Newsletter 13: Spring 2008

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Contents

Chairman's Introduction | Highland Branch News | Pale Brindled Beauty
Notes from the East | Promoting Butterflies and Moths in Sutherland and Caithness, 2007
Moth Recording in East Ross-shire (VC 106), 2007 | National Moth Night, Tannera Mor, August 2007
Common Blue | Field Trips Report, 2007 | Moth Traps | Books, Hatches and Dispatches | Moths Count
The Historic Treaty of Kindrogan | Report from the West Coast, 2007
Obituary

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Chairman's Introduction

The year 2007 started with real promise when the first moth was recorded on 26 January by Jim Millar, it turned out to be a Pale Brindled Beauty (see following article.). This was closely followed by a photograph of a Peacock taken by Tony Mainwood in Golspie on the 17th of February.

I thought this might be the end of exciting records, but we were treated to more with a record of a Camberwell Beauty on 26th March at Invershin, Bonar Bridge, reported by Anne-Marie Smout. This was closely followed by two more on the 12th April, one at Golspie seen by Tony Mainwood, the other from Munlochy on the Black Isle reported by Dominick Murray. We then had a wonderful record from Nethybridge recorded and photographed by John Poyner on the 13th. Surprisingly there were another from Ardgay on the 14th April reported by SNH staff and finally we had a Culbin record reported by Stewart Taylor of the RSPB on the 1st of May after which there were no more.

There was however a Camberwell Beauty seen feeding on clematis, 600 feet up near Aboyne on the 30th April and while this is outside our recording area it is interesting none the less. All of these butterflies had very probably overwintered judging by the early dates. Unfortunately their fortunes were washed away with the weather though with such small numbers it was probable they were not a viable population anyway. There has never been a confirmed report of breeding in the UK as far as we know.