Buff Mompha, mompha epilobiella was a lifer and nfg last night

Highlights from trapping at Swineholes Wood last night were satin beauty, oak eggar (with beautiful snout) and scalloped shell.

Bordered straw the highlight from last night trapping in S-o-T #teammoth

Lots of common moths in the trap last night including a plague of box tree moths. A bilberry tortrix was nfg though

A bit of migrant action in my Stoke trap last night: small mottled willow, silver Y, 3 DBM. Also NFG brindled tortrix (ptycholoma lecheana). Plus poplar hm, 2 lime hm and common swift part of 56:32

The small piece of “waste” ground at the car wash by Sainsbury’s Stoke on Trent once again producing some goodies this year

A lone wood anemone flowering at Bearda this morning

Two of 5 large red-banded clearwings to lure at 3 locations on Cannock Chase this afternoon.

A week’s holiday in Poole, Dorset produced 2 moth lifers despite the cold clear skies every night - ringed carpet and great prominent 🙂. Back up cast included maidens blush, streamer, 2 slow worms, bluethroat, firecrests, wt eagle, dartfords, whimbrels, med gulls etc.

At Berryhill Fields pallet stacks this morning, I’ve just found a male ring ouzel 👍 #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A smart male ring ouzel showed nicely this morning on the moors, never get tired of seeing them!

An early pied flycatcher was a nice surprise this morning, in north Staffs #staffsbirds

4 wheatear at Berryhill Fields pallet stacks area this morning along with the Cetti’s #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

A morning visit to uttoxeter quarry produced a white-front, sand martin and 12 oystercatcher all on the main lake #staffsbirds @staffsbirdnews.bsky.social

Pleased to find 3 willow tit at Deep Hayes CP this morning as I failed to find any last year. Also green woodpecker, red kite, 4 mandarin, tawny owl and 2 redpoll (lesser) #staffsbirds

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