Nice duck ringing session at Rye Meads, Herts. This young Pochard is a rare age class to be ringed in the UK; we don't know much about our breeding Pochard's movements. What we do know is that his mum was ringed as a duckling here thirteen years ago! #ringingunderlicence #UKbirding

Are you at Global Birdfair this weekend? This is where you can find me and Victoria Hillman Vic will be on stand Puffin P37 + make a Smylt at 1pm everyday at the puffling mini workshop stand..cont

Hey #teammoth I’m sure these could all be identified 🤷🏼‍♂️

🦇 Did you know brown long-eared bats love perching in their favourite spot and eat moths? They are not so keen on the wings though... This photo, taken by Mike Mullis, is a collection of moth wings left by a brown long-eared bat from underneath its feeding roosts in his barn in East Sussex (cont)

Back up to Suffolk last night for our second and final EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR trip of the year and we struck gold finding 2 roosting birds! #BirdsSeenIn2026 #suffolkbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social

The warm sunshine certainly helped yesterday with stack of butterflies on the wing around Hollesley, Suffolk with GRAYLING, SILVER-STUDDED BLUE, RINGLET and large numbers of PAINTED LADY. #wildlife #suffolkwildlife #butterflies #suffolk @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @bc-suffolk.bsky.social

We kicked off our evening with a visit to Hollesley Marshes where 26 EURASIAN SPOONBILL, 2 GW EGRET, 7 GREENSHANK, 1 WOOD SANDPIPER and a male RUFF were among the highlights. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #suffolkbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social

Here's the second EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR that was roosting just before dusk last night in coastal Suffolk. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #suffolkbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social

Hot but very enjoyable day guiding at Thursley Common, Surrey where there were stacks of insects and the highlight bird was a WOOD SANDPIPER found by @esbr-essex.bsky.social #BirdsSeenIn2026 #surreybirds #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @tonyrinaud.bsky.social

MOTTLED BEE-FLY, HEATH SMALL-PALP, BEEWOLF & WOOD TIGER BEETLE from our wonderful day at Thursley Common, Surrey yesterday. #insects #surreywildlife @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @flygirlnhm.bsky.social

A few more of the 17 species of Odonata we found at Thursley Common, Surrey yesterday: FOUR-SPOTTED CHASER, COMMON EMERALD, BROAD-BODIED CHASER & RED-EYED DAMSELFLY. #DragonflyWeek #surreywildlife #dragonflies #odonata @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @britishdragonflies.bsky.social

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Still enjoying seeing close views of Swifts around my house 2. A very scruffy Blackbird foraging in my garden 3. A bald Blue Tit who seems quite perky. 4. Overflying Greenfinches & Goldfinches 5. Sparrowhawk flying overhead 🪶

Spent a little bit of time in #EppingForest #WakeValleyPond looking for Downy Emerald dragonflies 🤨 with little luck but some of the amazing coppiced & pollarded trees are beautiful this lovely Hornbeam was one of them

Then onto the excellent wildflower fields at Gt Wigborough which were full of butterflies including BROWN ARGUS, ESSEX SKIPPER, PAINTED LADY, GATEKEEPER and more. #wildlife #essexwildlife #butterflies @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

An early morning visit to Abberton Res yesterday produced 11 SPOONBILL, 12 CATTLE EGRET, 3 GT EGRET plus first GREEN SANDS & GREENSHANK of the autumn plus HOBBY, MARSH HARRIERS and more. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #essexbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Also at Gt Wigborough were MARBLED WHITE, the delightful Sitochroa palealis, LARGE SKIPPER and SMALL HEATH. #wildlife #essexwildlife #butterflies @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Sorry made a typo should read Poplar Hawkmoth ( not Privet)

Late posting but had a fab day yesterday with some pals first with the Striped Shieldbug in Waltham Abbey then with the #teammoth trap @rspb.bsky.social #RyeMeads Privet Hawkmoth (2) Kent black arches LYU Red & black burying beetle then Pheromones Six belted clearwing (2) then Wednesday guided walk

The first of our Nightjar guided walks got off to a cracking start last night with amazing views of this male EUROPEAN NIGHTJAR! #BirdsSeenIn2026 #suffolkbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @tonyrinaud.bsky.social @suffolkbirdgroup.bsky.social

Had this pristine macro #teammoth in my bathroom last night Copper underwing although iNaturalist suggested Svensson’s copper underwing 🤷🏼‍♂️ I didn’t know about checking the underside of hind wing .. I was in my PJ’s brushing my teeth at the time 🤭 not looking in the moth bible

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Watching the Swifts screaming around my house 2. Lifer Red-backed Shrike seen on Poole Harbour trip 3. Bearded Reedlings on the same trip 4. A scruffy Blackbird foraging for food 5. Long-tailed Tits in a tree right next to me 🪶

Did you get outside over the weekend? Maybe for a walk or time in the garden?

Here I am remembering to post to #WildflowerHour so I’m posting this huge Giant hogweed Heracleum mantegazzianum for #InvasiveSpecies the photos were taken from my work minibus showing it is approximately 7ft tall 😳

Just posted a video to celebrate #InsectWeek where I try to answer the question - what is the UK's Biggest Insect?https://youtu.be/g2FNNulLZS8?si=87QHnUBae_oBomaf #ukwildlife #nature #insects

The Leaf Sheep is a 5mm sea slug that steals chloroplasts from algae and keeps them alive in its own tissue, photosynthesizing sunlight into food. Only a handful of animals on Earth can do this.

