June 2020 - Assynt Field Club

Common Dolphin: 16+ animals off Raffin (DAH/Charlotte Newell)
Arctic Skua: two pale morph birds off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH)
Black-throated Diver: single adult bird, Loch na Bruthaich (DAH). This is a non-breeding loch for this species so it will have flown here from its breeding loch for a bit of RnR!

Common Dolphin: c10 animals off Stoer Head Lighthouse (Charlotte Newell/DAH)
Harbour Porpoise: three animals (two adults, one calf) off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH/Charlotte Newell)
Speckled Wood: single butterfly Nedd garden along with 2+ Chimney Sweeper moths (Ian Evans)

Common Seal: single adult with pup resting up on Eilean Bad nam Ban, Badnaban Bay (Dave Bird)
Golden-ringed dragonfly: single hawking along road verge near Glenleraig (DAH)
Butterflies and moths: three Common Blue, two Meadow Brown, and one Dark Green Fritillary butterflies. Two Six-spot Burnet moths and a single female Northern Eggar moth. All between the road bridge at Glenleraig and the footbridge at start of path to Tumore (DAH)
Cuckoo: single bird calling, Glenleraig (DAH)

Arctic sandwort (Arenaria norvegica ssp. norvegica): plants at two adjacent sites, Cnoc Eilid Mhathain, Inchnadamph (Gwen Richards and Ian Evans). First recent record.
Shade Horsetail (Equisetum pratense): plants at one site Cnoc Eilid Mhathain, Inchnadamph (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards). New site for this rare horsetail
Heath Dog-violet (Viola canina): plants recorded at two sites, Cnoc Eilid Mhathain, Inchnadamph (Gwen Richards and Ian Evans). Only third recent record (first for this century)

Basking Shark: single off Bay of Stoer (DAH/Charlotte Newell)
Harbour Porpoise: four animals off Bay of Stoer (DAH/Charlotte Newell)
Six-Spot Burnett moth: singles seen on Fragrant Orchid, Culkein Drumbeg and on Bird's-foot Trefoil, Stoer Green (DAH)
Common Blue butterfly: two seen at Knockan and Stoer Green (DAH)

Mistle Thrush: four birds over Culkein Drumbeg (DAH)
Bullfinch: single male on overhead wires, Culkein Drumbeg (DAH)
Bee Chafer Beetle: single feeding on Ox-eye Daisy, Torbreck garden (Gwen Richards)
Dark Green Fritillary: single butterfly in Torbreck garden (Gwen Richards)

Lesser Black-backed Gull: single adult bird eating carrion on main road through Elphin (DAH)

Lesser Butterfly Orchid: 6+ spikes on Balchladich croft (Claire Belshaw)
Small Heath butterfly: three individuals on Balchladich croft (Claire Belshaw)
Lapwing: adult and two chicks near Assynt Crofters Trust office, Stoer (Claire Belshaw)
Otter: single animal feeding in and around Bay of Stoer (DAH/Charlotte Newell)

Harbour Porpoise: four animals in total off Bay of Stoer (Charlotte Newell/DAH)
Black-throated Diver: two adult birds, Bay of Stoer (DAH)
Red-throated Diver: two adult birds, Loch Inver (DAH)
Sand Martin: 4 birds feeding shore of Loch Assynt at Ardvreck castle (AS)
Osprey: Two birds SW end of Loch Assynt (AS)

Otter: single animal foraging, Loch Dhrombaig (DAH)
Early Marsh-orchid (Dactylorhiza incarnata pulchella): 10+ Gleann Leireag, along with 5+ Lesser Butterfly-orchid (Platanther bifolia) (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary butterfly: 3+ all seen as singles at various locations in Gleann Leireag (Ian Evans and Gwen Richards)
Argent and Sable moth: 4+ all seen as singles at various locations in Gleann Leireag (Gwen Richards and Ian Evans)
Small pearl-bordered Fritillary: 4 butterflies on side of path to Loch an t-Sabhail at Little Assynt (AS)

House Martin: four birds collecting mud from a puddle, Old Post Office yard, main street, Lochinver (Gwen Richards)

Common Blue butterfly: single in Torbreck garden (Gwen Richards)
Starling: adult and three juveniles on Lochinver garden feeder (D. McGrath). The feeder contained strawberry flavoured peanut butter!
Eider: adult female and two downy ducklings, Culkein Drumbeg (DAH)
Hoverfly (Eristalis horticola): two on bracken near Oldany (DAH). This is the first record of this hoverfly species in Assynt and the furthest north-west in the country. Photo Gallery - Other Insects
Small Pearl-bordered Fritillary: 4+ butterflies feeding on Marsh Thistles Culkein Drumbeg (DAH). Photo Gallery - Butterflies

Stonechat: single adult and single juvenile, Oldany Farm (DAH)
Goldfinch: two adults and four juveniles on garden feeder, Culkein Drumbeg (DAH)

Green Drake Mayfly (Ephemera danica): single adult on edge of woodland south of Little Assynt Tree Nursery (DAH). Photo Gallery - Other Insects
Northern Eggar (Lasiocampa quercus): single adult male moth in disused quarry south of Little Assynt Tree Nursery (DAH). Photo Gallery - Moths
Blackcap: single bird singing in woodland south of Little Assynt Tree Nursery (DAH)
Goldcrest: single bird on Torbreck croft (Gwen Richards)

Common Dolphin: 7+ off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH)
Risso’s Dolphin: three animals off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH)
Seven-spot Ladybird: singles seen at Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH) and on gate post of house at Culkein Stoer (Calum Millar)
Common Scoter: 30 birds flying north, off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH)
Arctic Skua: two birds (one pale, one dark morph) off Stoer Head Lighthouse (DAH)
Argent and Sable moth: single on Common Daisy, near Lagg (DAH). Photo Gallery - Moths
Small Heath: single butterfly in Torbreck garden (Gwen Richards)