A project to restore ancient forests in the Scottish Highlands is significantly boosting moth biodiversity, a Butterfly Conservation study has found. 🌳 Read the full story 👉 buff.ly/AyKPh6e 📷: Patrick Cook, Sarah Wanless #MothsMatter #TeamMoth

Remember a little while ago I said that the Joint Derbyshire moth Verification and Recording Team had been shortlisted for the @nbntrust.bsky.social awards? We only went and won it! Thank you @spinneybirder.bsky.social for your wonderful company! #teammoth #VC57

20th November 2025, Emily Milnes and myself travelled down to Bristol to attend the @nbntrust.bsky.social Conference. Emily entered the Derbyshire Moth Verification and Recording Team into the NBN Awards for Wildlife Recording Group Category. Well we only went and won it!!

New #GBRedList for vascular plants is published today by a team led by @bsbibotany.bsky.social with partners @naturalengland.bsky.social @ukceh.bsky.social @naturescot.bsky.social @natreswales.bsky.social @nhm-london.bsky.social @plantlifeintl.bsky.social @rbgkew.bsky.social @thebotanics.bsky.social

Hummingbird Hawk-moth in my South Derbyshire garden this morning - Saw it from the bedroom window - mad dash for camera, swop lenses, unlock doors and just managed a burst of shots before it flew off. Phew!!

Confirmed from the 10th July, Dichomeris alacella - a new county record. @belperbirder.bsky.social @richardttaylor.bsky.social @cliveaderbys.bsky.social @danmartinwildlife.bsky.social @spinneybirder.bsky.social @derbysnottsentsoc.bsky.social #teammoth

Lovely community event last night with @spinneybirder.bsky.social for 'Greener Littleover'. 2 hours trapping resulted in 74 of 31. #teammoth #VC57

The May edition of Derbyshire Moth News is available here www.derbyshiremoths.org/derbyshire-m...

I am pleased to announce that ALL moth species on the www.Derbyshiremoths.org website now have Records, Maps and Charts attached to each species page. The maps also give an indication of numbers being trapped and where the moths are located throughout the county. Feedback is always good.

The Derbyshire Moth News for April is now out click here for this bumper issue - www.derbyshiremoths.org/derbyshire-m...

We have launched Maps that are now live on the website - Under The Moths Tab - Macro = Map on Macro Distribution and same under Micro / Under Information TAB - Mapping Moths = Map on Macro v Micro and a Map on Distribution of All Moths We are still working on the individual species maps.

For results of my overnight moth trap (11/4/25) please click here - www.derbyshiremoths.org/moth-trap-11...

The March edition of Derbyshire Moth News can be found here - www.derbyshiremoths.org/derbyshire-m...

Deeply saddened to hear of so many redundancies at @savebutterflies.bsky.social, most in front line butterfly+moth conservation. A huge loss of expertise just when we need it. Also cessation of international work. Let’s hope their finances recover soon when so many species are in dire trouble

6 Brook Lamprey at Willington Wetlands car park in stream this early afternoon. A lifer and I gather quite rare in Derbyshire.

Here’s a bit of DOS nostalgia. As a small child I sent letters to one of my aunts who lived near Skegness. Lo and behold she had saved them all and they have found their way back to me. Whilst looking through them I found this newspaper cutting.Not much has changed? @derbyshirebirds.bsky.social

Images from this mornings Moth Trap - South Derbyshire - Oak Beauty; Early Grey , Hebrew Character, all NFY. 19 moths of 10 species.

I ran my garden light trap overnight (South Derbyshire) - Result, my first Yellow Horned for the garden, 4 March Moth, 1 Common Quaker, 1 Agonopterix heracliana.

Something that may be of interest to moffers... Colin Plant, the Herts. & Middx CMR produces a very informative and entertaining newsletter, "Moth Mumblings". These can be downloaded from www.hertsmiddxmoths.uk/newsletters..... #MothsMatter #TeamMoth

Avocet Foremark Res. Still present

I had found an Oystercatcher earlier but these beauties dropped in after my departure. Managed to connect with them later Foremark Res 7 Shelduck.

A sign of spring this afternoon - Snowdrops at Staunton Harold Hall

An embroidered #FoxOfTheDay today , created and shared by @ArtbyEmilyTull , thank you Emily !

