinloch in search of it. An exciting bonus was my first nomad bee, which Murdo says is probably Nomada panzeri.

Copyright: Steve Terry
Phragmidium fragariae

A Nomad Bee

20 April 2021
Back to Kinloch and another good day for invertebrates. Cheilosia pagana was a first for me. Many Cheilosia species are difficult to identify from photographs (so I tend not to photograph them!), but the large orange antennae on C. pagana are quite distinctive. I saw a total of four bee-flies and managed to get an in-flight shot and well as the one below.

Copyright: Steve Terry
Syrphus torvus (male)

Cheilosia pagana

Green Tiger Beetle

Bombylius major (Bee-fly)

1 April 2021 March ended with a lot of rain, but today was beautiful and I made the most of it. The gull was on Loch Cill Chriosd and the Wheatear by Loch Slapin. The flies (they were quite numerous) were found on two separate flowering Willows at Kinloch. The young adder was by the river at Kinloch (I saw one there last year too).
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Lesser Black-backed Gull
Lesser Black-backed Gull	Wheatear (female)
Adder	*Tachina ursina* (First record for Skye!)

3 April 2021 Another lovely sunny day! A few peacock butterflies have emerged from hibernation and there were plenty of other invertebrates about too. I went to Kilmarie in the morning (checking for waders at Loch Slapin on the way) and saw my first hoverflies of the year (Melangyna lasiophthalma) and collected a couple of specimens - a stonefly and a bee. In the afternoon I did my regular walk from Skinadin and saw another Tachina ursina and another bee (which turned out to be the same species that I'd collected at Kilmarie).
Lapwing	Greenshank
*Andrena ruficrus* (male)	*Andrena ruficrus* (female)

14 April 2021 I put the trap out last night and had a reasonable catch. These were the most interesting (I'd never had Yellow Horned at the house before).
Double-striped Pug	Yellow Horned

15 April 2021 A good day for invertebrates. These were all found at Kyleakin.
Probably *Scathophaga furcata* (ID: Seth Gibson)	Water Cricket
*Eristalis intricaria*	*Phaonia subventa* (ID: Seth Gibson)

17 April 2021 Neil drew my attention to a rust that is found on Potentilla sterilis, so I went to Kinloch in search of it. An exciting bonus was my first nomad bee, which Murdo says is probably Nomada panzeri.
*Phragmidium fragariae*	A Nomad Bee

20 April 2021 Back to Kinloch and another good day for invertebrates. Cheilosia pagana was a first for me. Many Cheilosia species are difficult to identify from photographs (so I tend not to photograph them!), but the large orange antennae on C. pagana are quite distinctive. I saw a total of four bee-flies and managed to get an in-flight shot and well as the one below.
*Syrphus torvus* (male)	*Cheilosia pagana*
Green Tiger Beetle	*Bombylius major* (Bee-fly)