Ragwort is a plant with which the British Public seems to have a hate relationship. It is widely known to be toxic to horses and cattle. For this reason it is a listed species on the 1959 Weeds Act. Under the act land owners have the right to request that such weeds are removed from adjacent land to stop their spread. It is not uncommon to find plants casually rooted out along country roads presumably by well meaning souls afraid that a passing horse might be tempted to take a bite. A pointless exercise as it remains toxic even when dead and dry. The Ragwort is a native species and is an important nectar source and food plant for many insects.

Over the past few weeks Red Admirals along with four or five other butterfly species, an assortment of bees, bumblebees and hoverflies have been attracted to a single ragwort plant that I left to grow in the garden. A newly emerged queen Buff-tailed Bumblebee spent three days foraging there. How far it had travelled I don’t know. It is a common species in southern Britain and  found sparingly in the east around the Moray Firth, until now largely absent from the north-west Highlands of Scotland.

Very few Painted Lady Butterflies from the huge invasion which migrated into Britain last spring made it this far north. Recently a second brood of British bred butterflies have appeared locally in reasonable numbers. They are generally darker and more colourful than the spring generation.

This time last year I experimented with a floating hide fashioned from a pontoon made of old polystyrene blocks with a dome hide placed on top. In the shallow tidal bays around the Moray Firth stalking flocks of roosting waders at high tide the pontoon worked well as long as it had water under it. Once the tide receded the weight made the whole thing  difficult to move any distance. This year I have upgraded to using a lightweight inflatable pontoon boat. Quite mobile, it even packs away into its own backpack. The down side is that it can only be used on the calmest of days. Any bobbing motion from the hide tends to spook the birds before one can get within photographic range.

First autumn plumage Ringed Plover

Oystercatchers

Oystercatchers and Bar-tailed Godwit roosting on Saltmarsh

Bar-tailed Godwit

Curlew