Angle shades caterpillar my first moth of the year, in the garden

My first visit of the year to uttoxeter quarry produced a whooper swan, green sand, 2 golden plover, 5 goldeneye, red kite and 900+ lapwing

2 hours Vismig at Black Bank Stoke this morning produced 21300 woodies sw, 250 pinks east at 8:55 and 185 pinks sw at 9:20. #staffsbird @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Finding a Firecrest in my back garden in Stoke this morning was a nice surprise! My second garden record after one in 2003(ish). Thanks for the pic @philj61.bsky.social @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A white-point nfg was the highlight in my Stoke trap last night along with December moth, 6 lbam and 3 ruddy streak #teammoth

Today’s Vismig - good numbers of chaffinch, brambling and woodpigeon but still poor on the thrushes #staffsbirds

Another big woody push this morning despite the showers. Skein of pinks a nice bonus

Woodpigeon passage increasing nicely with over 14K thru Black Bank today, otherwise fairly quiet although probably undercounted #staffsbirds

Vismig this morning was dominated by woodies, a brambling and 3 crossbill the best of the rest

Visible migration at Black Bank this morning produced the first push of woodpigeons this autumn with a crossbill, two brambling and 31 golden plover the best of the rest

Highlights from todays vis mig at Black Bank were 2 skeins of pinks and a couple of brambling but 2 grey herons flying high south were the first I’ve ever seen here on migration #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Decent push of redwings on Black Bank vismig this morning but highlight was a late swallow

Just seen my first orcas, three going up the east coast of Shetland, super excited to get them on my bucket list at last 😀

One of two incredibly confiding goldcrests at Sumburgh Quarry Shetland yesterday

A migration watch from Black Bank (Staffs) produced the first brambling of the autumn. Best of the rest were 204 mipit, 20 siskin, 9 swallow and 40 chaffinch. #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

First Redwing of the autumn (for Staffs) and 18 redpolls passed over an otherwise quiet Black Bank this morning #staffsbirds

Decent migration watch this morning, a flock of 4 hawfinch being the highlight

First clouded yellow I’ve seen in ages: Seasalter beach, Kent, 9/9/25. Such a stunning butterfly

Some other goodies from my holiday in Seasalter, Kent: 2 scarce bordered straw, several yellow belle, nutmeg. Made a change for the commonest moth in the trap to be Flounced Rustic 😮

An eight day visit to Seasalter Kent produced several moth lifers for me. Part 2: Cynaeda dentalis, Acrobasis tumidana, pediasia contaminella and ancylosis oblitella

An eight day visit to Seasalter Kent produced several moth lifers for me. Part 1: plumed fan-foot, Clancys rustic, mullein wave and Chilo phragmitella

A visit to Blithfield produced 22 crossbill, 3 Greenshank, 6 lrp, 5 ringed plover, 7 blackwit, 5 common sand, 10 ruff, 2 spot fly and a swift

Black Redstart still at Berryhill Fields this morning (4th day) along with 2 Whinchat, 3 redstart and wheatear. Totally unexpected were 5 little egret and 3 grey heron loafing on Tiddlers Heath - I guess fishing must be easy on the water depleted ponds!

At uttoxeter quarry this afternoon: a turnstone (site tick for me), green sand and ylg

Highlights from last night’s moth trap in Stoke were Bordered Straw and Palpita vitrealis with pale mottled willow, treble-bar and swallow prominent also present #teammoth

Good drop of migrants at Berryhill Fields this morning, star bird being an elusive black redstart which evaded the camera! Also present were 6 redstart, 2 whinchat, 2 lesser whitethroat, 2 stonechat, tree pipit over.

A second twin-spotted wainscot for the year and a grey chi nfy were the best in my Stoke trap from last night #teammoth

At Berryhill Fields this morning: Whinchat, 6 wheatear, 3-4 redstart, 2 stonechat, willow tit

At Blithfield Res this morning were 3 Greenshank, 4 redshank, 8 ruff, 4 blackwit, 2 common sand, snipe, 2 ruddy shelduck, spot fly, ylg and peregrine

What I assume is scrobipalpa ocellatella is a new moth for me and small ranunculus always welcome in my Stoke trap from last night #teammoth

Twin-spotted wainscot undoubtedly the highlight my Stoke trap this morning - lifer and nfg. Maybe on the increase in Staffs? Also a vapourer, 2 ruby tiger and a record 17 vine’s rustic amongst 45 species #teammoth

Highlights from trapping at Gun Hill yesterday: neglected rustic, mirifcarma mulinella (gorse streak), dotted clay, light knotgrass. Also plenty of chevron and epinotia ramella

At uttoxeter quarry this morning: a hunting osprey, gwe, 5 le, peregrine, curlew, 20 barnacle geese, nene x barnie

Green flowered helleborines at Cannock Chase

Highlight from last night’s trap in Stoke was Neocochylis molliculana which looks to be a 3rd for Staffs (unless there are recent sightings), also aethes smeathmanniana nfg, dingy footman and least yellow underwing #teammoth

What an amazing morning - two county firsts in my rain soaked Stoke trap! Dark Crimson Underwing and Gypsonoma minutana. Also Pammene aurita nfg and possibly a hectrad first

I had an aberrant gatekeeper as per this web photo at Berryhill Fields Stoke this morning - too mobile to get a photo but paleness in upper wings very noticeable

Some recent nfgs: what I believe is a golden-rod pug, epiblema foenella and rusty dot pearl #teammoth

In keeping with it’s NS Moors distribution in staffs, a day flying muslin footman at Cuckoostones today plus an unexpected HBHawk-Moth, too flighty to get a picture, at nearby Revidge wood

Quantity not quality in the moth trap this morning including 100 lyu, 38 box trees, a carpet of uncounted water veneers. An early copper underwing, black arches, spruce carpet & blackneck the best of the rest.

Lunar-spotted Pinion was an unexpected lifer in my Stoke garden trap last night - very few Staffs records. Also present were dark swordgrass, double square-spot and roeslerstammia erxlebella

Metalampra italica nfg looks like a species spreading north and maybe a hectrad first. Oak nycteoline, 3 small ranc, 2 coronet also present

Highlights from a week at Thornham, Norfolk Part 2: Marbled Brown, Dogs Tooth, Ancylis achatana (salt marsh dweller) and Wood Sage Plume

Highlights from a week at Thornham, Norfolk Part 1 : Sand Dart, Dwarf Cream Wave and Southern Wainscot all lifers plus 3 Privet Hawk-moth always nice to see #teammoth

Last night mothing with John and Karl at Gun Hill produced 87+/43 in cool and breezy conditions: included Bilberry tortrix, Brown rustic (my first since 2007), Beautiful snout, Eudonia pallida and Hawthorn moth. Commonest moth was Northern spinach.

A decent 98/41 in the moth trap from last night, best being orange footman, toadflax pug and variegated golden tortrix

Great to find seven wheatear pairs on the North Staffs Moors, four pairs already with 12 juvs. 4 redstart territories also found with 4 juvs from 2 of them.

A superb piece of “waste ground” by Sainsbury’s S-o-T showing vipers bugloss, bladder campion, field scabious, dark mullein, white bedstraw etc

Ash bud moth (prays fraxinella) on the garden chair under the ash tree 😄

A good haul of 73/32 last night, the best being teleiodes luculella lifer and nfg, one that looks to be spreading north. 3 elephant hms for back up #teammoth