After Grapholita delineana started turning up in my Suffolk garden last July, it was confirmed as new to the UK. Another arrived at the weekend with no other British records that I know of. Perhaps I have the only breeding Grapholita delineana in Britain? suffolkmoths.co.uk/micros.php?b...

Lowestoft Life - 24th-27th June 2025 Squeezing in some moth time before I disappear again! blueeyedbirding.blogspot.com/2025/06/lowe... @beachhutbirder.bsky.social took most of the pictures in this blog post

Back home from Landguard now so a couple of pics of the Speckled Footman from my home trap in Felixstowe @neilsmothman.bsky.social @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Some Little Terns from the Suffolk coast today

Wasp Spiderlings hatched today in my Lowestoft garden

A splendid Emperor in Dunwich Forest yesterday

Barnard 33, Horsehead and Flame Nebulae

Time to head home after our adventure for @bwntours.bsky.social to Japan. It ended with furry Sea Otters, a full on Pacific gullfest & of all the birds for me to find; a drake Canvasback. I will be back. Sincere thanks to the marvellous @mr-shortwing.bsky.social for his most excellent company

Andromeda M31 from my Suffolk garden

M42, Orion Nebula and the Pleiades from last week. No clear skies since

Pleiades this evening just before the Moon made it tricky.

#CostaRica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours - Day 14 - 17th November 2024 El Copal and Hotel Quelitales - what more could you want from a final full day? blueeyedbirding.blogspot.com/2024/12/cost... Chestnut-capped Warbler - one of many highlights #birds

#MothsSeenIn2024 In October 2021 I found Suffolk's 5th Musotima nitidalis, Marbled Fern. In just 3 years we now have nearly 650 in the database. This year I had my first 2 garden records and saw several in Dunwich Forest #TeamMoth @suffolkmoths.bsky.social

Still plenty of Cosmopterix pulchrimella larvae around Lowestoft. Almost every plant around the High Street had larvae present yesterday. @suffolkmoths.bsky.social #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Radford's Flame Shoulder has traditionally been a rare migrant to the UK with most records occurring in South and Southwest of the UK. 2024 turned out to be an exceptional year for them with lots of inland and new county records. I managed to catch 5 in one week! #TeamMoth

#CostaRica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours - Day 7 - 10th November 2024 A full day around La Selva Biological Station. Many birds, much rain. blueeyedbirding.blogspot.com/2024/12/cost... #Birds Rufous Motmot

#MothsSeenIn2024 Crimson Speckled is one of those "Holy Grail" moths which I dreamt of seeing from the moment I saw a picture of one when I was a child. Amazingly it's on my garden list for 2018 but this year I caught up with them in Greece. #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Gold Spot Plusia festucae used to be far more regular in my garden but in the last 5 years I've only seen 2. Has anyone else seen this downward trend in numbers? @suffolkmoths.bsky.social #TeamMoth

Just a few records in Norfolk this year. Contender for “Moth of the Year” at Cley Moff Obs. Another OMG moment when we saw this in the trap. Stunning pic by @markgolley.bsky.social

#MothsSeenIn2024 Beautiful Marbled Eublemma purpurina is a stunning Migrant moth which I have recorded just twice. This year I caught one on a cliff top in Kessingland. Not many in Suffolk this year; what about elsewhere? #TeamMoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social @suffolkmoths.bsky.social

#CostaRica for Bird's Wildlife & Nature Tours - Day 5 - 8th November 2024 The journey to Caño Negro and a very wet Medio Guesso blueeyedbirding.blogspot.com/2024/12/cost... Green Kingfisher with umbrella...

#MothsSeenIn2024 2024 has been phenomenal for Palpita vitrealis, Olive-tree Pearl. From 2017 to 2023 I recorded 42 individuals in my Lowestoft garden. This year I have recorded 73! Several local moth-ers have seen it for the first time this year. Anyone else seen good numbers? #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Four-spotted Footman is a regular but never common visitor to my garden; usually in the Autumn and probably migrants. Only the females have the four spots that give them their name #TeamMoth @suffolkmoths.bsky.social

One of my favourite wildlife experiences ever... This Grey Phalarope was playing hard to get so I went to the opposite side of the pool, lay flat on the wet sand by the waters edge and waited.... 20 mins later a photographer flushed it and this happened. Magic!

