Dotted Border

Male Dotted Border at Langbank, Renfrewshire

There aren't many moths about yet and my finds so far have been predictable ones. These male Dotted Border moths always turn up around my birthday in mid February – and my first of 2013 was found on Feb 16 on a hawthorn hedgerow near my home in Langbank where I find them every year. A common but variable species, they are not the most showy of moths but can be told from the similar Mottled Umber by the row of tiny black dots on the hind margins of both sets of wings.

It's interesting that these use a similar hawthorn hedge habitat as Early Moth, which I encountered last month. I've counted more than a hundred male DBs along the 600m stretch of hedge along the Station Road lane – but never seen a female which, like Early Moth, are wingless, small and inconspicuous. My best hope would be to find a mating pair – so eyes peeled. Mind you, a big area of high pressure is over us just now and night temperatures are due to drop. Might be too cold for moths (and moth hunters!)

Some January county ticks!

Great Northern Diver, Garvel Point, Greenock. January 2013

When I was younger I did a lot of twitching – travelling the country to see rare birds I'd never seen before. These days I'm a bit more sedentary but you never lose the satisfaction that comes with putting a tick against a new species on one of your lists. Therefore, the first month of the new year was notable for me increasing my Renfrewshire/Inverclyde county list by TWO whole species.

This 1st-winter Great Northern Diver was seen about 200m off Garvel Point, Greenock, Inverclyde, on Jan 18. Although it rapidly moved out into the Clyde Estuary, I was able to rattle off a few record shots. This record coincided with a mini-influx to central west Scotland with other GNDs seen from the north shore of the Clyde around Cardross and also a couple that turned up on freshwater at Loch Lomond.

Spotted Redshank, Erskine Harbour, January 2013

The other tick brought in the new year on Jan 01 when I found this winter-plumaged Spotted Redshank with other waders at the roost on the quay at Erskine Harbour, Renfrewshire. The Clyde Estuary doesn't have a great record in attracting scarcer waders, especially in winter, so the Spot Red attracted a decent crowd over coming days. A second individual was quickly discovered and the birds remained to the end of the month and into February.

Mixed wader roost, Erskine Harbour, January 2013

Here's the Spotted Redshank again along with a Common Greenshank, a Dunlin and lots of Common Redshanks. The short daylight hours and generally poor weather in January otherwise limited opportunities to get out and about and add to the Blue Leaf stock library. I've also been busy with university assignments and some deskwork. Here's the best of the rest:

Common Buzzard, Craigmarloch, near Kilmalcolm, Inverclyde. January 2013

Black Guillemot, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde. January 2013

Yellowhammer, Barscube Hill, Renfrewshire. January 2013

Grey Heron, Woodhall, Port Glasgow, Inverclyde. January 2013