More weevils… here are some of the highlights from the Curculioninae subfamily: Furcipus rectirostris, Cionus longicollis (pair), Acalyptus carpini and Dorytomus tortrix. The Cionus genus is adorable!

I’ve now finished reviewing my records and specimens of Apionid weevils. They’re cute little things, if often tricky to identify. Arguably none as attractive as the Sea-lavender Weevil that @arableplants.bsky.social posted last night, so a trip to the coast to find that may be in order this year.

The weevil families Rhynchitidae and Attelabidae are beautiful beetles. Here we have the Nationally Scarce Lasiorhynchites cavifrons, Tatianaerhynchites aequatus (Apple Leaf Weevil), Deporaus betulae (Birch Leaf Roller) and Apoderus coryli (Hazel Leaf-roller). #UKBeetles #UKInverts

I’ve resumed my efforts to get up to date with my beetle records, reviewing past records and identifying outstanding specimens. I’ve now finished off the Chrysomelidae and am making progress through the weevils, then I can move on to the bugs… Here’s the tortoise beetle Cassida viridis.

I was a bit slow seeing this but a really interesting #BirdHybrid here…

Rare and Sensitive Breeding Birds. Please avoid posting photos of rare and sensitive breeding birds and divulging their location and nest sites from 1st March to 31 July. #CornwallBirds #BirdsInCornwall #CBWPS #Bird #Birds #Birdwatching #ConnectWithNature #WildIsles #BritishWildlife #WildCornwall

Final call for any outstanding 2025 bird records. Please send to [email protected] as soon as possible. Not required if already submitted to Ebird/Birdtrack. Thanks

#BirdID #BirdHybrid

Here are some much better photos of today’s Snow Fleas…

Chuffed to bits to see Snow Fleas (Boreus hyemalis) today at Felbrigg. Huge thanks to @vannabartlett.bsky.social for finding them previously and providing directions and to @caryocatactes.bsky.social for spotting them first today - I hadn’t appreciated how tiny they would be! #UKInverts #SnowFlea

This is becoming a pervasive issue, for example involving the sidelining of actual experts and the heaping of pressure on regulatory bodies to move forward with dubious (re)introductions. A quick ecology 101 for ‘conservation gurus’. Thread 🌍🦗🦋🪶🦬🧪1/

Here's the hopper talk from last night - well worth a look. I come across them often when vacuuming, although I won't be buying the books (another £170, although they'll be on the list.) There are more than I thought, in the UK. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cwNt...

A dapper wintering Bluetail at @wendlingbeck.bsky.social continues to show on & off today. Bird on private land & owners are keen for birders to be help not hinderance to the community. Therefore, I've been asked to organise a donation pot for St Mary's Church upkeep. ko-fi.com/simonleomitc...

Periodic reminder that moa de-extinction could lead to net biodiversity loss due to conservation deprioritisation of extant species. The (re)introduction process of any resultant genetically-modified Emus will very expensive www.nature.com/articles/s41... #Ornithology

Throw in the fact that members also receive the county bird and mammal report for free (plus a load of other benefits too) and it’s hard to imagine why anyone who’s interested in Norfolk’s wildlife wouldn’t be a member of NNNS. Must be the one of the best value-for-money memberships available.

A very interesting bird here… #BirdHybrid #NorfolkBirds

This is my go-to paper to point out that significant long-distance trade in wildlife is an ancient phenomenon- here macaws were traded from AD 700 from Meso into North America. Advocates of reintroductions of charismatic species based on sparse remains often conveniently overlook the role of trade.

Just ID’d this Pogonus litteralis from my garden moth trap in August. I’m 16 miles inland but this is coastal and Nationally Scarce so quite unexpected here. Not my first halophilus beetle here though: Bledius bicornis in 2019 & Dicheirotrichus obsoletus in 2023. Also quite a few saltmarsh moths.

Always a good read and this one is no exception…

This fabulous book arrived yesterday and I’ve already read it pretty much from cover to cover. I normally prefer audio books and can’t think of another physical book I’ve read so comprehensively for literally decades. Congrats @graemelyons.bsky.social: a fantastic achievement.

