July 2008

It looks as if this year has been fairly productive for many species of birds. The dry spell through late April, May and early June has benefited many, although much of it seems a distant memory as I write this on a very cold wet late June evening.

Badgers have been having a fairly hard time recently. Finding enough food has been a big problem. The ground is very hard for digging and with very few worms and slugs near the surface, leaving their staple diet in short supply. Recently, when I went out to check on my local badgers I found them out very early indeed and in good light, 6.30pm searching for food. Good for photography, but not good hunting for them.

Although its now July not all species have finished breeding for this summer. Spotted Flycatchers and Swifts, which are two of the last species to arrive, and often the first to leave still have young and many other species are now on their second brood on the season. The more you watch and study the wildlife around you it should soon become fairly apparent that many species will fail to rear any young in some years. Natural disasters, such as weather, cold, wet and wind being the worst. Predators, birds of prey (they have to feed their young too) cat, fox, hedgehog, stoat, weasel the list goes on. All these, looking to raise a family in often difficult conditions. We can all help by being a little more thoughtful or by providing a more suitable nest site/habitat for them. A strategically placed nest box is one example. Feeding birds throughout the year is another.

There is more to nature than birds, though it’s really only in July and August when most people are become more aware of this. Migrant butterflies arrive, adding to our resident species, moths appear to be in larger numbers as they try to get in your living room window in the early evening, attracted to a table lamp that has been left on with the curtains open. Many other less popular species like beetles, flies, bees and wasps, of course not forgetting our infamous Scottish midge all appear in abundance at this time of year.

Dumfries and Galloway is a beautiful place and as such it attracts thousands of visitors every year. Many, if not all, leave the area with lasting impressions of kindness and hospitality……..and swollen lumps all over their poor wee bodies.

These lumps are caused by the female midge after she has had her share of human blood which she needs before she can lay her eggs. The male midge prefers to refresh himself with sap and juices from plants, which is rather nice of him. Midges are a fact of life in Scotland and we will just have to live with them. It’s even rumoured that midges were the reason behind the Highland Fling! Without them I suspect Scotland would be a different and lesser place! We have 34 species of midge in Scotland, but fear not as only 5 will bite us humans.

To keep it in simple terms and without going into scientific names, which few people can pronounce anyway, they are the Upland/Highland Midge, Woodland Midge, Garden Midge, Coastal Midge and Farm Midge and although they are not specific to these habitats as their ranges will overlap. The Upland Midge is the most ferocious biter and as you come down that list the less aggressive they are! July and August being the worst months.

If anyone has any doubts about recognising a biting midge, they all have blotches or dark-flecked spots on their membranous wings, and by the time you’ve looked for that, I can assure you you’ll know! As they are only 1.4mm in size and descend on you in their thousands, sorry millions, here lies the problem in trying to deal with them. There are many natural deterrents, such citronella, lavender, eucalyptus etc and as many man made. Virtually all the man made ones contain two compounds DMP and DEET which are fairly effective. Autan, Jungle Juice and Midjex are some of the well known brands. A word of warning though, anticipate a midgy day and apply before you get bitten, it’s a waste of time after you start scratching and don’t handle plastics just after applying it.

I am reliably informed that the newest defence against midges is to use Dry Oil Body Spray by Avon called “Skin So Soft”. No I’m not on commission.

Happy scratching. Keith