Rathlin Stickybeak

Fifteen species of butterfly were recorded on Rathlin in 2024 - we started with a Small Tortoiseshell on 21st January and finished with a Red Admiral on 12th November. Here they all are, arranged by family 🤓

Great Black-backed Gulls have been fledging in the last couple of weeks and are now venturing away from their nest sites. One juvenile was in Church Bay this morning, still with a parent keeping a close eye on it nearby

We check on these two Ringed Plover pairs every time we go past - very exciting a few days ago to see pair A with 2 newly hatched chicks (and 1 egg still), and today the female was brooding the chicks nearby. Pair B is still sitting tight, but eggs should be hatching any time now

Yet more Hummingbird Hawkmoths this week - what a year we're having for them! Best of all was watching one laying eggs on Cleavers in our own back yard, and also good to get a close view of one at rest

After a long run of successful breeding seasons for Rathlin's Kittiwakes, it's been disappointing to see them do very poorly this year. A single newly-fledged juvenile in this photo is one of the lucky few to make it #SuperSeabirdSunday

Still a few Puffins visiting burrows to feed their chicks but most are now gathering on the water - over 150 seen rafting together on some days this week. Very soon they'll all be saying bye-bye to Rathlin and heading out to sea 🥲 #SuperSeabirdSunday

Bee-mimicking hoverfly Volucella bombylans has been one of the most conspicuous insects here in the last couple of weeks - more numerous than real bumblebees. We've seen orange-, buff- and white-tailed forms, many bumbling around in mating pairs or visiting Wild Angelica flowers

Lots of Garden Tigers around at the moment, including 12 in one trap a few days ago. Interesting variation in markings, including perhaps the lightest and darkest examples we've ever seen here

Unexpectedly good for terns on the Rathlin Ferry today - a brief Common Tern this morning, then on the return sailing we were treated to an adult and a juvenile Arctic Tern, both firsts for the year. Also more than 10 Puffins and a few Manx Shearwaters along the way

A wet and foggy morning brought more migratory waders to Church Bay - a flock of 32 restless Redshanks included the first juvenile we've seen this year, and 7 Common Sandpipers also dropped in. This evening 50 godwits were travelling south high over Rathlin Sound

This month we've been searching for hawkweeds on Rathlin - invariably hard to reach in awkward crevices on the basalt cliffs and camouflaged by the abundant Cat's-ear! This seems to be Hieracium anglicum, a species not previously recorded here #WildflowerHour

Possibly our botanical highlight of the week was this absolutely splendid clump of Meadow Buttercups - not so much cups, more like thick buttery lasagnes! Never found such extraordinary specimens before 🤩 #WildflowerHour

Farm gateways are a good place to look for Annual Knawel and this was a real hotspot last year - glad to find it thriving here again this week #WildflowerHour

Primroses in July - it might be unseasonal but somehow it's pleasing to see these late bloomers find their time to shine #WildflowerHour

The clifftops of Rathlin are full of colour right now, with the sky blue Harebells standing out alongside the Bell Heather, Common Bird's-foot-trefoil, Tormentil and others right to the edge #HarebellChallenge #WildflowerHour

The Rathlin seabird season is racing by so quickly! We're already seeing many of the Puffins preparing to leave, and some with big pufflings still in their burrows won't be far behind. Just a few late Razorbill and Common Guillemot chicks left now too #SuperSeabirdSunday

We've been absolutely spoiled with Hummingbird Hawkmoths this year - sightings almost every day at the moment! Saw two more of these amazing migrants at Kebble today, nectaring for ages on the Spear Thistles flowers

Wader migration is picking up again now with various species suddenly reappearing on the island - this Red Knot was a notable new arrival this morning, along with 11 Dunlins, 14 Redshanks, 2 Common Sandpipers, at least 13 Whimbrels, 13 Curlews, and a lone Lapwing