Managed to fire off a handful of pics of this Pale or Helice-form Clouded Yellow on Purbeck (Dorset) y’day, before it inevitably flew off at breakneck speed. Annoyingly, unable to discern extent of black markings on upperwing. Inseparable on underwing markings, me thinks? @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

As a relative neophyte to the moth-bothering business it was quite a thrill to be pointed in the direction of my first Convolvulus Hawk-moth y’day. This monster specimen - about the length of my little finger - was resting up on the patio wall of the Portland bird observatory. #TeamMoth

Cornwall - 17,000 Dorset - 0 😫

Just had a v close Leach’s Petrel past Chesil Cove, viewed for at least 5 mins. Looks to be heading towards the bill. (3 Stormies this morning) @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social

One of my target Odonata species on a recent trip to East Sussex was Willow Emerald Damselfly. Woods Mill nature reserve, home of @sussexwildlife.bsky.social, is reputed to be a good site for them. It took me over 2 hours to find a few individuals, but this male posed nicely on its favoured perch.

Pleased to find 6+ Southern Migrant Hawkers along the R Ouse near Southease (E Sussex) during a recent visit. Having fired off dozens of pretty poor flight shots it was good to eventually stumble across a v smart perched male. Boots were duly filled! @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

This odd-looking dark-ish juv tern (right hand bird) seen briefly & distantly on Brownsea today. Initial thoughts were of Black Tern, but lack of obvs dark patch on side of breast, head markings, + similar size to nearby juv Cmn Tern, all seem to suggest that species 🤔 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

100s if not 1000s of Chalkhill Blues at a parched Martin Down NNR today. They seemed to be everywhere you looked! Elsewhere a showy Brimstone posed nicely for the camera 👇. Avian interest in the form of Turtle Dove & Quail - both heard only. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Definitely not the high point of my faltering wildlife photography career to date, but you get the idea! Not easy holding a heavy Kowa ‘scope in one hand while trying to take a photo with your phone in the other 😆 (Note to self: must ALWAYS carry #1 camera with me 🙄) @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Durlston Head sea watch. Single Cory’s Shearwater west 10:50-11:00. Also 18 Manx, 5 Balearic. I’m guessing that the Cory’s will have been picked up later passing Portland 🙂 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social

Three species of hairstreak butterfly at @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social Alner’s Gorse reserve today, including this lovely fresh Brown Hairstreak (a male, I think, tho not 100% sure). @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Good numbers of Purple Hairstreaks flitting around the Oak tree next to the bench at the end of Cordite Way (Poole Harbour). Some of them are feeding on the lower branches hence good photo opps for those who are of a mind to. 🦋. Nice views of adult WTE over towards Arne. @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social

Purple Duo! One more photo from Knepp y’day, and perhaps one that I’m unlikely to ever capture again. Both of the UK’s purple-named butterflies in the same camera viewfinder. Purple Emperor at lower left, Purple Hairstreak at upper right. 🦋🦋😍 @kneppwilding.bsky.social @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Pretty damn awesome to witness the Purple Emperor bonanza at @kneppwilding.bsky.social yesterday in perfect conditions. 30+ sightings of 20 or more individuals. Seeing & hearing my first Turtle Doves for several years was a nice bonus. V impressed with Knepp Estate - the landscape & the ethos 🦋👍

3 steps backwards for every 1 step forward. Seems like 400 will soon become the new 500 😆

Initial thoughts re this handsome critter were of a clearwing species. However, I can’t seem to match it with anything in my moth guide, so perhaps belongs to some other family. Any ID help appreciated, thanks. Photo taken y’day at one of the Shropshire mosses. #TeamMoth

Oh my days. Wout van Aert. Super-domestique GOAT. No question. 🚵‍♀️🐐💪 #giroditalia

Pleased to find a new DW territory on one of my lower grade BTO Heathland Bird Survey squares this a.m. Pair with young on the only patch of suitable habo (as clocked on 1st visit). Backup cast of Tripits, Stonechats, Y’hammers Cuckoos & (early?) SS Blues 🦋. Nice work! @btobirds.bsky.social

Good hair day, bad hair day. Durlston Country Park, Dorset, 22.5.2025. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Fascinating to watch this Common Clubtail dragonfly slowly emerge from its nymph stage over the course of c1 hour on the banks of the R Thames. Pics taken at T0, T10, T30 & T50 mins. As per custom it flew off to tree tops shortly after last pic. Amazing spectacle. @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

Veggie lunch for one rather adorable Brownsea Island resident yesterday 🦌☺️. As always, a pleasure for us volunteers to chat with so many kind (and generous) visitors to the island. @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social #WildBrownsea

Very distant flock of waders on Brownsea Lagoon y’day. Taken at extreme 🔍! c6 apiece of Dunlin & Sanderling, 1 of latter in near summer plumage, and 1 (2nd from R) with yellow ring on R tarsus & metal ring on L tibia. Dutch scheme perhaps? @dorsetbirds.bsky.social #WildBrownsea #DorsetBirds

Duke of Burgundy, Cerne Abbas, Dorset 6.5.2025 @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

I was somewhat envious of the hundreds of cyclists taking part in the 100 km IoW Randonee charity bike ride round the island. Maybe next year… 🚴🏼‍♂️⛰😳🥵

Pleased to complete the full set of commonly occurring British frits with the addition of Glanville Fritillary; half a dozen seen on Afton Down (Freshwater Bay), IoW yesterday. Pix show, I think, female and male examples. Sadly couldn’t capture the lovely undersides 🦋 @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

