Fantastic views of silver washed fritillary on the Doward, including lots of courtship behaviour. Flora exceptional as always with the highlight being my first county record of wood vetch (Vicia sylvatica): a stunning species. #butterflies #botany #ecology #conservation

Wigmore Rolls is my favourite Herefordshire woodland: significant for a plethora of flora, avifauna and Lepidoptera. Locally very notable for containing a fragment of W17 temperate rainforest (complete with wood warblers), calcareous flora and wood white #ecology #woodland #herefordshire

Some highlights from Tretawdy Farm this morning: Ruby-tailed wasp, slow worm, small skipper & common spotted orchid. A very underrated HWT reserve: it’s messiness makes it excellent for invertebrates, reptiles and mammals. @herefordshirewt.bsky.social

Had some fantastic insect records on @herefordshirewt.bsky.social surveys in the Black Mountain fringes, all locally scarce: Dark green fritillary, small pearl-bordered fritillary, golden-ringed dragonfly and emperor moth @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Remarkable abundance of cuckoo on North Uist, bucking the trend of their southern decline. Nice to have this bubbling female on the roof of our bothy! #ukbirding #birds #ornithology #wildlife #scotland

Magical encounter with a pair of golden eagles last week in the Outer Hebrides. You can see them being mobbed by a pair of common gull and a Greenshank breeding on the moor. One of many encounters I hope to share with my you soon #birds #birdinguk #ecology #ornithology #eagle #scotland #hebrides

It amazes me that these tiny overlooked ‘arable weeds’ which grow amongst stubble, margins and crops (here field speedwell, groundsel & red dead nettle) are literally keystone species for farmland birds like grey partridge, linnet, turtle dove and more. Bring back the weeds I say!

RND and goldeneye still present at Walford Pools, also female wigeon, 25 greyalgs, 62 coots, 4 tufted duck, 25 mallard, 4 little grebes and a single hawfinch over. Minimum of 26 hawfinch and 3 blackcaps at church and a decent group of 8 song thrush in a single turnip field #herefordbirding

Record shot from back of camera

Brief afternoon around Walford and Ross on Wye part of patch included a drake Ring-necked Duck, first for the patch. Also first winter drake goldeneye still present, 1 female wigeon, 62 coots and 6 hawfinches at church #herefordbirding

A good morning around Ross on Wye patch this morning with @tobywildlife.bsky.social including minimum of 45 hawfinches, then the 1st winter drake Goldeneye and female wigeon at Walford Pools, topped off with 16 snipe and 2 water rails at Gamber Meadows #herefordbirding

Chanced upon this fantastic wet woodland on a site visit yesterday: the largest W7 Alder woodland I’ve seen in Herefordshire! Priority for LWS survey next year: lots of potential for rare flora; might also visit in early spring to look for lesser pecker & willow tits @herefordshirewt.bsky.social

Article on the LWS project I ran this year for @herefordshirewt.bsky.social : 896ha of habitat surveyed, two breeding birds rediscovered, fragment of Celtic Temperate Rainforest found, invaluable relationships with local landowners formed.

Anyone with in-depth knowledge of the habitat preferences and the favourable forms of woodland management for breeding Hawfinch, please get in contact with me. I have substantial experience writing woodland management plans with an avian focus, but never for this species! #hawfinch #ornithology

A fantastic day packed with some exceptional species! Probably the best variety I’ve ever seen overwintering in the Bristol Channel.

1. This image of the Ochlon Valley fills me with excitement! As an ecologist with a growing fascination with breeding birds in the upland fringes of Herefordshire, Id like to spend this winter swatting up on some relevant research/book so that I’m well prepared for the spring (suggestions?)

1. The 2024 Local Wildlife Site Project I ran for @HerefordshireWT has now finished for the year and I can now reveal some of the exciting discoveries that were made. Perhaps the most exciting of which is the first county breeding record of hawfinch in 140 years!

Nice to have joined Bluesky at last, looking forward to engaging with and learning from all the fantastic naturalists, ecologists and conservationists that seem to be abundant here! ☺️