Vast volumes of water moving slowly through the Somerset Levels and Moors. These photos show the King's Sedgemoor area, looking towards RSPB Greylake and the A361. Water transforms the landscape. Amazing to witness its power.

Just been doing my Somerset garden moth trap records data entry (yes I know I am always late!). Nice to reflect on the previous year. Euchromius ocellea was my highlight of 2025, new for me. I am now at 623 species on my life list. I wonder what 2026 will bring. #teammoth

An admirable decision and one that shows courage and leadership. We will need much more of this as the climate breakdown intensifies.

Another year and another wonderful UK Moth Recorders Meeting. An annual highlight for me. These were my two favourite talks; from Kent and Ireland. Thanks to @savebutterflies.bsky.social for continuing to put on this lovely event each year.

Took a walk to look at my local floods in Somerset. From Burrow Mump to King Alfred's monument along the River Tone. Lots of water on land and in the river. Tone has over topped its northern bank. Amazing to watch the power of the flow.

Muted tones and mist on my early morning @webs-gsmp.bsky.social at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social Steart Marshes. Big flocks of Lapwing and smaller groups of Avocet the highlight. Not ideal conditions as not at high tide. Always a joy to be out there though.

This is an issue that I worry about a lot too. Traditional ecological monitoring techniques often tell you more than new modern methods. We must not abandon them. Too many people are rushing to embrace new technologies without thinking about the issues.

The world is changing. We have decisions to make. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

This is a wonderful book. I'm halfway through and enjoying it. These passages stood out. We need to rebuild our connection to the natural world. Too many of us now have no link to it. It is alien to so many. People don't know, understand or care about it. We have lost so much.

I found this dogs vomit slime mould this morning in Somerset. Such a strange looking thing! Wonderful name too!

This is significant. Probably more significant than we realise. It will be impacting other wildlife, particularly invertebrates that are more sensitive to changes in flowering and vegetation growth. It impacts our management practises. What once worked may not now. The world is changing.

This intrigues me. I need to find out more. In England we have species with legal protection. I wonder how this differs from what we have. What extra does it provide? It is an exciting and interesting movement, which we are lagging behind on in the UK.

Another crucial milestone in the Rights of Nature journey! www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Wonderful visit to @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Washes. It looked stunning in the sunshine. Lovely to see the Whooper Swans. Also saw a huge group of Coot, never seen so many! Kingfisher, Lapwing, Wigeon, Teal also great to see. A really lovely reserve to visit.

Government's proposed new National River Walk a damp squib says @openspacessociety.bsky.social -it's not new, but on existing rights of way. Priority should be green paper on access to nature, and new legislation. www.oss.org.uk/new-national... @ramblers.org.uk @naturalengland.bsky.social

I walked the line of HS2 from London to Birmingham. This is what I found: www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte... More widely, the scale of construction going on outside Birmingham was epic. All this striving for... no economic growth. The model isn't working anymore.

Just finished a wonderful long walk from Middlezoy to Langport, across the Somerset Levels. Stunning misty sunrise. 18 cranes on Aller Moor, bugling away. Kingfishers on the River Parrett. Lots of Lapwing around too.

Lots of birds on my @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social Steart. Dunlin flock grown to 5000. Hundreds of Wigeon on the River Parrett, whistling away. Watched a Peregrine hunting the Dunlin, incredible to watch it launch itself at the flock. @btobirds.bsky.social

1. Some good news at last. This week’s column is about the amazing thing a couple of us stumbled into three years ago, which we’ve now developed into a global research programme. It doesn’t change everything, of course, but it could help change quite a lot. + 🧵 www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

"But I have also watched in continuing dismay what we might call the Thatcher syndrome: apparently intelligent politicians failing yet and yet again to have the courage to implement the decisions necessary to tackle the ever more imminent danger of climate change."

The birds are back! Great @webs-gsmp.bsky.social count today at @wwtworldwide.bsky.social Steart Marshes. Dunlin, Wigeon, Teal, Pintail, Shelduck, Peregrine, Red Kite, Marsh Harrier. The mesmerising Dunlin murmuration is always a joy to see.

"Facts alone cannot save habitat." Wise words. www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

One of the most amazing things about Corfu was the swifts. They screeched across the sky in the old town, screaming over the rooftops and through the squares. It was a raw and thrilling spectacle. Two different photos here, one black and white and the other colour. Which do you prefer?

Another amazing insect from Corfu. This glittering beetle is a Cerocoma species, maybe schreberi. I found it in the sand dunes at Korission Lagoon. It had wacky looking antennae, orange and twisted looking!

This is an excellent point. Well phrased. Compromise upon compromise. Resulting in a shifting baseline of environmental protection erosion. Sometimes we have to fight for what the rules say. If we don't we risk losing them.

We've lost most of our orchards and no longer eat the majority of our British apple varieties. It was therefore wonderful to visit @nationaltrust.org.uk Cotehele to see their amazing orchards. Rightly celebrating the incredible diversity of British apple varieties. We need to value them more.

