First gatekeepers of year seen on morning walk @rspb.bsky.social Drayton Lagoon. Lots of whites, meadow browns and a few red admirals too. This despite verges next to busway, which were full of wild flowers and insects a few days ago, having now been 'mown'. Why? @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Perfect painted lady @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood this morning. Also the first skippers and silver-washed fritillaries we've seen this year. Both not as keen to pose for a pic as this painted lady. Lots of common spotted orchids too. One of my favourite mindful places. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Several painted ladies and red admirals sharing a higlhy scented shrub with many other pollinators near Hinchinbrooke Park this morning. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Surprised to see a group of four oyster catchers feeding between the horses in a meadow meadow near Hinchinbrooke Park. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Beautiful yellow pimpernal for #tinyflowers - an indicator of ancient woodland apparently in Bradfield Woods NNR @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social yesterday. Bonus flower is water avens in same location yesterday @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Best day of the year for beautiful butterflies around Earith Gravel pits. Higlights - at least four Brown Argus and same number of Small Coppers. Several Holly Blues too. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Some Sweet Ciceley for #carrotsandpeas from our break this week in the Peak District. Bonus early purple orchids in a rocky dale at Peak Forest. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

For today's #hedgerowchallenge - first dog rose and wild blackberry flowers for 2026 @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton. Not a flower, but I'd never noticed how large hop leaves are until today's challenge. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Striking mandarin duck on the Ouse and a whitethroat (one of many spring arrivals calling) at the Dolphin Meadow St Ives this morning. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

We saw first orange tips of the year yesterday @rspb.bsky.social The Lodge but only managed a pic of one today at RSPB Fen Drayton Lakes. Also several brimstones and peacocks @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Paths full of wild spring flowers today @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood. Here's is a few: wild pearand strawberry, wood anenome, stitchwort, primroses, cuckoo flowers, woodspurge. Bluebells coming into bloom and scent were the stars. Lovely! @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

'In a cowslip's bell I lie, where a bee sucks there suck I' The Tempest. Ariel is happy to have re-gained his freedom and Shakespeare uses the imagery of flowers and nature to express his joy. Cowslips appear many times in his plays. #storyplants @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Beautiful, coat free walk along the Ouse Washes this morning from Mepal. Thousands of birds on the washes including whooper swans, oystercatchers, shelducks, redshanks. Had it all to ourselves as we didn't meet another person! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Seen this week for #whiteflowers - around lakes near St Ives - sweet violets, whitlow grass and cherry blossom all glowing in some spring sunshine @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Here's #sixonsaturday from my little garden. Flowers and blossom in early March sunshine.

Despite the slightly gloomy morning and a 'bit of mud' @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton, it was worth it to see a flock of godwits and several pintails amongst hundreds of birds on Ferry Lagoon. Also heard first booming bittern of 2026 - few days earlier than last year! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

I wouldn't want to be a fish in that channel! Hungry eyes at the Ouse Washes Earith today @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social #ukbirding

Lots of signs of spring today @midsandeastnt.bsky.social Wimpole Hall in beautiful sunshine. Followed the purple route which we haven't walked before - so peaceful. Firsts for 2026 too: cherry blossom lesser celadines, a comma and numerous brimstone butterflies. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

First coltsfoot seen this year in yesterday's sunshine (14/02/26) @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen about a week after we first spotted them in same location last year. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Four of my favourites in the sunshine this morning @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen: the view across the reedbed to Willingham church, stonechats and the first coltsfoot of 2026 with Marsh Harriers swooping overhead. Beautiful. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Missed Digging for Britain? Read our blog and catch up on BBC iPlayer, excavating at Wandlebury last summer.  https://cambridgeppf.org/a-remarkable-discovery-at-wandlebury/ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m002pl5g/digging-for-britain-series-13-5-medieval-murder-and-roman-pets Image credit: CAU

So excited to see cranes at the aptly named Cranes Fen @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen this morning. Two overhead with their instantly recognisable klaxon calls and this pair in the distance towards Over. Four - brilliant! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

A flooded river Ouse @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton this morning but lots to see. Couldn't find the smews but so many other birds including flocks of fieldfare, a kestrel and a pair of little egrets who look like they are plotting something! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Large numbers of birds on ice free Barleycroft (Ouse Fen) @rspb.bsky.social today. I'm sure there must be some pink footed geese somewhere in this crowd but we couldn't see any. Stonechats always beautiful in the wintry sunshine. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Beautiful winter light @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton Lakes and Swavesey today. Tiny hazel flowers, cattle egrets, fieldfares in churchyard yew trees. But the highlight was a pair of glossy ibises flying up from Swavesey Lake -sadly not quick enough with camera for a shot @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

December sunshine lighting up the beautiful colouring of stonechats, shovellers, wigeons and many more waterfowl and hedgerow birds around the lakes @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton today. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

So many little and great egrets around the lakes @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton in the last week. I remember the excitement seeing my first little egret in Dorset in the late 90's and now they are numerous here. Beautiful birds. Lots of winter duck arrivals too. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

I was hoping to see autumn thrush arrivals today, 30th October, but instead, we saw a clouded yellow butterfly near Brownshill Staunch on the River Ouse as we headed back to Needingworth side of @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen! Speckled wood and a peacock butterfly also seen. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

More interesting fungi today - this time at the lovely @kingfishersbridge.bsky.social nature reserve. Think this is called conical brittlestem. Hundreds of birds on the reserve too and the hot chocolate looked amazing! It's always worth a visit - different habitats in one place.

