Russa Dale

We spent this morning back at the Happy Valley LNR, doing a fun entomological session for the Friends of Happy Valley. By 10 o'clock, when it was due to start, there was only Pete and me, Julian (the Manager of the Scapa Flow project that?s funding Pete's work) and Jenny, the Woodlands Officer. But soon another local man and his very keen son turned up, so we decided to make a start.

It seems that Orkney people don't like working to a timetable, as families drifted in and tagged along all morning. Though Pete was the main attraction, I made myself useful taking photographs of some of the insects, which will possibly appear on a reserve web-site. I also helped hand out equipment and had really interesting conversations with several of the parents. I was so impressed by how much they all knew about Orkney's landscape and wildlife, and how interested they were to hear about other parts of the country. In the end I think about twenty people had taken part - not a bad number for a fairly remote site.

Once the PR part of the day was over, Pete did a little more serious entomology, while I occupied myself photographing moss carder bees and curlew. Both presented quite a challenge! I knew that there was a pair of curlew in the next field, but while on the ground they stayed well hidden amongst the rushes. I only had a chance to take a photograph when they briefly took to the air!

Mid-afternoon we headed back to Russa Dale so that Pete could do some suction samples - basically sucking up insects with an adapted leaf blower. It was a bit frustrating because we could see sunshine all around us, but a big dark cloud sat over the hill, and that, together with the stiff northerly breeze, made it very chilly. Again there was no shortage of photographic subjects - meadow pipits, baby wrens, and lots of wildflowers. But I've chosen a very classic Orcadian view down along the burn, with a derelict cottage in the foreground and the gentle, green landscape, studded with blue water, stretching off into the distance.