Heath Spotted Orchid and Chimney Sweeper moth on my return to Staffordshire moorlands. Also had a Two-banded Longhorn Beetle, but a frustrating day, Curlew-wise. Two nests predated. Birds at two hatched nests giving us the runaround, but we did find a new chick with parents

Many Nyctia halterata (Dark-winged Flesh Fly) and first Silver-washed Fritillary of the year at Cloud Wood today

1/3 A bonanza of patch ticks on a short walk from home along Ward's Lane yesterday included Oedemera lurida (a false blister beetle), Hoplia philanthus (Welsh Chafer) and Amblyteles armatorius (an ichneumon) in our garden

Went around Ticknall Limeyards with Martin Roome looking where he used to find Meadow Saxifrage and literally 00s of Adder's Tongue, but found none, but then entertained by a spectacular eruption of Scarlet Tigers around the entrance. At least 25 swarming around us.

Swift Walk around Melbourne 7:30pm - 8:45pm Meet Melbourne Market Place bus shelter Grid Ref SK386251 Suitable for all ages. Walk is approx 1.2km. Led by Richard Winspear Free event - no booking needed Organised by Derbyshire Ornithological Society Contact - Richard Winspear 07908 025121

First avian patch tick of the year. A soggy 3 mile circular walk searching for the White Stork at Hatton culminated in a 20 yard encounter🤦‍♂️ Then it flew🤦‍♂️Circled and landed 50 yards away, OK, still close enough to see it had no rings through bins

Patch ticks this week included Garden Grass-veneer (Chrysoteuchia cumella), Ptychoptera contaminata (a cranefly) and Triangle Plume (Platyptilia gonodactyla) at Ticknall Limeyards

Patch ticks last week included Pipiza austriaca (a hoverfly), Aritranis director (an ichneumon), Grammoptera ruficornis (a longhorn beetle) and Tenthredo temula (a sawfly) at Cloud Wood

BBC News - Vets advise ban on over the counter flea treatment for pets www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Another fantastic Open Farm Sunday at RSPB Hope Farm. Found a stunning White-letter Hairstreak and Mother Shipton's Moth plus lots of Ruderal Bumblebees and Roesel's Bush-crickets on one of the nature tours

Had the briefest views of a small Grass Snake swimming in one of the ponds at New Lount NR last Friday (29th May). First time I've seen them locally since my first ever sighting at the same location on 29th April last year

It was certainly a day of Painted Ladies. 17 during my CBC survey at Willington Wetlands this morning and 6 flew north past the Calke Explore cafe at lunchtime, together with 1 Red Admiral and a Brimstone

Two new breeding attempts within an hour on possibly my last day with the SW Peak wader team. A pair with chicks and a bird on 4 eggs 12 yards from a public footpath 🤦‍♂️

What a roller coaster day. Started off finding a Curlew nest with the thermal drone: first time a nest has been found with the drone in Staffordshire. Next met up with a team of volunteers to fence the nest I found on Friday, but it had already been predated...

Wow. This Wasp Beetle just landed on the patio door. What a stunner 😍

Lesser Pond-sedge new for me at Willington GP this morning

Found my first solo Curlew nest today, so just a quiet nest dance in my head. One to fence next Monday 🥳🎉

Richard Winspear ‪@boggy-on-trent.bsky.social‬ A third cream-crowned Marsh Harrier on the Staffordshire Moors today. Not sure what is going on! Otherwise, a day of inverts. Coppery Click Beetle, Green Tiger Beetle and Wall Butterfly

Successfully twitched an Osprey eating a very large fish at Willington GP. In a single minute, saw Osprey and flyover Bittern, Whimbrel and Red Kite from the tower hide (P5)

A Hobby and large number of hirundines and Swifts hawking around Melbourne Pool now, probably after these. Not sure it is identifiable from this shot? Head and body about 13mm. First time I've seen Hobby here

Birding highlight this morning was having 70 Swifts darting around me below head height

On Curlew duties this week, came across this Dor Beetle at Three Shires Head and a Short-eared Owl carrying food in Derbyshire

Another new nest and our fenced nest still going. Amazingly, the female stayed sat whilst we checked the fence 10 yards from her. Also, a bank full of Mountain Pansies and a Bilberry Bumblebee

Tried using the thermal drone to find Curlews today, but just found Hares

Great couple of days with the team at Bempton. Amazing seabirds, but farmland covered in Tree Sparrows and Corn Buntings, too. No farmland habitats to speak of. Is the wide corridor of semi-natural habitat along the cliff top sufficient to sustain them?