Many people are afraid of spiders. However it would be hard to be scared of this one. This is Aelurillus v-insignitus, which I found on the dune heaths in Dorset last year. A lovely little jumping spider, very charming! Thanks to @tylanberry.bsky.social for the ID! @dorsetwildlife.bsky.social

Two more photos of the stunning Comma butterfly that I saw recently at @nationaltrust.org.uk Cotehele. It was so fresh! I loved the lichen green spots on the underside of the wing. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Surprisingly poor catch in my Somerset garden moth trap this morning. Only 14 species. Box tree moth was the most numerous with 5 caught. Expected more due to warm temperatures. #teammoth

One of my favourite birds from Corfu was the Black-winged Stilt. Comically long red legs, looking gangly and un-elegant when in flight. Much more graceful when delicately wading through the water. Stunning birds to see up close.

Fantastic camouflage on this Comma butterfly. Seen at @nationaltrust.org.uk Cotehele in its fabulous orchard at the weekend. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

This is insane. A conservation charity telling people to use plastic to create 'homes' for insects. Complete nonsense and environmentally damaging. And apparently supported by the Lottery! Crazy. I hate this type of 'bug hotel' stuff too. @froglife.bsky.social

One of the best things I did on the Isle of Skye was visit Claigan coral beach. Yes, a beach made of coral! I had never heard of such a thing. Every handful of 'sand' contained hundreds of unique pieces of maerl coral. It was wonderfully unique and intricate, very beautiful. A really special place.

Beauty and the beast. The contrast between the natural beauty of a Peacock butterfly and the harshness of man made barbed wire. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Yesterday was one of my favourite days of the year. The day I pick the bullaces. We make gin from them every year. I always approach with trepidation as sometimes the crop is poor. This was a good harvest. My winter is safe now, I'll have the delicious gin to get me through.

I think this is a huge part of why our wildlife is struggling so much. The large scale habitat destruction took place a while ago. It is the eradication of these small scraps that now wipes away any refuge things have. They have nowhere to go. Almost everything is gone.

Another amazing insect that I saw in the sand dunes on Corfu was this large sand wasp. I think it is a Bembix species, perhaps bidentata. It rarely settled and it took me ages to get these shots. A fantastic looking thing!

Three of the migrant highlights from my Somerset garden moth trap. A darkly coloured Vestal, not a hint of pink on it! A smart White-point, this species is said to potentially be resident but also a known migrant. Small Mottled Willow, showing some intricacy. @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #teammoth

Surprisingly poor catch in my Somerset garden moth trap this morning. Only 35 species. Little to get excited about but this nicely marked Catoptria falsella was good to see. Fewer migrants this time too, just: White-point, Rush Veneer and Rusty Dot Pearl. @migrantmothuk.bsky.social #teammoth

Fewer moths than I was hoping for considering the hot conditions. 51 species in my Somerset garden. Orange Swift & Shark nice to see. Signs of migration with White Point, Vestal, Small Mottled Willow, Rush Veneer and Rusty Dot Pearl. #teammoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social @savebutterflies.bsky.social

One of the best places I visited in Corfu was the sand dunes at Korission lagoon. They were full of amazing insects. There were grasshoppers everywhere! Photos show: Acrotylus species (digging/banded), Omocestus rufipes (we call it Woodland), Eyprepocnemis plorans (Lamenting).

The long-anticipated first British records of Southern Small White have occurred this summer, with recent sightings from Cleveland and Suffolk:

Only 34 species in my Somerset garden moth trap this morning. The 95 species night in June feels a long time ago now! Marbled Green, Straw Underwing, Buff Footman, Waved Umber the highlights. #teammoth @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Right to Roam isn't really about roaming. It's way more fundamental than that. It's a Right to Be. Be what? Be connected, be present, just existing on the land. It is one of the most basic things of all. Yet we're denied it. @righttoroam.bsky.social @amyjanebeer.bsky.social @guyshrubsole.bsky.social

Fantastic news. Something Lepidopterists have been waiting for! Now to try and learn how to identify this species and split from other similar white species!

Completed the Mendip Way today. The highlight was Cranmore Tower and Great Gains Wood. The beech trees were amazing. Some of the biggest I've ever seen. A lovely varied route with lots of undulations!

Another enjoyable day on the Mendip Way. Cheddar to Shepton Mallet. Amazing views of the coast and Levels. Glastonbury Tor a prominent sight. Ebbor Gorge was lovely. Bloody-nosed Beetle above Wells. Nice to walk around the Bishops Palace. Final day tomorrow.

I'm walking the Mendip Way over the next few days. Today I went from Weston-super-Mare to Cheddar. Some fabulous views of the coastline and surrounding lowlands. Highlight was finally going up Crook Peak. Heading to Shepton Mallet tomorrow.

Fantastic visit to Lydford Gorge @nationaltrust.org.uk today. The devil's cauldron and waterfall were both truly spectacular. A really special place.

The butterfly species I saw most when I was in Corfu a month ago was Cleopatra. It's a stunning species, a jazzed up version of our Brimstone, with a bright orange patch on the upper side of its forewing. However they almost never settled for a photo! This was all I got! @butterflycorfu.bsky.social