The Highland Biological Recording Group

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	'Atlas of Butterflies in Highland and Moray' is now available from the Butterfly Conservation Highland branch website. *** Also the HBRG Bumblebee Atlas. * 2009 maps can be viewed here***.
Date	Some recent news not yet included in the main pages, and news of additions etc. to the site. for inclusion here. Or post your own comments and observations on the HBRG Forum (information on the Contact page). Red rows at the top are time-limited announcements of events etc.; green rows are news items from the previous 2 weeks; grey rows are older news items.
FUNDING FOR RECORDING	For details on how to apply for funding for T&S for recording in Highland click here. *Claims under the SNH grant must be passed to HBRG by 15 September.*
1 September 2010	New targets for Species of the Month have been launched - three oak galls. Some of the previous targets are still to be found, so keep them in mind too. A summary of the results to date is available here.
31 August 2010	The Buddleia have been decorated with dozens of Peacock and Small Tortoiseshell butterflies in the past few sunny days, and a single Red Admiral.
31 August 2010	Like the proverbial buses, the third Highland Heather Bug Rhacognathus punctatus mentioned under 21 August has turned up, this time near Rogie. The NBN map shows no records in Highland, but we have had two adults in the past 10 days, and uncovered a literature record from Rum in 2000.
24 August 2010	A rather scarce gall caught my eye today at Strathpeffer - the Birch leaf gall Massalongia rubra. See the picture here. If you are passing a Birch (and no-one in Highland is far from one), please check it out and report if you find the gall.
21 August 2010	Reports of our current Species of the Month have not been numerous so far, but all have some new records and have added to our knowledge. While looking for the two featured shieldbugs, please be aware also of the Juniper Shieldbug Cyphostethus tristriatus which can be beaten from Juniper bushes and has turned up in Aberdeenshire, and the Heather Bug Rhacognathus punctatus, recently found in Grantown by Stewart Taylor. Both are probably seriously under-recorded in Highland (links are to 'British Bugs' pages). As always, in case of doubt, send a picture for confirmation.
20 August 2010	On a recent visit to Lochaber, two of our rarest ants turned up in new sites. The black ant Lasius platythorax seems to be a far west speciality, but the red ant Myrmica lonae is much rarer, being known from only three sites in UK, all in Highland. This is a reminder of the sort of information we are revealing through the Ant Atlas project. Check out the Atlas page, and see if you can help to fill some gaps.
20 August 2010	I was recently made aware of the superb resources available from the Skye & Lochalsh Environment Forum chaired by one of our members. Have a look for yourselves.
8 August 2010	A trip to Wester Ross produced a spectacular display of the mining bee Colletes succinctus. Information on the latter is here. If you come on an aggregation, enjoy the spectacle and report the details in the usual way, especially if they are in the east of our area.
6 August 2010	While looking for the two shieldbugs featured in the August Species of the Month, look out for the distinctive Parent Bug which you can see here.
30 July 2010	The Bumblebee Conservation Trust is in a competition for National Lottery funding. You can vote to support their bid before 13 August at this page.
30 July 2010	Information on the August Species of the Month, two shieldbugs and another handsome fly, is now available. Please remember that some of the previous targets can still be found, and in any weather.
21 July 2010	We feature in the latest NBN Newsletter, in an article of the use of on-line maps in the website. Read it here.
21 July 2010	2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity and with this is in mind Inverness Bat Group has chosen this year to reinvent itself. They will be more active, with more bat box building, more bat walks, more surveys, so keep an eye on their website for upcoming Bat related events.
19 July 2010	Larvae from the mines reported on 30 June (below) have been reared to prove the identity of the larvae. The mines are shown here along with the adult fly.
19 July 2010	As reported at 13 July (below), Jane Bowman found a very rare spider recently, and has taken as series of outstanding pictures you can see here.
13 July 2010	One of our Species of the Month, the Noon-fly Mesembrina meridiana has been much in evidence in recent days when the sun shone. As well as on sunlit tree-trunks, look on the heads of Hogweed. You can also find Bee Beetles there, as well as host of hoverflies and other insects. Two things more or less specific to that plant are the Parsnip Moth Depressaria pastinacella and the micro-moth Pammene aurana. Both are easy to find just now.
13 July 2010	Jane Bowman photographed this caterpillar devouring Nettle Rust Fungus - our other target species this month. See it here.
