If you have people who might be alarmed by today's alert test at 3 pm, you might want to check they know it's happening today at 3 pm. Just rang mum and she didn't.

Are there any British/ French entomologists who would be interested in Coleoptera and/ or Hemiptera I could collect in return for a species list? Y a-t-il des entomologistes français qui seraient intéressés par Coleoptera et/ou Hemiptera que je pourrais collecter en échange d'une liste d'espèces?

I don’t post much on here but when I do, it’s really important. Am pleased & v much looking forward to returning to the sublime Moulin de Pensol (France) hosted by @heidi-lemoulin.bsky.social & Nik, in May 2026 to see how many #spiders, other invertebrates & cheeses I can record. #AsYouWere

Just checked NBN: just 72 sawfly records on Orkney, ever @andymus.bsky.social @naturespotter.bsky.social ! My half dozen specimens thus almost represent 10% of the entire database if NBN is accurate! Shows what a tiny bit of effort can achieve in these places.

1/ Sorted samples collected from Orkney: Mainland, Shapinsay, Sanday, Hoy, S.Walls, Burray, S.Ronaldsay & Stronsay. c.30 samples (beetles, bugs, woodlice, sawflies plus lots of spiders & harvestmen). @britishspiders.bsky.social @britishbugs.bsky.social @andymus.bsky.social @colsocbi.bsky.social

ICYMI: What looks like a very interesting book on spiders. If you’re keen to know how many spiders have been found in @yorkshiredales.org.uk, Leeds, Sheffield or the many Nature Reserves then this is the book for you.

@andymus.bsky.social 👇

The end of a two week exploration around 8 of Orkney’s 19 inhabited islands. Spiders & other invertebrates recorded from all of them. Weather has been stunning, exposing Orkney in all its glory. A shame to leave…but it is now raining! @britishspiders.bsky.social

Off to #Whitehall, not to visit the PM, but the island of Stronsay on Orkney’s eastern flank and to record #spiders & harvestmen for the very first time here. @megabunus.bsky.social @cofnod.org.uk @britishspiders.bsky.social @tylanberry.bsky.social

Plenty of new #spider records for the #OrkneyIslands coming @britishspiders.bsky.social way. Sampling the coastal cliff vegetation communities at the impressive Marwick Head.

@andymus.bsky.social Have collected the first #sawflies from Orkney today in blistering heat (24°C) under blue skies and almost calm weather! The remarkable and dry summer continues!

ICYMI @ynuorg.bsky.social @eggboxenvy.bsky.social @yorkshiredales.org.uk @northyorkmoors.org.uk

Available on the web. Buy a copy and get stuck in. Obviously with a @yorkshiretea.bsky.social ☕️🫖 @cieem.bsky.social @royentsoc.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social @britishecologicalsociety.org @britishspiders.bsky.social @britishbugs.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social @rspb.bsky.social

If you are interested in some extensive paid bird survey work, especially if you live in mid Wales, send me a Bluesky chat message and I'll pass on more details. #birdingWales

Does anyone have a PDF of this paper scholar.google.com/scholar?clus... they can send me? Thanks.

Unusual request! Are there any studies I can reference (ideally British-based; more ideally on coastal grazing marsh) on number of cowpats produced per individual cow per day in a conservation grazing environment? Might help inform ecological mitigation for insects in dung. @cieem.bsky.social

If #BiodiversityNetGain was the talking point for England-based #ecologists in 2024, I predict the following press release presages a 2nd major talking point in 2025: www.gov.uk/government/n... @cieem.bsky.social @robyaxley.bsky.social @britishecolsoc.bsky.social @rtpiplanners.bsky.social

Thrilled & pleased that @britishspiders.bsky.social is here. Biased but one of the best invertebrate recording schemes there is. Others are available but this one has legs. 8 of them.

@britishspiders.bsky.social Yay! Welcome to the better place. @andymus.bsky.social @robyaxley.bsky.social

If on Twitter, you tweet, what's the verb for this place? Blued? Skyed?

A busy day report writing on another interesting site in NE England. More spp extending ranges north; decent haul of taxa with nature conservation status (5.5% of assemblage) & 65 stenotopic taxa, comparable in % terms to a nearby SSSI. Now off to the CIEEM Yorkshire Annual Members Meeting.

Definitely a fruit crumble kind of day. With added oomph (technical culinary term). @robyaxley.bsky.social @andymus.bsky.social

@andymus.bsky.social 👇

The blotches on these Sycamore leaves; are they just a natural decay process or caused by a leaf miner or fungus? @robyaxley.bsky.social

Just completed identifying #spiders from a North Wales site which included Mangora acalypha (Araneidae), 2nd for 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 & first for VC51.

Right, am going to start posting stuff on spiders, invertebrates and ecology here as opposed to X. Look forward to engaging and hopefully organisations will move across too.

I think it might be time I start using this @robyaxley.bsky.social @lisajk.bsky.social but problem is that most of the organisations I converse with are still on X. What to do?