Great to see a Lapwing brooding at least 2 chicks, lots of Sand Martins using the nesting wall, at least 3 singing Willow Warblers, Linnets and Little Grebe at Pride Park Sanctuary this morning. What a fab place so close to the city centre that we nearly lost to development. Now it's thriving 😊

A royal wild goose chase. I was at Anchor Church GP when a Spoonbill was found at High Bridge. I was back home when it was relocated at Anchor Church! And 3 Sanderling were at Barrow GP. Tried to view both from Ingleby and saw the Spoonbill. Saw Martin watching the Sanderling but couldn't see them.

A surprising flock of 12 Cattle Egrets was the only notable sighting at Weston GP this morning

The big plume of smoke on the northern horizon we could see whilst working on the Staffordshire moorlands yesterday was probably the wildfire at Snake Pass 20 miles away

2 Arctic Terns bombed through Willington GP this morning

Two nests in two days. Team SW Peak Waders is on a roll

My home for the next 4 weeks finding and protecting Curlew nests in the SW Peak District. Found the first nest of the year within 2 hours of starting my sabbatical 😊

Great couple of days running a training course with the Hope Farm team for @rspb.bsky.social and @the-wildlifetrusts.bsky.social farm advisers on nature-friendly arable farming. The first time we have ever run a joint national farm training event

A total of 92 species across 6 Gravel Pits this week and I missed a few. 100 in the Trent Valley must be possible

Alerted to an extraordinary wader fest in a shallow scrape near Ambaston GP this afternoon. 4 Wood Sandpipers, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank, 1 Green Sandpiper and 7 Yellow Wagtails in a patch of water that will probably dry out by next weekend if the weather stays hot and dry

12 screaming Swifts passed over Barrow GP this morning, followed by a Hobby attacking a LRP (unsuccessfully)

Annual trip to see the Early Purple Orchids at Cloud Wood today. Only saw 4. More surprising was a female Ichneumon extensorious with white-tipped abdomen and spot on thorax. Frustratingly unable to get a photo

Had a tip off early afternoon that Black Terns were appearing all over the Midlands, then 21 at Carsington, then 2 at Ogston so nipped to Barrow GP after dinner and sure enough 4 Black Terns there

Leucozona lucorum was a new one for me today at Ticknall Limeyards. What a smart hoverfly!

A level of natural history beyond me, a proper mycologist has looked at the spores of the Morels I found at Hilton GP: ", its Verpa conica. With 8 spores in the ascus instead of 2 in V. bohemica. Images of spores part asci and paraphyses below. In congo red in water."

A fine morning starting at Willington GP with 9 warblers including Grasshopper Warbler and Lesser Whitethroat, and the Cuckoo still present from yesterday. Called in at Barrow GP and a Whimbrel was present until it was spooked by gulls and flew north, plus 1st Common Tern of the year and 3 Wheatear

Two new species today, possibly at opposite ends of the cuteness scale: Red Mining Bee (Osmia bicornis) and False Puffball (Reticularia lycoperdon), which is actually a Slime Mould

Walked the first 8 miles of my journey to London today. The fog hung over the river on a beautiful morning. 54 species

Nomada goodeniana (Gooden's Nomad Bee) at Long Eaton GP today was my 50th new species of the year

Found an impressive Sand Martin colony on the Dove at Egginton. I estimated 135 birds in the air around me at one point

Four new species today. Apioperdon pyriforme (Stump Puffball) at Hilton Gravel Pits NR, and Ramalina farinacea (Shaggy Strap Lichen), Cryphaea heteromalla (Lateral Cryphaea) and Platycheirus albimanus) at New Lount NR

My first Whitethroat (3), Yellow Wagtail and Common Sandpiper of the year at High Bridge GP today

Three new species at Hilton Gravel Pits NR yesterday: Raspberry Beetle (Byturus tomentosus), Thimble Morel (Verpa conica) and St George's Mushroom (Calocybe gambosa)

First Orange-tip and Holly Blue of the year today

Three new species at Ticknall Limeyards yesterday: Silky Wall Feather-moss (Homalothecium sericeum), Bibio johannis, and Strawberry Snail (Trochulus striolatus)