13 July 2010	She photographed two rare spiders recently in Glen Moriston. The pictures are here.
13 July 2010	The rapidly disappearing foliage on a couple of our garden plants pointed out the presence of two destructive sawfly larvae, pictured here.
10 July 2010	While walking along the dunes at Nairn, I came on a dead cranefly which turned out to be Tipula nodicornis, a Scottish speciality reported only ten times in the past 60 years. The map on the NBN Gateway is here.
8 July 2010	The page on Beeflies Bombylius major has been updated. See the current position here.
5 July 2010	Bee Beetles are turning up in numbers now (see the SotM item at 30 June below). Look for these spectacular insects embedded head first in the florets of thistles, or dozily walking around heads of Hogweed.
5 July 2010	A new website devoted to Scottish Fungi has been developed by a group of mycologists (including some HBRG members). It contains a mass of resources, including recipes (and advice on how to recognise the safe species).
30 June 2010	The Species of the Month feature for July continues to target Bee Beetles Trichius fasciatus and Noon-flies Mesembrina meridiana as the late season and rather cool weather have not been good for them so far. The Nettle Rust-fungus Puccinia urticata is the new addition, so please pay extra attention to clumps of nettles and report any you find.
30 June 2010	A number of discoloured leaves on the Lovage Levisticum officinale in my herb-garden turned out to be mines containing larvae of the picture-winged fly Euleia heraclei, which has not been recorded so far north before. It does not seem to be on the normal host, Hogweed Heracleum sphondylium, and I have not seen the adults at all. Pictures of the mines are here, so if you have something similar on your Lovage, please let us know.
30 June 2010	An important find on the field trip to Loch Achall at the weekend was the most northerly proof of breeding of the Northern Emerald Dragonfly Somatochlora arctica. This is a real Scottish speciality. A picture of the larva is here.
28 June 2010	An interesting gall of the bug Adelges laricis appeared on a single twig of one Norway Spruce Picea abies at Strathpeffer. The picture is here, so if you see one on spruces near you, please report it. There are no records mapped on NBN Gateway.
28 June 2010	Two superb pictures of moths recently found in Glenmoriston are here.
24 June 2010	A group which has been very neglected in Highland is the Harvestmen (Opiliones). I have recently started looking at these, and have been quite taken by the beauty of a common one, Megabunus diadema, which has an amazing crown-like structure above its eyes. A developing website dealing with the group is here, and a picture of Megabunus is here. Other groups which could do with a specialist within HBRG include grasshoppers and earthworms, as well as a host of families of flies and beetles. If you fancy becoming a local expert, feel free to 'grab a group' that interests you, and share your knowledge and skills.
23 June 2010	A bit later than we had hoped, the first Bee Beetles Trichius fasciatus (one of our Species of the Month) has been reported from Dyke near Forres by Carol Shaw, who had six on Iris sibirica. This is a forage plant not reported for Bee Beetle in our database before. Please keep an eye out for it now, and for the other target species for June.
20 June 2010	Shortly after posting the note about birch leaf mining moths (8 June below), a picture of the moth responsible was sent by Russell Miller. His picture is here with those of the mines.
8 June 2010	As part of efforts to prevent and prosecute Badger crimes, we have been asked for samples of hair from Badgers killed on the road - where it is safe to collect these. About 20 hairs with roots attached are required from each Badger. Put the samples in a paper envelope with contact details and the grid reference of the kill on the front. Place that in another envelope and send to: Dr Ross McEwing, Badger Forensic Project, Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, 134 Corstorphine Road, Edinburgh EH12 6TS. Don't forget to send details to HBRG as well.
8 June 2010	A third species has been added to the June targets - one that does not require sunshine or a supply of thistles, which are still not in flower in much of the area. The Beech Leaf-Mining Weevil Orchestes fagi is much more easily recognised by its mines than by the insect. See Species of the Month for more details.
8 June 2010	I was recently made aware that the culprits behind the lacy birch leaves are mining moth larvae. Pictures are here. If you see the discs in place, and the larvae inside (hold the leaf to the light), please report them in the usual way, but not any other tattered birch leaves, as the cause may be different.
8 June 2010	A recent find which puzzled me was this larva of the Large Emerald moth.
4 June 2010	There have already been reports of Red Admiral and Painted Lady butterflies as far away as St Kilda. Please report any you find.