Y’know those little tufts of sheep’s wool you see on barbed wire fences? What if they aren’t always what they seem…

Black-spotted Chestnut from a couple of weeks ago, a rather localised and lovely looking species with the most bizarre distribution that makes no sense. Fordham, East Cambs. #teammoth

Always a thrill to receive this which arrived today. A marvelous piece of work and congrats to all involved.

It’s the January WeBS Core Count weekend! This months' count is especially important as it feeds into the International Waterbird Census. Maddening that many of our WeBS sites will be frozen and birdless. You can read more about the IWC here: www.wetlands.org/knowledge-ba...

As I left Foremark Res heading home I had 15 Whooper Swan flying over Ticknall towards Foremark Res - I turned the car around and just manager to get them heading towards the Trent Valley over Foremark - A great patch year tick.

Highlights from Foremark Res, Derbyshire this am - 3 Gadwall; 16 teal; 1 Pochard, 4 Goldeneye 36 LBBGull, 75 GCGrebe; 2 Little Egret, 1 GWEgret

Covered my patch this am very quiet apart from a few highlights of Fieldfare and Redwing (large flock c50, flushed by female Sparrowhawk) 4 Egyptian Geese, and 2 Little Egret.

The December edition of Derbyshire Moth News Can be found here www.derbyshiremoths.org/derbyshire-m...

A Little Egret - Hunstanton, Norfolk - Christmas Day 2024

A few bits and pieces this morning on the patch Red Kite, Goosander, Kestrel and Redwing being the highlights of 26 Species

Drake Smew at Eyebrook Res this late morning on our way back from our Christmas holiday in Norfolk

Nice Christmas morning hike and pint before the turkey!!

All the best for Christmas and 2025 - a massive thanks to all who follow me on Bluesky, from all corners of the globe, and for all the likes and re-posts. Spinneybirder.

It Appeared by the Stones on the Solstice

A female Barred Antshrike and a Pale-bellied Hermit - Rio Torti, Panama - October 2024

A smart little Snowy-bellied Hummingbird, full of character and not much bigger than a large bumble bee. - October 2024 - Panama

A quartet of tiny brown jobs, aka the Light Brown Apple Moth or LBAM or if you fancy latin, Epiphyas postvittana. There were 8 found in and around my trap on the 16th of November, an extremely good year for them here in East Cambs. These were all males.

8th Dec - S Derbyshire of note at local Patches this am were - Foremark Res 1 GWEgret; 3 LEgret; 4 Goosander and Staunton Harold Res 1 GWEgret; 1 LEgret.

A Veraguan Mango sunbathing - October 2024 - Playa Las Layas, Panama

Best from the patch reservoirs this am - Foremark - 62 GCGrebe; 6 Goosander; 2 GWEgrets; 4 Little Egret - SHRes - 5 Teal; 1 Goosander - otherwise fairly quiet.

One of my favourite birds of the trip but it was tricky to get photos - eventually it played ball.. The Golden-fronted Greenlet - Panama - October 2024.

A Willet on the shores of the Pacific Ocean - Panama - October 2024 - A wader I've longed to see. I always hoped I would see one in the UK before abroad, alas it wasn't to be - Maybe one day though!!

A Common Basilisk - Panama - October 2024 - Gradually ploughing my way through the thousands of photos I took

There were lots of Castor Bean ticks , Ixodes ricinus, out again this year. Be careful,espically in areas with lots of pheasants: read on in +ALT on the 1st and 2nd photo

There are still leafmines to be found. These VM found today are almost certainly Stigmella anomalella, a common miner on Rosa sp. We have no VC55 records of S. centifoliella, which the NBN map suggests to be absent/scarce in the Midlands. Maybe one to rear/check next year. #vc55moths #teammoth

Review of the Week: 18-24 November 2024 Eye-catching numbers of Little Auks were found along the east coast during a stormy period that saw winter wildfowl continue to arrive: bit.ly/4i34dze

Your daily Avian Hybrids story! A Northern and a Southern Perspective on Hybrids between Golden-winged and Blue-winged Warbler avianhybrids.wordpress.com/2017/09/09/a... Two studies provide insights into the genetics and migration of these two hybridizing warblers. #ornithology