We had good weather once again and a record turnout of sixteen for our midweek
recording walk to Eilean Buidhe. I’ve put some pictures in the album and there are
already some great ones in there by others who were on the walk – more to come,
I hope.
The island was very flowery with lots of Thyme, Yellow Iris, Catsear, Thrift,
Ragged Robin, Bell Heather and many other colourful plants. Heath Spotted
Orchid was plentiful, and Common Spotted, Northern Marsh and Northern Fragrant
Orchids were also seen. The latter (Gymnadenia borealis) used to be regarded as
a subspecies of “Fragrant Orchid” but has been made a full species following DNA
analysis. Most Fragrant Orchids found in Argyll will be this species. The
other two new species of Fragrant Orchid are unlikely in Argyll but not
impossible. Any Fragrant Orchid with the lowest petal clearly broader than
long, or with the two side flaps more than 5 mm long and only 1 mm wide, should
be investigated carefully.
The island is notable for the amount of Juniper, a species of conservation
concern. Both male and female bushes were present, the latter with plenty of
fruit. Two galls associated with Juniper were found. The fungal gall
Gymnosporangium cornutum has alternate generations on Juniper and Rowan, and the
Rowan saplings on the island were very heavily infected by it, to a much greater
degree than I’ve seen on Rowan elsewhere. This is doubtless because they were
growing in or near Juniper from which the fungal spores can spread to them in
large quantities. As the Juniper itself didn’t seem to be much harmed by the
fungus, you could almost say that the fungus is beneficial to it by preventing
Rowan from taking over. The other gall was that of the gall-midge Oligotrophus
juniperinus.
Rosy took these excellent photos below of a juvenile Wheatear confirming breeding at
Puilladobhrain and a Meadow Pipit. Out at sea there was a raft or should I say crèche of
about thirty juvenile Greylag Geese without their parents. On the mainland we saw Stonechat
and heard Sedge Warbler, along with a Rock Pipit along the water’s edge.
Butterflies observed on the island were Painted Lady, Meadow Brown and Common Blue,
while Small Copper was seen on the Seil mainland nearby.