Latest news

Details of unusual or unseasonal sightings are especially welcome for inclusion on this page, although any contributions are welcome. Please send your contributions to unicorn64@btinternet.com

Highland Branch welcomes contributions not just from Highland and Moray, but from the Western Isles, Orkney and Shetland.

Items from previous years have been archived, but can still be accessed by clicking the links below:
2007 | Jan - Jun 2008 | Jul - Aug 2008 | Sep - Nov 2008 | Jan - June 2009 | July - Nov 2009 | Feb - June 2010 | Jul - Dec 2010 | Jan - June 2011 | July - Dec 2011 | Jan - June 2012 | July - Sep 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022

19/05/2023	Tony Mainwood found his first Small Blue of the year at Loch Fleet.
18/05/2023	Tony Mainwood trapped a Seraphim moth in Golspie, VC107. There aren't many records of Seraphim from VC107. The photo on the right below shows the very small hindwings.
07/05/2023	Tony Mainwood spotted his first Pearl-bordered Fritillary of the year at Rogart Quarry.
07/05/2023	I was delighted to find my first Scottish Comma in my garden in Aviemore this afternoon. This seems to be a good year for them.
07/05/2023	VC 105 seems to be an area where range expansion might just be happening for several species. The latest candidate is the Grey Birch. Although there are 43 VC records, these are almost evenly split between Lochalsh in the south and Beinn Eighe in the east (old RIS data) with the odd few from Ullapool in the north. The last 12 years of recording in the central coastal area has produced none. Barry Blake was thus surprised to find one in his Gairloch garden this morning to add to 2023 records from Inverewe (2), Rhiroy and Dundonnell. Early days, but interesting.
19/04/2023	Steve Wheatley saw six species of butterfly on a short walk from Great Glen House into Inverness today, including a female Orange-tip! Spring has certainly sprung. Other butterflies were Small Tortoiseshells, Commas, Speckled Wood, Peacocks and a Red Admiral.
02/03/2023	Moira Broadhead found an early Small White at Muir of Ord.
11/01/2023	Andrew Turner found a Twenty-plume Moth at home in Aviemore.