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October 2011
By mid October this year nearly all of the birds that came north for the summer to breed had left. If anything here in the west their departure was earlier than usual, possibly hastened by the run of Atlantic depressions which brought rain on many days during the month.
Wintering Bean geese are now uncommon in Scotland. At the beginning of the twentieth century they declined from being one of the most numerous grey geese to only a few hundred today, wintering at a single location in central Scotland. The vast majority of the population now winters further east in continental Europe. Brent geese pass down both the east and west coasts in increasing numbers each autumn. A few birds linger on their migration south from Greenland and Northern Canada. Hopefully they will eventually stay to winter in numbers as they once did. The burgeoning population of Little Egrets in England is reflected in the numbers appearing in Scotland each autumn. It is now almost a regular visitor. How long before they also start to breed in Scotland?
The number of moth species that are on the wing in October is far fewer than in summer, however on mild nights the lack of species is often made up for by their numbers. Some like the Canary-shouldered Thorn are out in the first half of the month whilst the Mottled Umber is on the wing right through until March. Green-brindled Crescent moths are attracted to over-ripe fruit such Blackberries.
