A MILD NIGHT, TWO TRAPS AND A NEW MOTH

After what feels like a long, reluctant start to the year, the evening temperature in Caithness finally crept up to a positively balmy 7 °C, enough to tempt me into putting two moth traps out overnight. It’s amazing how even a small temperature rise can change everything at this time of year.

Activity was still modest, but very welcome all the same. Both traps produced a handful of early-season species, including Pale Brindled Beauty, Chestnut, and Winter Moth, all classic heralds of the moth year getting underway in the far north.

Pale Brindled Beauty

Chestnut

Winter Moth

The highlight of the night, though, was a Satellite, which was a new species for me. Always a pleasure to add something new to the personal list, especially so early in the season, and a nice reminder that even familiar setups can still deliver surprises.

Satellite

It may not have been a big catch, but it felt like an important step forward. With temperatures finally lifting, this is the first sign that the season is starting to stir properly here in Caithness.

Early signs that spring is on its way

ARCTIC ECHOES ON A WINTER SHORE

Heading south this morning for a few hours of birding proved richly rewarding. I began at Embo Pier, where over 60 Purple Sandpipers were present, many feeding at close range and offering superb views.

Embo Pier 

These tough little waders, breeders of the High Arctic where they nest among rocky tundra from Greenland across to northern Scandinavia, spend the winter almost exclusively on wave-lashed shores. Watching them here, perfectly at home on the exposed beach, felt like a direct connection to those far-northern landscapes.

News soon filtered through of Little Gulls at the river mouth at Brora, prompting a quick relocation. On arrival, the weather finally relented, blue skies and sunshine breaking through for the first time since working up in Caithness over the past fortnight.

Initial scans produced nothing, but further along the beach, a distant, buoyant flight caught the eye. Walking down, I was rewarded with excellent views of nine Little Gulls weaving gracefully over the surf.

Breeding far inland on freshwater marshes and bogs across northern Scandinavia and western Siberia, these birds migrate south after the breeding season, with small numbers reaching our coasts during winter, always bringing a touch of rarity and elegance.

Other birds of note included a few Kittiwakes, along with Redshank and Oystercatcher.

Kittiwake

Oystercatcher

Redshank

The day ended as strongly as it began, with a further 40+ Purple Sandpipers encountered along the shoreline, again showing beautifully.

Together, the gulls and sandpipers made for a memorable reminder that even in the depths of winter, our coasts can host birds whose journeys begin deep within the Arctic Circle.

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HARBOUR REFUGE AND HIGHLAND LOCHS:A DAY'S BIRDING IN CAITHNESS

A day off work took me north of Wick, allowing time to spend around the docks at Scrabster and Thurso Harbour. 

View looking over Scrabster

Thurso Harbour

With strong winds sweeping along the coast, both harbours had become important refuges for birds displaced from more exposed waters. Seabirds congregated in sheltered basins and along quay walls, using harbour structures to escape the worst of the conditions and providing unusually close views. The day served as a timely reminder of the role these working harbours play in offering shelter to coastal birds when weather conditions deteriorate.

Despite the challenging conditions, I was able to photograph the following species:

Turnstone

Ringed Plover

Razorbill

Long-tailed Duck

Rock Pipit

Great Northern Diver

Black Guillimot

Shag

Guillimot

Guillimot

Grey Seal

Moving on from the coast, I stopped at several lochs on the journey home, where good numbers of Whooper Swans were present. A Great White Egret was also noted, while a male flyover and female Hen Harrier provided a fitting highlight, bringing a cracking day’s birding to a close. 

Female Hen Harrier

Record shot of the male in fading light

Roe Deer

Great White Egret

Hooded Crow

A good number of Whooper Swans were on many of the Lochs I passed on the way home.

Goldeneye