Does anyone on here have a good technique for everting a moth’s aedeagus? I have had success pushing/pulling it through but that doesn’t always work. I can’t source an affordable pipette that’s fine-tipped enough (one in photo has outside diameter of 0.8mm - needs to be nearer 0.25mm). #TeamMoth

My first #lacewing of the year, and an excuse to try out the camera on my new phone. It’s either Chrysoperla carnea or Chrysoperla pallida. Females of these two species can’t be told apart but based on my records of males here it’s several hundred times more likely to be carnea.

The full paper is behind a paywall but this seems a good summary of our knowledge of the ancient historic presence of Dalmatian Pelican in UK: bou.org.uk/blog-crees-d.... I struggle to see how you can read this and think, heh, British wetlands are again suitable for bringing these pelicans back.

From the excellent book on vagrancy (2021). 5-10 years ago we had a moment of clarity - but it didn’t stick. It discusses birding’s carbon emissions & the need to reduce them. It sees a positive future - one that has since faded. We just aren’t ready to change🤷‍♂️🙄 #lowcarbonbirding #ukbirding

If I may make one request this year please do NOT use iNaturalist for recording moths in Norfolk. Please record directly on the website norfolkmoths.co.uk Thank you! #norfolkmoths #teammoth

To meet its current consumption levels with renewable energy, the United States would need the area equivalent to what’s currently used for maple syrup.

Still working through specimens from last year… Here’s a beetle family-tick from 11th July: Orchesia micans (Melandryidae). I found this one indoors at home. Not very common apparently. #UKBeetles

Filed my self assessment tax return about four days earlier than usual, so to celebrate here are some snaps of a funny robin I saw recently in Sheringham #EasternBlackRedstart #NorfolkBirding 🪶

Interesting to see that two species which have more-or-less similar males and females produce hybrid offspring that are clearly sexually dimorphic #BirdHybrid

Apparently there are still people out there who don’t pour Baileys on their Frosties. I recommend it, but maybe not for breakfast. #dessert

With one deadline out of the way this morning I’ve got most of the rest of the week to focus on preparing for this. Should be fun!

Reintroduction/reinforcements work when the initial drivers of species extinction/declines have been addressed (and the species was clearly a native which was impacted by man) and should be used when natural recolonisation is unlikely/impossible...

We don't need to reintroduce large highly mobile waterbirds. If we create suitable space and habitat for them they will colonise naturally and are more likely to be successful #UKBirding 🪶🌍 an #Ornithology 🧵1/5

Two Pacific Divers off Roskilly (12th Jan). These are probably the third & fourth for Cornwall. Photo includes four Great Northern Diver and two Pacific Diver (extreme right and second left). This is the first time that two Pacific’s have actually been seen and photographed together in Cornwall.

Imagine rediscovering a moth looking as fabulous as this after 140 years of hiding.

For the first time since the spring, I'm up to date getting my photos off my camera. Best bird photo is this showy Sparrowhawk from a visit to family in the Lakes with @andyappleton.bsky.social in Nov. Best local patch bird was this Black-bellied Dipper at Bintree Mill in Dec. #NorfolkBirding 🪶

This blog post about the Short-billed Gull on Faroe may be of interest to some: birdingfaroes.wordpress.com #BirdingScotland

Here's a Grey Heron, a Redshank and a Sparrowhawk, from a rare visit to the coast in the summer. Not a very good photo of any of them. #NorfolkBirding #Birds 🪶

There’s little / no evidence of the presence of these species. The one mention in an historic document of tree frogs specifically says they were NOT the frog in Norfolk. And to suggest these species were driven out by humans is pure fantasy. No mention of them in this academic book on the subject.

This is the height of ecological illiteracy and shows how wannabe zookeepers have taken over UK nature conservation. Evidence for native status of these species is incredibly tenuous; releasing them into one of our most ancient & irreplaceable ecosystems would be crazy. www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Ferruginous x Pochard in the rain at Welney yesterday. Note how this hybrid retains Ferruginous traits of white in secondaries and even white spot on chin. #BirdHybrid #UKBirding

How rare is it to find Pholcus phalangioides in the middle of a field 1/2km from a building? Found in a suction sample in Sept but I wonder if it could have entered the bag while the sampler was at home? I'd have shaken the bag out prior to sampling but maybe missed it? @britishspiders.bsky.social

A fabulous record - these are hard to find in Norfolk. They’re recorded much less than annually, though I wonder if with a bit more targeted searching they’d perhaps turn up a little more often?