Chuffed - the latest in chough news and shenanigans:
Last Friday the final pair of nesting chough on the reserve fledged two chicks.
In summary, this means three pairs have fledged eight chicks in total on the reserve, the most successful they have been since 2012, when the productivity (fledged chicks/ nesting pairs) was identical. Unfortunately, a pair just outside the boundary of the reserve, who have historically been successful, failed at chick stage this year. This failure corresponded with the long dry spell we had back in May - a distant memory after the sogginess of June.
We will endeavour to monitor our chough families over the rest of the summer to see how they get on, but already we know from casual observations that they are travelling far and wide along the coastline.
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The PhotOa - pictures from The Oa reserve on Islay:
Residential volunteering, to support the practical conservation and estate management activities, resumed on RSPB Islay last week. In the pictures below, volunteers Ian and Tom are carrying out a peatland survey.
To commemorate Lagavulin's 200th anniversary, the distillery is making generous donations to several charitable causes on Islay. The RSPB is very appreciative of the support from Lagavulin for peatland restoration on both Loch Gruinart and The Oa reserves. The management will entail installing peat dams on areas of moorland that have been historically drained. These dams will raise the water levels, encourage the establishment of sphagnum mosses, prevent further soil erosion and restart the processes necessary for peat formation.
When surveying the drains to see which sections are suitable for restoration work, the magic number is 50cm. This is the minimum depth of peat needed beneath the drain to enable the peat dams to be effective. In addition, we measure the peat depth adjacent to the drain, the depth and width of the drain itself and do a simple assessment of the vegetation in and around the drain.
The volunteers have also been busy with a wide variety of other tasks over the last two weeks including repairs to farm tracks, creating foraging areas for chough in some of our coastal bays, monitoring hen harrier, surveying orchids and supporting guided walks. Phew! Thank you very much Fiona, Ian and Tom for your assistance. If you are interested in volunteering with the RSPB, there are a wide range of opportunities throughout the UK: Your time and contribution is invaluable to the work we do.
Moth Friday - roundup of the weekly catch:
While the RSPB team and volunteers across the island were out surveying for corncrakes on Wednesday night, moth traps were also deployed at Loch Gruinart and The Oa.
This led to Mark, senior warden at Loch Gruinart, bagging a Brussels Lace. A beauty and a first record for Islay:
Brussels Lace bottom of frame, with a Beautiful Golden Y photo-bombing at the top - Loch Gruinart 28/6
At The Oa we managed to get two traps out simultaneously. Our usual Robinson trap with its mercury vapour bulb went out in its normal location and a Skinner trap with an actinic bulb went out on the moor.
Continuing the theme of firsts, site manager Dave, identified a Small Dotted Buff, a new species for The Oa reserve records:
Small Dotted Buff (centre), Pebble Promient (left) - Skinner Trap, 28/6
The complete catch from The Oa traps and a selection of photos are below:
Skinner Trap
Robinson Trap
Beautiful Golden Y - 28/6
Middle-barred Minor - 28/6
Map-winged Swift - 28/6
Pebble Prominent - 28/6
Silver Ground Carpet - 28/6
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If you have a picture or sighting from The Oa that you would like to share, please get in contact.