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?

Gall of the week is one you may be bringing into your home this week. It is the gall of the aphid Sacciphantes viridis on Norway spruce, Picea abies. Photographer unknown.

Today is International Migrants Day. The immigration debate has become increasingly toxic - so we asked the public what they think. Watch and share if you agree 🔁

Save the dates! Our winter talks will recommence in January at the Sprowston Diamond Centre. First up Wednesday 14th January Helen Booth, Water Voles - a Landscape Perspective Then Friday 23rd January Dave Appleton, Bats About Moths - Celebrating the Wonder and Diversity of Norfolk's Moths.

The Invisible Bug? An appreciation of Cardiastethus fasciiventris. #Video: youtu.be/fiupgUPR218 #Bugs #Hemiptera #VC55

Gnarly neuroptera-mimic caterpillar I spotted in Costa Rica. It would whip it's head back as if it was trying to bite when I poked it with a stick

I’m still looking forward to my first Hawk Owl of the winter 🤤 😵‍💫

Is it safe to call this Callitula pyrrhogaster or are there any confusion species? I can't find a relevant key but it looks like other photos of this species and it's supposed to be distinctive. It's 1.5mm long and was found by suction in late July in grass at the edge of wet woodland in Norfolk.

So it seems that today Brazil has laid on (unintentionally I assume) raging fire, torrential rain, extreme heat and food shortages to give #COP30 delegates a taste of what life will soon be like (already is for many) if they don’t start treating #ClimateChange seriously. Will they get the message?

I thought I had a lot of moth records (with >10,000 from this year still to submit) but that’s small fry compared to what’s already been submitted by everyone else. I don’t envy the moth county recorder’s job! Well done Jim…

Just visited the Lacewing Recording Scheme website and there are lots of great identification guides available, e.g. www.laars.jamesjepson.com/neuroptera-l... - thanks to @jamesjepson.bsky.social and colleagues for putting this together

Not sure why this hasn’t appeared on the #Neuroptera feed yet - hopefully just a matter of timing and it will be there soon. Love seeing examples of Neuroptera and allied orders from other parts of the globe.

Terrific Pallid Swift at West Runton today.

Just watched this video - really interesting and informative. Worth a watch if you haven’t already.

A great website. Full of crucial info and ideas for how to live in a way that gives us a fighting chance of avoiding catastrophe. I’ve threaded it to break it up a little… 1/17 #lowcarbonliving www.tudelft.nl/sustainabili...

A case well made in this thread…

*241* mph?! That’s a lotta wind. For context, sustained winds of 74mph are enough to label it a hurricane. The most catastrophic category 5 hurricanes only have to be 156mph. They’re also expecting it to drop more rain than most of England gets in a whole year.

A good day to come across this account: apparently it’s the 10th anniversary of my Brown Shrike find…

I had fun identifying Conopid flies today including two recent Ivy Waspgrabbers (Leopoldius signatus) and one from last year. Armed with this experience I revisited and confirmed a suspected Early Waspgrabber (Leopoldius brevirostris) from 2020, quite rare apparently. All four had come to light.

The number of Harlequin Ladybirds hibernating in my kitchen went up yesterday: 18 late morning, up to at least 54 by evening. I usually get 2- and 7-spot Ladybirds hibernating in my study and Harlequins in the kitchen but this is more than usual.

I'm working on my specimens caught over the summer. This from my garden moth trap on 13th June appears to be Deleaster dichrous, although there were some problems keying it (tarsus 4 not simple for starters). Not many records in Norfolk (only one up to the end of 2021, don't know after that).

This has received no publicity but is damning. A clear explanation of why this type of reintroduction is not just a distraction and a waste of resources but is ACTIVELY HARMFUL to conservation. Environmental journalists please note and please publicise. operationturtledove.org/captive-rele...

Diasemiopsis ramburialis (Migrant Sable) in mid Norfolk last night. I’ve caught lots of good moths here incl. 3 county firsts but this may be the rarest @migrantmothuk.bsky.social so far. 4th for Norfolk (3rd this year) unless @norfolkmoths.bsky.social has others pending. #NorfolkMoths #TeamMoth

I like it when a #newt shows up at my moth trap. I've had Smooth Newts here a few times now but previously they've always been unspotty juveniles (one was a little spotty). #Amphibians

Does anyone know of papers documenting the impact of Asian Hornets on insect populations (other than Honey Bees)? A statement on the Kent Downs National Landscape site says "In other parts of Europe, their arrival has led to huge declines in native insects" and I'd be interested to know more.

It would be great to have an up-to-date book on Europe's lacewings etc. but this isn't it. A hefty price for a small book that covers a small % of its too-big scope. The plates are mainly set specimens, too small to be of use. Some useful detail but limited value with so much omitted. More in ALT.

Back our campaign to balance the BBC: www.libdems.org.uk/bbc

Paging @norfolknorwichbats.bsky.social

I caught this Wasp Nest Beetle (Metoecus paradoxus) in my moth trap last night, a new species and family for me. They lay eggs in rotting wood that a wasp might harvest. If one does then the larvae climb on to the wasp, hitch a lift to its nest and then parasitise the wasp larvae. Neat trick.

Expect your mobile to go off 3pm Sunday! Be prepared for a test of the Govt's emergency alert system. Full info... www.moneysavingexpert.com/news/2025/09... LIVING WITH DOMESTIC ABUSE? If you've a hidden mobile, you the link above has details of how to opt out of the alert. Pls share

How many generations do Ruby Tigers have? They're said to have two, one in spring and a larger one in Jul-Sep. But my records show a dip in late Aug, and phenology charts at @norfolkmoths.bsky.social & other county websites reflect this pattern so I wonder if they have 3, spring, Jun-Aug & Sep?

Best thing in the trap this week was the mayfly Heptagenia sulphurea (Common Yellow Dun) which has quite a restricted distribution in East Anglia. See ALT text for notes about its changing eye colour. Also two Clifden Nonpareils were nice, the first time I've caught two in a year. #NorfolkMoths

The Norfolk county recorder & verifier starter pack has been updated to include @norfolkbirds.bsky.social . You can see the whole list here: go.bsky.app/V4aGdWk or via the starter pack menu on our profile.