Hoxa, Tuesday 22nd July 2014

A warm, sunny day raised the prospect of the seeing some odes a bit closer to home. Once the early morning haar had burnt off, I ventured down to South Ronaldsay, past the Sands o' Wright and onto Hoxa.

First stop was the old quarry, now flooded, at ND415938 where, in the north western corner, there's a small area of suitable habitat. A few Blue-tailed Damselflies were seen in the sheltered areas of open water where the aquatic vegetation was not so abundant.

Moving on to the pools by the roadside at ND410934, between the Hoxa Tapestry gallery and the Hoxa Tea Room, many more B-tDs were seen. At least one pair was witnessed in tandem and several females were ovipositing onto submerged vegetation.

A search for Black Darter proved fruitless, but this species is on the wing at other sites in Orkney, so continued monitoring would seem appropriate. I admit, the presence of a tea room helps greatly in this endeavour!