26th January

Portland Bill: Red-throated Diver 5, Black Redstart 1.

Hardly surprisingly with so few weather windows that looked in any way enticing, moth interest has been pretty minimal so far this year. Winter Moths have been frequent visitors to lighted windows at the Obs but as often as not absolutely nothing has entered moth-traps when we've operated them! The last couple of milder nights produced just four species in the traps, with Mottled Umber and Mottled Grey of minor interest: the former is surprisingly infrequently trapped here, whilst the latter is one of our late winter staples that from the sound of things may be more numerous here than just about anywhere else in Dorset © Martin Cade