#MothsSeenIn2024 Euchromius ocellea is a snazzy migrant that appeared for many moth-ers in September and not just on the coast...there were some great inland records too. #TeamMoth @migrantmothuk.bsky.social @suffolkmoths.bsky.social

#BirdsSeenIn2024 My favourite Suffolk bird of the year was this obliging Black-necked Grebe at Kessingland in the Autumn

#MothsSeenIn2024 It would be fair to say that 2024 has been a poor year for moths in general but for Hawk-moths it's been disastrous. This was the only Pine Hawk to visit my garden this year. Always a pleasure to see #TeamMoth @SuffolkMoths

#MothsSeenIn2024 The Catocala family are amongst the most wanted moths around the UK. Rarities such as Rosy and Light Crimson are still real possibilities however Oak Yellow would be a mega with Minsmere Red Underwing simply legendary. This one is a Dark Crimson Underwing from August 24 #TeamMoth

Just booked our next trip to Lesvos. Magical island full of incredible wildlife. Can't wait! #Lesvos #Greece @jet2holidays.bsky.social

#MothsSeenIn2024 Last year I was taken to a clifftop location near Scarborough where Gold Spangle, Autographa bractea, was the main Target. We did catch one but this year I caught my very own whilst on a family holiday near Scalby, Yorkshire. What a stunner! #TeamMoth #Yorkshire

#MothsSeenIn2024 Back on the wonderful island of Lesvos for the 2nd time for a family holiday. The moths were wonderful and none more so than this Eteobalea isabellella; an absolute gem of a micro and one of the stand-out moths of the trip #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 This Isophrictis didn't seem quite right for striatella...a rare moth found in Tansy. I sought the opinion of a local expert who determined that it was, in fact, Isophrictis anthemidella; possibly only the 3rd or4th British record.

#MothsSeenIn2024 Rhyacionia buoliana is a gorgeous micro that turned up in my garden for the first time last year. So pleased they were back again this year. It is probably breeding in the Pines in the local cemetery #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 The brindled beauty (Lycia hirtaria) was absent for years in my garden but from 2021 to 2023 I recorded 9 of them at home. It was, again, absent this year from my garden but I managed to catch up with this one on a visit to Surrey. Anyone else missing them this year? #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Feathered Ranunculus, Polymixis lichenea, is a moth of the Autumn with an official flight period of August to October. This one, however, made a surprise appearance on 23rd May! So early it took me a few moments to work out what I was looking at #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

#MothsSeenIn2024 Spring and Autumn are when the Bloxworth Snout appears in my garden. Numbers of this once rare migrant have rapidly increased as it has colonised parts of the UK. My garden records are: 2021 - 1 2022 - 4 2023 - 6 2024 - 17 I wonder how many I will see in 2025! #TeamMoth

Greetings. Somehow I managed to get home from Costa Rica last night (via Bogata!) after a successful adventure leading for Bird's Wildlife & Nature. I will post links to my blog in the coming days but as ever it was epic, if slightly damp this time!

#MothsSeenIn2024 Chrysoesthia sexguttella, Orange-spotted Miner, is rarely seen as an adult with well over 90% of local records as leaf mines. I was delighted to see this female in my garden this Spring. I caught her in my hand, photographed her and then watched her laying eggs on Atriplex #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Just 12 days after my Zophodia grossulariella (2nd for Suffolk) came another scarce migrant to my garden actinic; Portland Ribbon Wave, Idaea degeneraria. This one was the 3rd Suffolk record and the first of several to turn up in Suffolk in 2024. Perhaps a likely colonist? #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 Staying with my trip to Lesvos in April, The Geometrician, Grammodes stolida, was recorded daily at the hotel. With only a couple of British records I am unlikely to see one at home but I live in hope! What a stunner! #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

#MothsSeenIn2024 Mid April I was on Lesvos birding. I took a trap with me and recorded some stunners. One of my favourites was the Pale Shoulder, Acontia lucida. Little did I know that I would end up seeing one on 1st September caught a mile from my Suffolk home! #TeamMoth

#MothsSeenIn2024 My first 'big' moth of the year was on 5th May. The Gooseberry Knothorn, Zophodia grossulariella, is a rather rare migrant to the UK and only the 2nd record for Suffolk #TeamMoth #MothsMatter

I've decided that I would rather take (generally) low quality images of birds than a) carry a massive lens with my arthritic joints or b) dabble in AI.

Spent a lovely couple of hours on the beach at Hunstanton. Nice to see the sunshine and these super Fulmar

My favourite garden moth... Bloxworth Snout. Still seems to be only the 2 populations in Suffolk; Lowestoft and Felixstowe areas. #teammoth #MothsMatter

Found this fascinating nymph of true bug Ledra aurita at RSPB Minsmere today

Glorious Lichens at RSPB Minsmere today

One of my favourite things to do is to collect leaf mines and rear out the adults. This one is Phyllonorycter esperella #MothsMatter

Pinthaeus sanguinipes. Second for Britain recently in my Lowestoft garden

Cosmopterix pulchrimella from a recent trip to Blakeney #MothsMatter