Tested out a bunch of nature ID apps — Merlin, PlantNet, Seek, ObsIdentify, Flora Incognita, Echo Meter Touch, & even Google Lens. Can they really ID birds, plants, or bat calls accurately? I put them all to the test in my latest video. youtu.be/84kpgJYCjS0 #NatureApps #WildlifeID #BirdID

🌿 Episode 1 of my YouTube series Walks & Wildlife is live! Starting with Snowdonia's rugged Rhinog mountains, spotting Dippers, geeking out over lichens, and even a goat encounter. If you're into nature, hiking, or just want to escape to the hills, check it out! youtu.be/lQ_uvButpdE Thanks 💚 Dave

My latest video covers three species to seek out this March. A lichen, fungus and a flower. Happy Hunting! Dave m.youtube.com/watch?v=7Rtv...

New Video! Three species to seek out in February, a bird, a flower, and a fungus. m.youtube.com/watch?v=x0VW...

Hair Ice Crust This weird phenomenon is caused when a fungus, Exidiopsis effusa is present, an ambient temperature of less than 0°c, the wood not to be frozen and the bark to not be present on the wood. The result is hair like ice forming and has the texture of cotton candy. Dave

Happy New Year! A few days ago I looked back on my nature highlights for 2024, some fungi, birds, plants and more. If you want to see what they are then you can check it out at m.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0o...

Cofnod #RecordOfTheWeek is Iris Rust (Puccinia iridis), recorded on Stinking Iris leaves at Colwyn Bay, by TonyC. @sewbrec.org.uk @discoverthewild.bsky.social

Leucoagaricus ionidicolor, what a highlight of the fungi season yesterday was when I was able to photograph this stunning and very rare species in Cheshire. It doesn't have an English name currently, if it did it would Violet Dapperling.

☄️Comet over the Llŷn Peninsula It was a real pleasure to spend time watching the comet over the Llŷn Peninsula yesterday, the full moon keeping the sky from going dark though. Dave

Today I have been hunting the delightful Winter Stalkball (Tulostoma brumale). Often, when looking for fungi, I can be in some of the most beautiful locations, not quite so today, as I was looking for this species at a local industrial estate. A weird fungus, like a mini puffball on a stalk.

A walk out up on the moors in North Wales yesterday and a pair of Red Grouse decided to come and land right in front of us, loudly calling as they did. The males at this time of year are particularly striking, the bright red above the eye standing out on an otherwise brown moorland.

A walk out in Flintshire today and over 100 Jackdaw were in one field. They have increased dramatically since the 1960s and can be found in open countryside, towns and villages, often nesting in chimneys. In winter, numbers of Jackdaws are swollen by the arrival of birds from Northern Europe.

I do love wading birds. I also love clean, simple images. I try and take pictures to show off the species, with little to no clutter in the image. So, wading birds on beaches are a dream. On a beach in Shetland the grey sand of the beach, and this Knot (Calidris canutus) almost blurred into one.

There are a few British bird species that I feel are overlooked in terms of how truly beautiful they are. For me, the Shelduck has to be the bird most underrated by the birdwatching community. Charismatic, handsome and with a lovely call they remain a personal favourite.

It's been a fungi day today, exploring some of the local woods to see what is fruiting. Oyster Mushrooms, Velvet Shanks and Jelly Ears were dominant but some smaller often overlooked species, like these Clustered Bonnet (Mycena inclinata) were also present. A beautiful little mushroom species.

A tour of North Wales for birds yesterday and always a highlight are the Black Guillemots (Cepphus grylle) in Holyhead Harbour. Currenrly many are still in their winter plumage and are a stunning 'salt and pepper'. It won't be long until they are a rich black colour with white wing patches.

Well it is time to start posting here in 2024. So let's start with a plant from today's New Year's Day Plant Hunt, White Ramping-fumitory (Fumaria capreolata). In flower Jan 1st and along with other species including Narrow-leaved Ragwort made for a lovely day whilst birdwatching in North Wales.