Skomer Island guided birdwatching trips 2026, an update! Anticipating that boat/landing tickets will go on sale on 1st December, if you'd like to book a place on one of my day trips you need to get in touch soon. Availability on scheduled dates as follows:

A cold & relatively clear dawn on the Hants coast prompted a bit of vizmiggging at Brownwich with 848 birds of 10 spp moving west up to 10:00. 72 Redpolls was a good count for here. Also 250+ Brents offshore. #HantsBirds

1st trap in the Southampton garden for a month produced 30:19. Standard seasonal stuff, but incl the 1st October Swallowtail. #MothsMatter

Great to be back on @skokholmisland.bsky.social after far too long. A Sab's gull on the boat over was great start. Plenty of birds on the move this morning & it feels rare.

1st trapping session in the Southampton garden since 25th Aug was predictably modest with just 43:18. Cypress Pug NFY & Rusty Dot Pearl the only migrant. 4 L-album Wainscots were also quite noteworthy.

Standard fare in the Southampton trap this morning with a modest 78:31. The exception was this pristine Scarce Bordered Straw - only the 2nd garden record. #mothsmatter @migrantmothuk.bsky.social

Back on the Brownwich patch for the 1st time this autumn. Precious few signs of migration but some loafing Meds produced 7 colour rings read. Beast of the day was a Stoat zipping across in front of me. #HantsBirds

A couple of caterpillars found by @EdgellerGilly in the garden today. Bright-line Brown-eye taking liberties with the tomatoes & Toadfax Brocade.

Another modest haul from the Southampton trap with 86:38. Several NFYs incl Dark Sword Grass, White Point & N. molliculana. Also 7 Crossbills flying over. #teammoth

229:72 in the Southampton trap this morning incl 29 Jersey Tigers. Ethmia quadrillella NFG & several nfy incl Old Lady and E. foenella. 1 each of Silver Y, Diamondback & Rusty Dot Pearl the only migrants.

131:70 in Southampton this morning. 4-spotted Footman & a pair of Ears probably the pick of the bunch.

119:51 in Southampton overnight. NFYs included Copper Underwing, Ruby Tiger & Tree-lichen Beauty.

275:83 in the Soton trap this morning. 7 nfy incl Large Emerald & Scorched Carpet (rare here). 1 each of Silver Y, Rush Veneer & Diamondback the only migrants.

Largest garden catch of the year with 205:79 in Southampton. Hollyhock Seed Moth nfg & a dozen nfy including this Eyed Hawk. No sign of any migrants. #TeamMoth

96:33 after a cool and blustery night in Southampton. 7 NFYs including Black Arches & Swallowtail Moth.

Just one pelagic trip to the Celtic Deep with places remaining this year. Surely 14th September gives us the best chance of large shearwaters, if recent years are anything to go by? #BirdingWales

Best night of the year in Southampton with 167:55. 3 nfg including Bulrush Veneer. A few 'scarce for here' spp incl Scarlet Tiger, Peach Blossom & Festoon.

A relaxing few days in Dorset with @edgellergilly.bsky.social produced some quality mid-summer wildlife. Meadow Browns on the wing along with the 1st Marbled Whites. A raft of 70 Guillemots & singing Corn Buntings the best of the birds. Pyramidal Orchids & 1 splendid Bee Orchid.

79:43 in the Southampton trap this morning including 2 new for the garden. Portland Ribbon Wave presumably wandering from the south and Grass Rivulet perhaps from the downs to the north. Its food plant is Yellow Rattle, which grows in abundance in our lawn, so perhaps it'll breed. 🤞🏼

@selseybirder.bsky.social 3 l/p Arctic Skuas east at the Bill at 07:46 this morning.

122:53 from the Southampton trap this morning. NFYs included the 3rd garden record of Brussels Lace.

Small Eggar caterpillars from Martin Down, Hants yesterday. #teammoth

56:13 from the Southampton trap this morning with Poplar Hawk, Rustic Shoulder Knot & Epinotia bilunana new for the year.

