Ah! When I downloaded my pictures from the other day I see that my first Tephritid of the year was not Tephritis cometa but actually T.divisa. Post in haste regret at leisure!

Another day, another Tephritid, this time Tephritis vespertina, in the garden with a good array of other insects enjoying the sunshine. Eristalis tenax & pertinax (m&f), Tree Bumblebee and at least 2spp of solitary bees.

@dipteristsforum.bsky.social First Tephritid of the year today here in S. Hants, Tephritis cometa in the garden.

Disappointing to see an increase in Feral Pigeon influence in the Rock Dove population of The Mullet, Co Mayo when I was there recently. Perhaps 1/20 showed either "chequers" or darkened plumage. #ornithology #birds

I came across what seems to be Leopoldius calceatus on a low Ivy hedge on the Hants coast today not sure if this is a new county record but certainly a first for me. @dipteristsforum.bsky.social

A "lifer" for me in the garden actinic trap last night, a Striped Hawk-moth, in very good condition as was the Small Marbled, a moth I had not seen before this year's influx. #teammate #hantsmoths

Any Dipterist's out there, does this look like Phasia aurigera to you? Picture taken today in S.Hants garden also lots of Ectophasia crassipennis about too. #Diptera #flies

Mothing continues to be good here in S.Hants, with Lunar-spotted Pinion NFG last night, but top spot went to the ladybird Calvia decemguttata aka the Jersey Ladybird, I got one a couple of weeks ago but it escaped before I got a picture. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Having yesterday bemoaned my failure to see a Lappet for many, many years, I caught one today! A wonderful beast indeed, but sort of eclipsed by this rather tatty Dark Umber, which is strangely very infrequently recorded in SW Hants and the first that I can ever recall seeing. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Fig Leaf Skeletoniser NFG this morning, I had only ever seen the larval feeding signs before and that not locally. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

Ran 2 traps in the S.Hants garden last night, 125w MV & 20w actinic. More moths of more species in the MV but actinic had all the quality and all the migrants, including Small Mottled Willow, Bordered Straw and 2 Small Marbled (new moth for me). #teammoth

A new moth, at least as an adult, from the garden last night Acrocercops brongniardella. #TeamMoth

Q. Is iRecord down at present? I don't seem to be able to enter records, either I cannot login at all or if I can the records don't upload. The backlog is growing fast!

An interesting Villa from a weedy field margin beside the Beaulieu River today, photos only unfortunately.

I saw my first White Admiral of 2025 today in the New Forest when looking for hoverflies. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

The only butterfly I saw in the garden today was this newly minted Dark Green Fritillary, I see the odd one most years but typically much later in the season. @ukbutterflies.bsky.social

A few from Ynyslas on Friday on a failed Pamponerus germanicus hunt. Philonicus albiceps, Dasypoda hirtipes, Thereva nobilitata & Yellow Shell.

After a windy week it was good to get the butterfly transect done. Disappointing to find the small grassland that usually delivers well has been mown flat, not sure why, not for a crop and not grazed.

I spend a lot of time in the New Forest and have held a licence to do casual invertebrate surveys. This year I have been asked to provide £10M public liability insurance by @forestryengland.bsky.social which is prohibitive and presumably intended to deter species recording, anyone else had this?

Diaperis boleti from the New Forest today, appropriately on a bracket fungus.

Caliprobola speciosa still looking good in the New Forest this afternoon. #Diptera #Hoverflies #NewForest

The snail-killing fly Pherbellia annulipes from a walk in the New Forest and 1 of 2 female Scaeva selenitica in the garden today, perhaps suggesting an arrival of migrants, both despite almost no sunshine today. #Diptera #Flies

Sub-urban garden "mini-meadow" starting into summer now the spring flowers are over. It may not hold viable populations but does provide a stepping stone habitat for lots of species, e.g 31spp of butterflies recorded so far.