Wonderful evening mooching around Wrabness EWT reserve with @esbr-essex.bsky.social 2 TURTLE DOVE, 5+ YELLOWHAMMER, 2 BARN OWL, 2 LITTLE OWL plus 1st RINGLETS of the year! #BirdsSeenIn2026 #essexbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Just had a posse of juvenile Long tailed tits in our garden …. I’ve never seen them in our garden only adults before …. They were cute 🥰

My thanks to @andrew-jewels.bsky.social for keeping posting about the Striped shield bug (Graphosoma italicum) in #WalthamAbbey I had been meaning to visit for sometime so as I had time before work to catch up with these beautiful bugs in the #Ninefields colony ps; a Lifer ✅ for me

Please could you take the time to look at this potentially catastrophic situation c.org/C2pDN27xSd

Postponed my day trip to Surrey yesterday due to the heat so headed down to Abberton Res before the heat got too bad. Nice to see CATTLE EGRETS, CUCKOO, COMMON TERN and 9 OYSTERCATCHER, my biggest ever number. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #essexbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

Then spent an enjoyable few hours along 'the old road' at Abberton where 2 PURPLE EMPEROR plus WHITE-LETTER & PURPLE HAIRSTREAKS were seen plus PAINTED LADY, COMMA & SMALL SKIPPER among others. #wildlife #essexwildlife #butterflies @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @bc-cambs-essex.bsky.social

Then spent some time with @olicwildlife.bsky.social in Hide Bay hide where finally caught up with an Essex LESSER EMPEROR! #dragonflies #essex #wildlife @britishdragonflies.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social

ROSEATE TERNS, DIPPER, LITTLE TERNS & SANDERLING from our recent tour to Northumberland. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NEbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @ntbirdclub.bsky.social

ARCTIC TERN, COMMON EIDER with chick, ATLANTIC PUFFIN & LITTLE GULL all from our recent tour to Northumberland. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NEbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @ntbirdclub.bsky.social

We were pleased to catch up with the AMERICAN BLACK TERN at Long Nanny @nationaltrust.org.uk during our visit to Northumberland. #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NEbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @ntbirdclub.bsky.social

A trailer! ❤️

Back home after a superb tour to Northumberland where our group had point-blank views of up to 40 ROSEATE TERNS on Coquet Island @rspb.bsky.social reserve. One of the smartest UK terns! #BirdsSeenIn2026 #NEbirding #birds #birding #ukbirding @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @ntbirdclub.bsky.social

What were your #Top5Birds or bird moments from the past week? Mine: 1. Being entranced by the song of a Song Thrush 2. Watching a Red Kite’s tail as it twisted and turned in windy conditions 3. Seeing Sandwich Tern babies at the nest 4. A distant Osprey 5. Good views of a Reed Warbler 🪶

Had a few other moths including Large yellow underwing Heart & dart Dark arches Common swift #teammoth

So I managed to join the big boys/girls in mothing today with the amazing Privet Hawkmoth to light trapping today VC20 #RyeMeads @rspbengland.bsky.social @vickybird.bsky.social #teammoth What a great moth in pristine condition

Autumn officially opened at Rye Meads, Herts today with the first returning Green Sandpiper.

Oooh! You can now attach up to 10 photos in a post!

Really pleased to find my first Cricket Bat Spider (Mangora acalypha) in the garden today. Didn’t realise they were so small! @britishspiders.bsky.social

A mixed week Welsh birding and mothing as the weather was not ideal for either most of the time, so nothing unexpected recorded. About to do a quick stop at Goldcliff, Newport to scope the estuary, then traveling back to SW London.

Big shop update which includes some original drawings, my snow leopard wool painting and some new wildlife sculptures. mademe.co.uk/shop/woolley... Shop will be closed from 1st July for a few weeks while I attend events #UKGiftHour ##UKGIFTAM #UKMakers #shopindie

Had a nice couple of hours in the Draper hide @rspbengland.bsky.social #RyeMeads @hertsbirds.bsky.social bumped into @alanharrisbirdart.bsky.social who pointed out 70+ Common swift feeding & being the highlight of a wet morning although Lapwing fledgling were nice Little ringed plover’s

Despite the weather, we managed to see some nice butterflies in The Chilterns including SMALL COPPER, LARGE SKIPPER, SMALL TORTOISESHELL & CLOUDED YELLOW. #UKbutterflies #england #wildlife #nature #insects #chilterns @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @upperthames.bsky.social

Some nice orchids in The Chilterns yday including PYRAMIDAL, CHALK FRAGRANT, GREATER BUTTERFLY and a smart CHALK FRAGRANT x COMMON SPOTTED HYBRID. #orchids #wildflowers #england #wildlife #nature #insects #chilterns @ukorchids.bsky.social @britishnatureguide.bsky.social @wildflowerhour.bsky.social

Ban butterfly-killing pesticides for good ❌ Despite repeated promises to ban them, the UK Government has quietly granted yet another 'emergency' license to spray butterfly-killing pesticides across our fields this summer.