1st trapping session in my Southampton garden for a fortnight produced 69:32. Plenty of NFYs incl Light Brocade & Alder Moth - an infrequent visitor here.

23:15 in the Southampton trap this morning was a bit of an improvement. 8 NFYs included this early-ish Poplar Grey & Waved Umber - an irregular garden visitor. #teammoth

Lovely birthday walk with @EdgellerGilly at Stockbridge Down produced a few NFYs incl Garden Warbler, Cinnabar, Brown Argus & Duke of Burgundy.

A measly 8:7 from the Southampton trap this morning. Iron Prominent NFY.

1st visit to the Brownwich patch for quite sometime and it was very quiet. A belated first Wheatear for the year and a Little Tern were the best I could myster. #HantsBirds

Too cold & moony overnight in VC11 to justify running the trap so this Jersey Tiger caterpillar was moth of the day. #teammoth

A pre-dawn start this morning for the 1st day of the @hosbirding.bsky.social New Forest breeding wader survey. A Curlew on territory was the prize for the early alarm. The supporting cast included Redstart, Cuckoo & Tree Pipt NFY plus Woodlark, Raven & 3 spp of woodpecker. #ukbirding

A morning survey at Selsey on Weds was the perfect excuse to take a detour to Medmerry to see the Least Sandpiper. It showed really well with a nearby LRP demonstrating just how small it is. My 1st in the UK for almost 30 years with the last, also in Sussex, at Pagham on 20.7.95.

1st decent haul of the spring for the Southampton trap with 48:19 including plenty new for the year. #teammoth

1st trapping session of the spring in the Southampton garden produced 16:6. Up and running, finally. #teammoth

The best opportunity to see seabirds & cetaceans off the Welsh coast. An 8-hour trip with almost guaranteed European Storm Petrel & Common Dolphin. Regular Wilson's Storm Petrel, Great & occasionally Cory's Shearwater. Both Minke & Fin Whale sighted in recent years. #ukbirding #birdingwales

First painting of 2025. Almost done.

Murky in the New Forest this morning. Best of the birds a handful of Crossbills, a couple of Marsh Tits & a vocal but invisible Lesser Spot.

1st butterfly of the year. A hibernating Peacock in the greenhouse. @edgellergilly.bsky.social

Get it signed

A great morning's birding @portlandbirdobs.bsky.social yesterday with @55birder.bsky.social & @andyfmears.bsky.social . Stacks of Woodpigeons on the move & a few other late autumn treat incl several moth ticks. Thanks, as always, to Martin & Jodie.

1st trapping session since the 8th produced 84:37 in the Southampton trap including Clancy's Rustic & White-Point new for the year. This Angle Shades eluded discovery until lunchtime. #teammoth

An almost migrant-free morning on the Hampshire coast with only 2 Wheatears, 2 Chiffs & a Willow Warbler. Not a single Whitethroat. A decent sunrise & 133 Med Gulls just about saved the day. #ukbirding

Burnished Brass 📸, White-point and Cypress Pug nfy in a catch of 144:44. Also, a fly over Tree Pipit was my 1st of the autumn. #TeamMoth

A couple of Underwings in this morning's catch - Copper & Light Crimson.

102:46 in the Soton trap this morning. Mullein Wave nfg & 2nd record of Gypsy Moth the best. Orange Swift & Hornet nfy. #TeamMoth

1st garden hawk of the year here in Southampton. Hopefully more to come.

8 new species for the year in the Southampton trap this morning including this Cinnabar.

18 moths of 14 spp in the Southampton trap this morning with Willow Beauty the commonest with 3 individuals.

15:11 in the Southampton trap this morning was the highest total of the year so far. 4 year ticks including this Lunar Marbled Brown.

7:4 in the Southampton trap with Mullein new for the year. #moths

1st spring trip to the Brownwich, Hants patch this morning. Chiffchaffs & meowing Meds the best of the birds. Cowslips & Blackthorn lifting the spirits.