Spotting lots of #Butterflies during FIT counts on my @pomscheme.bsky.social square today. Mostly beside and not in FIT count area. Good to see them but always hope they do not make it to the pan traps..... @ukceh.bsky.social

Forecast predicted a good day for @pomscheme.bsky.social visit to my square. Wind stronger and cooler than predicted. Brown Hare showing interest. At least one Hoverfly about. Spider reading text about exlusion. Glyphipterix simpliciella doing great job keeping averages up. @ukceh.bsky.social

This leveret has been living in one of our open farm sheds for the last month. Managed to get a few pictures first thing this morning.

Some fresh Canadian fluffballs have appeared on one of our farm ponds. #FarmPonds

Roe Deer - Capreolus capreolus buck and Robin - Erithacus rubecula meet for breakfast on a cold morning.

During this cold spell I keep seeing Snipe - Gallinago gallinago coming out of one of our damp ditches on the farm. They are happy to pose for the Camera. Amazing feather markings.

Yesterday I saw some Common bird’s nest fungus - Crucibulum laeve. It was raining hard at the time, I was hoping to see the periodoles being launched, turns out they are shy and do not do it when you are watching. #Fungi

Even arboreal #Badgers have night shifts that do no always go to plan. #trailcamera #boar

Our #grassland has come alive with #fungi in the last week. Fly Agaric and Panther Cap on Rockrose, Hygrocybe spadicea - Date Waxcap, Entoloma nigroviolaceum - Dark Purple Pinkgill and Entoloma porphyrophaeum - Lilac Pinkgill are just some of them. @naturescot.bsky.social

Not sure about the shepherd but the sheep have been warned this morning.

We moved this Pine Marten feeder higher up the Pine tree out of reach of the #Badgers. Forgot we have Arboreal Badgers at Whitmuir.

There is a colour ring project on our farm for our Nuthatch - Sitta europaea families. 41 youngsters received a ring this year. The resident adults are being targeted now. This male (FC) got a (white) colour ring. If you see him or any others report to www.bto.org thanks @wildborders.bsky.social

Brown Hare relaxing in a field full of cattle.

Last night's Badger survey on the farm. 4 people in different spots counted all the Badgers they could see at the same time. Result was 31, on just a fraction of the land. With dry weather sending the earthworms deeper it is no wonder they go for Pine Marten food up a tree. @wildborders.bsky.social

#PineMarten - Martes martes out looking for breakfast and a wee (or two).

A Jay - Garrulus glandarius sunbathing in front of Pine Marten tree.

Fourth and final 2025 visit to my @pomscheme.bsky.social square on arable land. Still not much in the way of flowers about. Several butterflies in the pantraps. Harvestmen helping with form filling. @ukceh.bsky.social

Third 2025 visit to my @pomscheme.bsky.social square on arable land. Bit lacking in flowering plants on the stubble. Lot of Speckled Wood about. Not often you get to record a Harvestman on a pollinator survey @meganshersby.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social

Badger - Meles meles up a tree. #ArborealBadgers

Lapwing - Vanellus vanellus chick growing up fast.

One of the local #Bats getting close and personal with one of the #PineMarten cameras @batconservation.bsky.social

Light Arches - Apamea lithoxylaea spotted on a fence post today. #teammoth

Second @pomscheme.bsky.social km square visit of the year. Calm conditions and decent temperature. Pan trap activity has been a bit slow at the start. @ukceh.bsky.social

Decent day for my 1st 2025 @pomscheme.bsky.social 1 kmsq survey. There is a lot of yellow competition with the pantraps today! On the FIT counts there were small pollen munching aliens about on the Daisies and Cocksfoot Moth on both Dandelion and Hawthorn. @ukceh.bsky.social

Orange-tip - Anthocharis cardamines sitting waiting for a female to come past our farm hedge. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Brown Hare - Lepus europaeus sitting beside our farm track checking on who is all passing. @mammalsociety.bsky.social

Good to see one of our #PineMarten out in the sunshine. Winter coat colour very clear.

Another Jay - Garrulus glandarius at another trail camera taking selfies.

Jay - Garrulus glandarius posing in front of a camera put up to track Pine Martens. In fact the Jay loves making selfies a bit too much.

Hoverflies are out in numbers doing their thing. Good time to do a @pomscheme.bsky.social #FITcount see ukpoms.org.uk/fit-counts

Someone has built a home on an island in one of our ponds. A possible Canada Goose - Branta canadensis, we do have some hybrids with Greylag Geese in the area. Will be a surprise to see what hatches. Sometimes the Otters raid the nest.

Small Tortoiseshell - Aglais urticae enjoying the Common Dandelion Taraxacum officinale feast on the farm. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

It's time having Common gorse - Ulex europaeus on farmland is seen as a positive and not penalised in farm payment rules. It makes no sense to incentivise land managers to legally burn this habitat when covered in wildlife.

This is The Herald - Scoliopteryx libatrix which spent the winter in our cold Bothy toilet. I brought it out in the lovely weather so it could wake up in the warmth of the Sun. #teammoth

Time to plan your holiday to our valley!

Sallow catkins are an important food source for butterflies after hibernation. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Glorious day to be planting 100 Purging Buckthorn- Rhamnus cathartica. Getting ready for Brimstone butterflies to keep heading North in the future. Skylarks singing overhead. @savebutterflies.bsky.social

Salix gracilistyla 'Melanostachys' - with its striking black catkins coming into flower beside one of our farm ponds.

Just entered the results for our @gwct.org.uk 2025 #BigFarmlandBirdCount. After 12 years counting we have lots of data from our farm. Not always sure what to make of it, but good fun.

Wet and stormy, but a bit milder, great day to prune our 7 pleached Limes before the birds get too excited.

Nice to see thirtythree Oystercatcher - Haematopus ostralegus out for a feed.

Fezzy inspecting the pleached Lime trees as the snow is slowly falling this cold morning.

Picked up a #trailcamera after 5 days which had been left on some bird seed. 22078 Pictures of mostly Badgers and finches, including Bramblings and some Wood Mice for good measure. Twentytwo K is a lot to go through.....

Shepherd's warning? Sheep seem relaxed.

Amazing how fluffy the #PineMarten winter coat is.

Agree. Mark and Roy's book, The Larger Moths of Scotland highly recommended 👌 🦋🐛 #TeamMoth

Still very much Winter at the farm.

Whitmuir Moss looking mossy. #RoeDeer

We never really see our #PineMartens out and about. But through the network of #TrailCameras we know what they get up to. When they pose in front of the camera to show off their whiskers it gets even better.