Moth is first of species recorded in Scotland after blowing across North Sea

A moth blown across the North Sea has turned up at a nature reserve in the Borders in what is believed to be the first recorded sighting of the species in Scotland.

The white-point moth was discovered during a community survey at St Abb's Head, after being caught overnight in a moth trap in the reserve's Mire Loch reed beds.

The migrant species is normally found in continental Europe, but has been recorded several times in southern England after being carried across the North Sea by strong winds.

David Lewis, part of the ranger team at the National Trust for Scotland's St Abb's Head reserve, said it was great to find such a "rare migrant".

"There have been a number of recordings down in England and some breeeding success as well but nothing this far north," he said.

"You get migrant species getting pushed over from continental Europe on favourable winds."

The surprise visitor was discovered by Berwickshire County Moth Recorder Barry Prater.

"He was delighted when he found it in the trap on the Saturday morning when we were collecting the traps," said Lewis.

"It is a really, really good find but also shows what species are coming into the UK."

He said discoveries like this one made all the work worthwhile.

"It is always that treasure-box moment where you open up the trap because you just don't know and you might get a box full of species that you have seen a lot of," he said.

"Sometimes you can get hundreds of these things in the trap - it just depends - at the right time in the right conditions overnight anything can turn up and that is the great thing about mothing."