Nice work 👌👍

If someone had told me this morning that, today, I would see an adult Black-crowned Night Heron giving outlandish views on a rocky foreshore, in broad daylight, on a glorious sunny day in the UK, I would have seriously questioned what medication they were on 😂. A superb county ✅. #DorsetBirds

2 pale-phase Pomarine Skuas east past Durlston Head at 10:35. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social @birdguides.bsky.social #DorsetBirds

I’m something of a moth numpty, so am hoping the BlueSky moth experts can tell me what this handsome critter is. c1.5 cm long. Deffo a warmth lover as it’s sat on my outside wall in the full glare of the scorching afternoon sun 🔥😳 (pic taken shaded by my hand to reduce harsh lighting) 🙏 #teammoth

A 36-mile 🚴🏼‍♂️ around the lanes & chocolate-box villages of N Dorset was enhanced by many W’throats, 2 L’throats, Yellowhammers, a RL Partridge, and a Tree Pipit which was advertising its territory from a stack of dead branches in a set-aside field 👇 right next to the busy A35. Adaptable birds!

Waiting at the jetty for the boat to #BrownseaIsland for a day of volunteering, I noticed this Swallow kept returning to a tying-up post right next to the boardwalk. Too good an opportunity to pass up! It’s easy to forget just how sumptuous their plumage is up close. Pix uncropped. #DorsetBirds

IMHO the lemon-yellow colouration on the underside of a Grey Wagtail is one of the finest sights in British birding. This singing male at Wool bridge, Dorset, 20.4.2025 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social #dorsetbirds

See…I told you they were pink! 😄 (After initial views of the Pink-footed Goose in the rain at Swineham GPs last week, it was nice to get better views - and pics - under today’s sunnier skies) #DorsetBirds

A wildly optimistic 1.5h seawatch at Durlston CP this AM produced, as anticipated, a less than bumper haul of passing seabirds. 2 Manxies the best of the bunch. Distant wader looked like a Barwit. 1 Sandwich Tern. Still a bit too early for any serious skua action. @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

Grasshopper Warbler ‘reeling’ near the top of the steep gully below the obelisk at the west end of Ballard Down at c11:30 @dorsetbirdclub.bsky.social

@dorsetwildlife.bsky.social @dorsetbirds.bsky.social

Out of idle curiosity, and since I was in the vicinity, I thought I’d see if it’s possible to view the Brownsea Iagoon ‘boomerang’ from Evening Hill park. Turns out you can! At full mag, Sandwich Terns, BH & Med Gulls, & most other spp readily identifiable. No sign of FT tho! Stunning viewpoint 🏖⛵️☀️

Being a hopeless weight weenie, I like to travel light when I’m out doing a longer training ride 🚴🏼‍♂️. But as there’s always a chance of adding to the non-🚙 bird list I slip this 👇 Hawke ED 10x monocular into a bar-bag. Came in useful today for adding RL Partridge to the list ✅ #lowcarbonbirding

Called in to see the ever popular Dotterel at Ferrybridge this AM en route to Portland. Unfortunately it was hunkered down on the shingle some distance away, so my record shots don’t cut it cf the many fab pics already online. So here’s a sharp-dressed Wheatear instead 😀 @dorsetbirdclub

I’ve signed up for a couple of squares in E Dorset. Hoping this fair(ish) weather continues into April when the survey period starts ☀️🤞

So I finally worked up the cojones to take on the less-than-scenic c22 mile cross-Poole cycle ride to Longham Lakes to add L Scaup to my non-motorised list. Chilly & overcast (again!) but a successful trip, tho kinda wish I’d gone to Arne instead. Hey-ho, there’s always tomorrow! 🦆🚴🏼‍♂️😄 #DorsetBirds

So the P950 came good today. Had split-second 👁 of large brown BoP land behind grassy bank. Initial thought was Hen H. Flipped 📷 to shutter priority + tracking, then waited…Several minutes later it flew up & I was lucky to get a few decent frames of this smart juv Goshawk (Poole area) #DorsetBirds

Like many other birders I use a Nikon Coolpix P950 for wildlife 📷 . Despite its obvs technical prowess/spec, I confess that I struggle to get great results with it. 99% of my pics fall in the ok/good record shot category. Hence pleased to get 👇 pics of Blk Redstart recently in Spain. #birdinggear

After a few days enjoying the lark-fest in the desert-scape of the Ebro valley, the next stop was the village of Riglos in N Spain. Been here a few times before - spectacular scenery and a renowned birding hotspot. 3 adult Bearded, 3 Egyptian, and 10s of Griffon Vultures within first hour. Nice! 🦅🦅🦅

Woohoo! Finally caught up with Dupont’s Lark recently at El Planeron NR, Spain at the *counts* 5th attempt. Very obliging of it to sit up on a low bush for c5 mins while I snapped away 😄. Nearby a dapper Blue Rock Thrush was at Belchite village ruins, tho poor light precluded flattering pics 😕.

😯

Super-pleased to come across this delightful picture of a Smew by @puffinpassion.bsky.social in my local charity shop. Of all the species that have become increasingly scarce in the UK, this is probs the one I miss the most. Must be 25+ years since I last found a couple of ‘White Nuns’. #ukbirding

Brilliant campaigning from @wwtworldwide.bsky.social ft Megan McCubbin in spoof video at the Duck & Cover restaurant. The use of humour as a campaign tool shouldn't be underestimated. #BanLead #Ornithology raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/02/11/t...