Despite rain threatening 4 Currant Clearwing to TIP on the allotment this afternoon. #TeamMoth #HantsMoths

Now this is interesting....a second from the same Hampshire site. #Teammoth #Hantsmoths

An unexpected Flame Wainscot (unless I am mistaken - it has been known!) trapped on the S. Hants coast last night, could be a migrant, but there was also suitable habitat nearby, so you never know. Very rarely recorded in Hants with just one this century as far as I can see. #teammoth #Hantsmoths

I can goes years without seeing a Bee Hawk-moth, so seeing both species in the space of a few days in Hants has been a real treat. Picture won't win any prizes, but they are not the most cooperative of species. #teammoth

First Acrosathe annulata out at LepeCP on 30/04 with some already working on the next generation. A smart fly of sandy places looking great in the sunshine. #insects #flies

A great day out surveying, breeding birds early, then two butterfly transects and this evening waders on the New Forest. Highlights included my first Cuckoo of 2025, two Green Hairstreak & Andrena labiata new for the garden. #Hantsbirds #butterflies #bees

First Brachyopa sp of the year today in the New Forest, I always find these tricky, but I think one this is bicolor as the scutellum is distinctly grey dusted. #insects #hoverfly #NewForest

NFY,NFG Black Redstart as I was eating lunch today, still waiting for the Hoopoe. #UKbirding #Hantsbirding

@hantsconnect.bsky.social have, on paper, a good verge cutting policy. Practice is rather different. This herb rich site on the A326 shows two ways you can destroy such a site. Cutting early & often leaving a mulch of cuttings & not cutting at all to promote brambles.

I never could do ferns (if it is one). Could someone direct me on this seen in a Lake District quarry earlier this week. #BSBI

2 brent with colour-rings at LepeCP in the last few days, both ringed in N.Holland, this one in May 2024 and the other in 2023. Neither had been seen, earlier in the winter so I think migrants from further W, although they had not been reported away from NL previously. #UKbirds #Hantsbirding

A pair of LRP and a male White Wagtail the best from a very pleasant walk from Normandy Lagoon to Pennington Marsh & back, at least 8 Spoonbill also featured. #Hantsbirds #UKbirding

A new plant for me, although not a native, Field Marigold seen on the outskirts of Beaulieu, Hants on 03.03.2025. I think escaped from a "Wildflower mix".

Signs of Spring #fsprintmonday

Mothfest!! First moth to actinic light here this year, a Double-striped Pug. #UKmoths

55spp on my BTO Birdtrack in a 105min visit to Lepe CP this morning including 2 Gt N Diver, 2 Slav Grebe, Barn Owl and this colour-ringed Med Gull from Poland, which has been here before. #UKbirding #Hantsbirds

Winter streams #waterwaysoftheNewForest #NewForest #photography #reflections

New Forest stream #fsprintmonday #NewForest #waterwaysoftheNewForest

#Hantsbirding I have just seen Blashford Lakes HIWWT Reserve will be closed Sunday 26th & Monday 27th (posted on the other place). Gull count will need rescheduling again.

A colour-ringed, even if all black, 2cy Oystercatcher near the car park at Lepe CP this morning. Seems likely to have been ringed just a mile away as a nestling last summer. #Hantsbirds #BTOringing #waders

A few inverts today, two very different Mottled Umber, Orchesella villosa & Winter Moth, The moths from an outside light at Lepe CP and the springtail from my front step. #UKmoths #Invertebrates

Patch visit to Lepe this morning produced no additions for the year but the Spoonbill count had risen to four. #Hantsbirds #UKbirds

Winter Woods #NewForest

Winter #NewForest #Photography #Trees

A typically quiet walk in the New Forest, just 15spp for #BTObirdtrack in over an hour, but these did include rt Hen Harrier & male Merlin. #Hantsbirds #UKbirding

Early patch visit to LepeCP, 51spp for #Birdtrack but the first visit not to add to the 2025 patchlist. 2 Gt N Diver close off-shore & 2 Raven harassing a Peregrine the best. #Hantsbirds #UKbirding

Lepe patch visit added 3spp for 2025 this morning, Green Sandpiper the best as can be tricky here. 84 for the year so all time Jan best of 91 in sight. #Hantbirds #UKbirding