17 May 2010	The first Common Blue Damselflies Enallagma cyathigerum emerged in force today at Strathpeffer, and there was one 4-spotted Chaser Libellula quadrimaculata as well. A couple of our target species also showed up - St Mark's Fly and the Noon-fly - both taking advantage of some sunshine in sheltered spots.
16 May 2010	The cool weather has not been the best for wildlife activity, and many things seem to be very late. I have seen no Swifts yet, and some insects are scarcer than they should be. Information on the Species of the Month for June is now available - a bit early for administrative reasons.
5 May 2010	Jane Bowman never leaves much time between exciting finds in Glenmoriston. Her latest discoveries are shown here: a rare and beautiful click-beetle Ampedus pomorum; and a rare parasitic fly Tachina ursina farther north than ever recorded in Britain. By a coincidence, another of the latter was found by Carl Farmer in Argyll a few days earlier, adding to the very few Scottish records.
5 May 2010	Early results for the Species of the Month St Mark's Fly Bibio marci have produced records from Raasay and Ullapool to Strathpeffer. We could do with some warmer weather to bring more of them out, and when it arrives please be alert for them. They are very common and widespread, but have been overlooked by recorders.
28 April 2010	The Species of the Month (two of them) for May are now launched. The Large Red Damselfly is well recorded, but for the current national dragonfly atlas we would like more recent records and information on the first emergence dates. St Mark's Fly is not mapped on NBN Gateway in Highland at all, yet is very common and widespread. Please be alert for these insects and report them. As always, if you are not certain of the identification you may email a digital photograph for confirmation to .
26 April 2010	A recent letter in 'The Great Outdoors' asks for information on a disease affecting newts. See it here, and please look out for any newts showing these symptoms.
19 April 2010	Jane Bowman has been watching the rare Lichen Running-spider Philodromus margaritatus for a couple of years. Her latest pictures are here.
19 April 2010	No new records for the current Species of the Month have come in so far - possibly not a bad thing, given what it is. A bonus has been a stimulus of interest in earthworms, so the next time we update the database on NBN Gateway it will be apparent (unlike now) that we have several species in Highland. Please do check your gardens for New Zealand Flatworm, though, and report any locations, and quiz your gardening friends to see if they have any of these pests.
19 April 2010	Plantlife is looking for participants for their Wildflowers Count project. Details on their website.
14 April 2010	The summer visitors Willow Warbler and Swallow are much in evidence in the past 3 days at Strathpeffer, the song of the Willow Warblers oddly harmonising with the calls of Pink-footed Geese flying north. This is the time of year (and just now the weather) for finding Beeflies Bombylius major if you are near areas of sun-warmed bare sandy ground, and the willow catkins are excellent forage for a variety of hoverflies and bees.
13 April 2010	Some inevitable bad news arrived today - a Harlequin Ladybird Harmonia axyridis in Highland. It was found by Paul Humphreys in Dunnet. One was found near Nairn in 2008, and it has also been found in Orkney. Please be aware of its presence and report any finds to HBRG and to the Harlequin Survey.
1 April 2010	A new Species of the Month has been introduced - the New Zealand Flatworm. If you are a member of a gardening club please spread the word.
30 March 2010	The first bumblebee turned up at Strathpeffer, about 10 days later than average. The early-spring willow-specialist Andrena clarkella (a solitary bee) was flying in Strathglass. Both probably regretted waking up early when they saw the sleet and snow 24h later.
26 March 2010	As expected, spring is very late this year. Only a few bumblebees have been seen in our area, but there is very little for them to eat even if they did wake up. Things last weekend were slightly more advanced in Edinburgh, with Bombus terrestris and a couple of wasps (probably Vespula vulgaris) on the go.
26 March 2010	The latest HBRG datasets on NBN Gateway have just been uploaded and are now visible here. Many thanks to all who contributed the records, and for continued funding of the project by Scottish Natural Heritage. The 'live' maps that we are using increasingly in the HBRG website automatically update, such as our own bumblebee atlas maps (link above) which now show the situation to the end of 2009.
