25th January

It was a bit of a novelty not to have a single spot of rain at the Obs all day but there were few worthwhile rewards from the extra fieldwork that was possible. Nine Purple Sandpipers and a Short-eared Owl were at the Bill where 4 Red-throated Divers and a Brent Goose passed through on the sea, a Great Spotted Woodpecker was at Pennsylvania Castle and 10 Black-necked Grebes, 2 Great Northern Divers, a Pale-bellied Brent Goose and a Kittiwake were at Ferrybridge/Portland Harbour.

A Brimstone Moth was a surprise out-of-season capture in the Obs moth-traps.

The return of sunshine was very welcome on the photography front, with Great Northern Diver, Pale-bellied Brent Goose and Red-breasted Merganser all showing nicely at Ferrybridge © Debby Saunders:  

In a quick check of a few of our recent moth notebooks we haven't come across any February or March records of Brimstone Moth - let alone one from January - so last night's specimen was way outside the usual flight season © Martin Cade: