Combining two hobbies yesterday. A common Blenny/Shanny at Lowestoft pier. A #PSL and fishing tick for me, bigger than I thought they’d be! #LRF

Seems a bad evolutionary link for a rare butterfly larva to eat a rare plant’s flowers and seeds. (Swallowtail Butterfly). Still a few adults flying now too.

A quick foray into the fen to carry out some swallowtail larval counts yielded 2 new species for me, an amazing Musk Beetle and the planthopper Stenocranus longipennis

Busy week of identifying specimens from Franchises Lodge, about 260 species (exc moths) identified and the target of better understanding invertebrate identification achieved. A few more pots to go next week and then a big write up required.

Can anyone confirm this grasshopper from New Forest? It’s the only photo I have, dark marks appear to reach rear of pronotum suggesting Heath, but can’t convince myself… thanks!

This ‘Masked Hunter’ must’ve been enjoying breakfast in my moth trap today as it was packed full of bycatch . Can’t see scale in the pic but it’s a very large bug at ~2cm!

This is looking good for Langmaids Yellow Underwing isn’t it??

Back from a great week at rspb’s Franchises Lodge in Wiltshire, primarily to record moths but also try to ID as many inverts as I could. I’ll put together a few messages with the highlights over the coming weeks as I get through the specimens…

Going to #GlobalBirdfair? ➡️ Sat 12 July (10am) - Plover Lecture Stage - 'Scarcities & Swallowtails: Celebrating 50 years of RSPB Strumpshaw Fen'. ✅ Learn about this amazing reserve, now in its 50th year, from the perspective of its most addicted patch-birder... me! #birds #NorfolkBirding 😎

Iconic forest birds of Hawaii saved by Doner Kebabs 😂

Invert recorders- I am doing my first week long study of a site for inverts next week. Q: what is the current best way to store inverts between collection and microscopy c.2weeks later so they can be id’d/carded/pinned etc? Freezer, pickling vinegar on cloth, dry? What do you do? Thanks

Nice to see a Red-Tipped Clearwing (no lure) feeding on Marsh Valerian at Surlingham yesterday, my first clearwing of the year.

135 species in the Strumpshaw moth trap this morning was a very good start to the day, a couple new for the reserve too! My highlight however was the bycatch, 15 new species for me there..

Nice morning at Titchwell looking at reedbed management with Ryan. Also got a few nice sightings while there- Dune Tiger Beetle (beauty!), Marram Weevil, an apparent Gynnidomorpha vectisana and a couple of juv Spoonbills.

Pleasant afternoon at Buxton Heath, some nice bugs, beetles, weevils and hoppers seen and even a well overdue new species of macro moth.

Does anybody use a smaller alternative to the full sized leaf vacuums for invert suction sampling.. that actually works? #PSL @applewildlife.bsky.social I recall seeing a post from you about this, what was your outcome? Thanks

Finally added Water Ladybird to my PSL at Buckenham this afternoon. Gaining slowly but steadily with 2011sp now…. And enjoying it!

4 interlopers with the Highlands yesterday (just 1 in the picture). Amazing how quick you can get used to these once very rare birds… now seemingly part of the scenery

46 Marsh Harriers and 1 Hen Harrier left the roost @rspbstrumpshawfen.bsky.social at dawn this morning. First few hints of spring with Reed Buntings piping up and starting to sing.

Looks like I saw some Mammatus clouds over Catfield Fen Norfolk this afternoon,? Some crazy rain and hail was associated!

Is this a Collared Earthstar (without a collar) or something else? Can’t convince myself of ID using my field guide… @rspbstrumpshawfen.bsky.social yesterday, along the pumphouse track by the gate to meadow.

Todays adventures had me monitoring scrub at a rather monochrome Catfield Fen and back at the fen the cattle have finally produced a Cattle Egret.

Between 38 and 42 marsh harriers up in the air at once in this evenings roost at Strumpshaw Fen. Likely to be 50+ birds in the area at the moment, quite a spectacle

A surprise WeBS bird at Berney/Breydon this morning was very nice….didn’t quite make up for my #Nikon ED50 getting blown over in the wind and breaking the threads 🙄 (also tens of thousands of Lapwing, 7,000+ Golden Plover, 10,000+ pink footed geese, 1000 Shoveler and a Spotted Redshank)

A nice bit of birthday birding at Waxham this morning. Found this stunner of an adult Iceland Gull. Photos terrible but a great bird that I hope sticks around for others. Patterning of primaries initially suggested Kumleins to me, however it appears not to be..

Pan species experts- does this tiny 2mm beetle found in a litter pile yesterday look like it could be Cartodere nodifer? I don’t have the keys but nice and bumpy with waxy edged pronotum look ok. Don’t want to record without ruling out other possibilities, ta.

Not likely to be many sporty messages from me but it was so good to see West Ham vs Arsenal at the weekend it was 2-5 at halftime after an Arsenal/Saka masterclass. Toby was very happy!

Dawn PF Goose roost count at Buckenham, they did not disappoint. I had 8,525 leave the roost as well as at least 9,500 Rooks/Jackdaws in one noisy flock, 2,000+ wigeon and 20 Marsh Harriers

Most people see Sutton Fen in the summer months, today it was very wet, windy and rather unpleasant!

Garden moth trapping produced just a December moth and a couple of Light Brown Apple Moth, but a few bugs were present to keep me occupied. 🤞 tonight will be better

I’ve not managed to put a name to this rather stunning waxcap at Catfield and annoyingly haven’t got a pic of the underside so probably can’t… but what a beaut

Annual Review at Berney Marshes today- a brief foray out of the office produced 3 SEO, a Spotted Redshank, several GWE, a Cattle Egret and the very rough legged lookalike Common Buzzard

Nice morning seawatch at Waxham. Decent trickle of Gannet and Red Throated Divers south. A single probable Great Northern Diver north- looked very pale in strong sunlight (!) and a Snow Bunting in the dunes.

83+ White-Fronted Geese showing well at Buckenham Marshes this morning. (Better than the phone picture suggests!) #Norfolkbirding

Looking forward to posting on here, especially with my new pan species venture. I have a small tray of Staphylids as a winter project… question: new Duff book or the older Lott guide best??