I love the common names of fungi - think top right is Shaggy Scalycap apparently! All seen this week around St Ives Cambridgeshire on our daily walks. #fungifriday

It's not my best shot but the first one since February. It makes me so happy to hear these bearded reedlings 'pinging' all the way round the reserve @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen (Earith) this morning. What a wonderful conservation success! @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Flower identification help needed. Seen today @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton. Looks like a mullein but slightly different flowers and leaves. Is it a garden escapee? The shield bugs certainly liked it. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

A common sight here in the Fens and around St Ives but great views of a magnificent heron this morning @midsandeastnt.bsky.social Houghton Mill. It was spoilt for lunch choices as the mill pond was teeming with fish. Beautiful autumn hedgerow too. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Saw second wall brown of the week, having never seen one locally before! Sighting this morning was @rspb.bsky.social Berry Fen Bluntisham - no camera so no photograph but definitely a wall brown. Will record. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

First visit to @rspb.bsky.social Lakenheath Fen yesterday. So calming, lots of butterflies, dragonflies and birds; the highlight was at least six hobbies overhead - I tried and failed to get a good photograph. We will definitely visit again. @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Not my best photographs but two sightings @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen Over this morning that I haven't seen here before: a wall brown butterfly ( couldn't capture its open wings) and a huge goat moth caterpillar. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

From the wonderful @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood today -Guelder rose and briony berries. Also (top) the fruits of the special wild service tree (I think). #fruits Swathes of Devil's Bit scabious a bonus attracting so many pollinators @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

A few shots from around the gravel pits at Earith today: a fantastic dryad's saddle fungus, one of many ruddy darters, a solitary brown argus, (lots of white butterflies again) and a cormorant - the king of all he surveys!! @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social #fantasticfungi

We had a lovely stroll around @wildlifebcn.org Summer Leys NR. Our first visit - we'll be going again as there is so much to see in different habitats. We then visited Earls Barton to see the very special Anglo Saxon tower on the parish church. It too didn't disappoint. #englishhistoricchurches

I think this is three common blue butterflies sharing one birds foot trefoil flower at Coton NR this morning - lots of meadow browns and gatekeepers also hiding in the grass. @cambridgeppf.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

It’s our 30th Anniversary Family Open Weekend! Come and join a guided walk deep into the Reserve and say #buffhello to our herd of Asian Water Buffalo 🐃 🐃🐃🐃 10am-4pm 12-13 July, guided walks hourly, last one leaves at 3pm

Lovely stroll around @suffolkwildlife.bsky.social Bradfield Wood NNR today. So many butterflies, it cheers my heart. More silver-washed fritillaries in one place than I've seen in total over the last couple of years - wonderful! @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

Certainly, there are so many more red admirals and gate keepers than last year on our patch near St Ives. Lots today along the droves around @rspb.bsky.social Ouse Fen (Over) as we avoided the cows in the reserve itself! @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Caught a lovely white admiral gliding through the brambles @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood this morning - lots of large skippers and ringlets too. We wait still to see a purple emperor @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Two bumper butterfly days Yesterday walking through @wildlifebcn.org Old Sulehay NR - not seen so many butterflies in one place for a couple of years at least. Numerous marbled whites were the stars. And today at Paxton Pits- including first gatekeepers of 2025 @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Lots of butterflies on the wing in @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood this morning - lots of commas and meadow browns. First ringlets of 2025 for us and a well travelled, painted lady. Beautiful wild flowers, too - fading common spotted orchids and so much more. @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Oops, I completely forgot the time but still wanted to post these beautiful common spotted orchids (and ragged robin) for #orchidchallenge. Two of many, many orchids emerging @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood this week. @wildflowerhour.bsky.social @bsbibotany.bsky.social

Spotted @wildlifebcn.org Brampton Wood. Is this a Mistle Thrush? At first, I thought it was a (juvenile) woodpecker as it was quite a large bird. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

Just a few of the birds we saw @rspb.bsky.social Fen Drayton today. Highlight was about 30 cattle egrets on the opposite bank - I think their plummage is fantastic! Heard, but didn't see, two purring turtle doves too. @cambsbirdclub.bsky.social

I was unable to work between December & April due to a breakdown. Every single RT here helps put my creative & mental health workshops in front of more eyes & helps me get back on my feet financially. It would help *so* much if you could RT my workshop below if you have a few seconds. Thankyou 🌿