15 March 2010	2010 is planned as the last year of fieldwork for the HBRG Ant Atlas. The current maps (updated today) are available here (.pdf file, 240kB). Please look at the materials here and if you can contribute records, please do. Particular targets are the wood ants (from areas where they are not already recorded since 1980), Slave-making Ants, the tiny Shining Guest Ant, and the Yellow Meadow Ants. These last have never been found in Highland to the SE of the Great Glen, for reasons that are not entirely clear, so if you know of any, please let us know. However, records of any species from the blank areas on the maps, or where the records are old (yellow or red dots in the maps) are important.
14 March 2010	We often report exciting finds here, but none has ever been quite on the scale of that reported from Assynt here.
9 March 2010	The signs of spring are gathering pace. We have had reports of Small Tortoiseshell on both E and W coasts. The first Oystercatchers have been heading inland. A number of birds are well into song, and checking out nest-sites. Frog-spawn has been seen on Skye, but if you have seen it elsewhere, please let us know. Breeding seems to be later this year than normal.
3 March 2010	While checking Brambles on river banks for the Species of the Month, please keep a look out for the March Brown mayfly Rhithrogena germanica. A guide to its recognition is here (.pdf, 180kB). The NBN Gateway map shows no records in our area, but I am assured that this does not reflect its true distribution, so if you are walking along one of our larger rivers in the next couple of months, please bear it in mind.
3 March 2010	An excellent guide to British mosses and liverworts has just been published. At £25 it is the bargain of the year. Buy it online here.
16 February 2010	A little bit early, we have started a new Species of the Month. Our first two ventures have been very successful, so let's keep that trend going. See details here.
11 February 2010	Among thousands of Pink-footed Geese on the Cromarty Firth were three Snow Geese (1 white, 2 Blue Snow Geese). Geese are very active at the moment, and a great wildlife sight on our doorstep.
9 February 2010	In view of the finds of Ray's Bream (see below), this article is relevant. I can't blank out the pointless comments, I'm afraid! More information is here.
5 February 2010	Large flocks of Pinkfooted Geese were heading north over Dingwall yesterday. That and the first signs of territorial and nesting behaviour in Great Tits and other garden birds must show that spring is on the way.
5 February 2010	Anyone wishing to get to grips with the bewildering variety of craneflies that we have here should look at the draft keys for download here. Some are quite large files, so beware if you are on dial-up connections.
25 January 2010	We have re-done the 'Field trips and events' page using a Google Calendar. Details will be posted there as they come to our notice, so check it every now and then to see what is coming up.
19 January 2010	Another two Ray's Bream Brama brama (see entry for 2 January below) have been found at Dornoch (David McAllister) and Dunnet (Paul Castle). If you are on the beach between now and March, look out for these and please report any finds.
8 January 2010	One of the surprises of extreme weather arrived in Jane Bowman's garden - a beautiful Greyhen (female Black Grouse). Picture.
3 January 2010	A project to create a Wildlife Encyclopedia with a Wiki is available here . You can edit and create your own content if you want to assist.
2 January 2010	Exactly a year on, David McAllister found another Ray's Bream Brama brama at Dornoch. See his post and picture on the HBRG Forum (link on left).
1 January 2010	Best wishes for 2010 to all our members and visitors to our website. It is not easy to do much recording with the land under a foot of snow, but when it melts, please remember the Species of the Month. While clearing some of the snow a few days ago, in -10C, I was serenaded by a Yellowhammer, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming in the trees nearby!
15 December 2009	Some spectacular behaviour by larval flies is described here (.pdf file, 160 kB). Although it was observed to the south of our area, who can be sure they do not also occur in Highland? Something to remember for next summer.
8 December 2009	A bit of pre-Xmas bad news is the first proof of breeding of the Harlequin ladybird in Scotland. Please be aware of this pest, which can easily be spread in garden materials and with other human assistance. The BBC report is here, and more information is at the Harlequin Ladybird site. Please report it if you find it.
7 December 2009	Martin Hind has reported a Blackcap coming to a bird table near Inverness. Once a strict summer visitor, it is not unusual to see wintering birds now, and they are frequent at nut baskets and fat-balls. Bramblings are more typically winter birds, and many are in the local Beeches. They look like rather orange-tinged Chaffinches with a white rump, and are also happy to attend bird tables.
1 December 2009	A new Species of the Month is very appropriate for the festive season. If you see any Holly over the winter, look for leaf mines and let us know the details. See the impressive results for our first target during November here.
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