Look in the mirror on Rhodes and ask yourself what do you see... There's a hall of Mirror Orchids blooming across the island, and nowhere to hide from their reflection. Which is a good thing, obviously. They're fabulous #bloomscrolling material to share. #OrchidsOfRhodes #orchids

@alan678.bsky.social @robcrank68.bsky.social #BirdOfTheDay #BestOfTheMonth Hard to choose a favourite from my extraordinary trip to Costa Rica. Perhaps this Elegant Trogon?

See you next week!

@dunnjons.bsky.social Sorry for the repost, but included the wrong Jon Dunn. So sorry.

@alan678.bsky.social Seeing as my lovely friend @jondunn.bsky.social , author of the excellent "The Glitter in the Green" has posted a hummingbird for #BirdOfTheDay #WideOpenWings I shall follow suit.

#BirdOfTheDay #WideOpenWings @alan678.bsky.social Crested Caracara Costa Rica 2 weeks ago.

Hurrah, orchids !! The U.K.’s only colony of Giant Orchids (Himantoglossum robertianum) kicking off the orchid season in impressive style. #orchid #flower

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social #Borb Rufous-tailed Jacamar Costa Rica

The latest in the series of winter talks given online and in person by members of Team Mariposa is coming up this evening, an Orchids of Ireland online talk by @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social for our friends at @bsbibotany.bsky.social. It's free to attend, and all very welcome! bsbi.org/take-part/ev...

@alan678.bsky.social #BirdsInTheirElement #BirdOfTheDay An aquatic passerine. The Dipper. In this case the Amarican Dipper in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has more than it's fair share of Toucans. Here are just 4 of the 6 we saw.

You cannot visit Costa Rica without being captivated by the Sloth. This one surprised us on an early morning birding walk.

Costa Rica Just four of the dozens of amazing butterflies we saw. I must return - mind boggling country.

Good move. Mariposa are unrivalled in their orchid finding skills. And really nice people too!

Envious. One of my "must sees"

🙏

@alan678.bsky.social #BirdOfTheDay #WingsOverWater Roseate Spoonbill (over water I promise) Costa Rica last week. #cute White-collared Manakin Also CR last week.

Tick one off the Bucket List. Costa Rica. My great mate @dunnjons.bsky.social sent me his book to ease the 11 hour flight. Set me up a desire for hummers.

Our tour leader and Mariposa co-founder @dunnjons.bsky.social was speaking about orchids yesterday in Oxford - sounds like he had a great time. And we see a couple of folk have booked to join him on his orchid explorations in 2026 and beyond - wonderful to have you joining us, thank you! 🙏

Countdown to #OrchidsOfCyprus 2026 - One of my favourite #orchids is the Rainbow #Orchid (Ophrys iricolor). Its large flowers have mirrors that shimmer with multiple blue hues, forming an unforgettable contrast with the textured reddish labellum @mariposanature.bsky.social www.mariposanature.com

Can't wait.

Looking forward to meeting up again. 😁 @mariposanature.bsky.social

Gargano? Ah - yes, I remember those heady days. Food, drink, fabulous company. Laughter and sunshine. Oh - and some orchids. 😁

The next tranche of our 2027 butterfly tours have gone onto our website, available to book. There's still a few places left on some of our 2026 tours - we're pleased to see we're the 1st choice for European butterfly-watching holidays. www.mariposanature.com/calendar @europebutterfly.bsky.social

Morning! It's been a fabulous week - hope yours has been good too. The #BirdOfTheDay theme today is #SmallBirdSaturday, and while smaller hummingbirds than this White-bellied Woodstar in Ecuador are available, there aren't many tinier birds to be seen out there. #EastCoastKin #birds #hummingbird

Tour update 🚨 Orchids of Crete has now gone live on our website for 2027, and already has two places snapped up. Crete's an incredible orchid-hunting destination, and with @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social as your leader, you'll see the best the island has to offer. mariposanature.com/tours/botani...

Tour news 🚨 We've launched the first tranche of our 2027 butterfly tours on our website today. Lots to choose from, including Andalusia, Morocco, Abruzzo & Serbia, and many more to follow! All generate donations to support the great work of @europebutterfly.bsky.social mariposanature.com/calendar

New tour alert 🚨 And it's an exciting one! We're delighted to announce that our popular leader Dave Fairhurst is leading a long weekend tour to the Netherlands this coming late autumn to look for Wolf on 12-16 November. Places available to join him: mariposanature.com/tours/mammal...

There have been lots of non-orchid wildlife highlights in the past few days here on Tenerife, including two species I particularly enjoyed seeing - Canary Bellflower, and Tenerife Blue Chaffinch. After a January that seemed 331 days long, this @mariposanature.bsky.social tour's been a welcome tonic!

I just couldn't resist another dose of the island endemic Tenerife Giant Orchid (Himantoglossum metlesicsianum) today with my @mariposanature.bsky.social Orchids of Tenerife group. What an outrageous species this is! #orchid #NaturePhotography #EastCoastKin

Up in the clouds, hanging out with the rainbows that dropped hundreds of feet below us, our Orchids of Tenerife tour found a pot of gold today - Canary Orchid (Orchis canariensis). Sharp eyes from leader Dave Fairhurst, and superb tour preparation from @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social. Much joy!

Our January sale on 2026 tours with remaining spaces available to book upon them finishes tomorrow - any week-long 2026 tour booked before 1 February qualifies for £100 off the list price. Full list of tours & availability of places here on our website: www.mariposanature.com/calendar

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social #EyeContact Shoebill in Uganda a few years back. Unforgettable.

😁

Melissa I cannot tell you how furious I am at the appalling news Tantrump is causing. The parallel to '30s Germany are shocking. I feel for you guys. I was planning visiting the US this year to visit some lovely friends. Sadly I cannot do it. Evil mam.

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social #Walking Actually running i think?

🖐

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social #FeedingTime Berthelot's Pipit Lunch in Fuerteventura

It's no exaggeration to say the #OrchidsOfRhodes tour that my good pal @thenewgalaxy.bsky.social and I have developed is something of a love story. We love looking for orchids all over Europe and beyond. We love sharing them with guests. And we love seeing the joy the tours bring to all involved.

It's a privilege to lead tours for @mariposanature.bsky.social and all of the #orchid tours I'm leading abroad for 2026 are fully booked 😎 If you want to join me in Tenerife, Cyprus, Crete or the Alps in 2027 then please drop us an enquiry - we are also taking bookings for #OrchidsOfRhodes in 2027

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social #TwoOfAKind Spoonbills, Fuerteventura. Jan 2026

@alan678.bsky.social #BirdOfTheDay #PerfectPerch #waterwings Two from Fuerteventura the other week. Sanderling and the Fuerteventura Stonechat.

#BirdOfTheDay @alan678.bsky.social Cream-coloured Courser

Last few

A penultimate few

and more waders

Just about every beach and small body of water had waders in abundance

Now some desert specialities Ok - I admit it - I dipped on Houboura!!

A couple of Warblers

Now some classic Passerines